Speaking

Speaking Topics

I frequently cover the following topics:

Entrepreneurship & startups - lessons learned & tips
Fundraising basics - how to land a seed round
Pitch deck tips
Positioning
Angel investing
Growing startups in the Boston ecosystem
Gender diversity & startups

Recent Materials

See my recent slide decks on SlideShare.

Past Video Clips

Angel Invest Boston podcast

Rock Center EiR Interview, Harvard Business School

MIT $100K Competition Emcee, MIT

PayPal’s Boston office TV interview, NECN, This Week in Business

The Big Orange Couch with David Chang Interview, The Ad Club

EDGE Conference: Branded in Boston Presentation, The Ad Club

You Don’t Have To Be A Startup To Have A Startup Culture Interview, Culture Amp

Inside the PayPal Start Tank incubator Interview, TechTarget

Upcoming Events

Let's chat at an upcoming event.

MassChallenge
Speaker
Tue, Sept 3 | MassChallenge

Babson College: New Technology Ventures Class
Guest Speaker: Adventures in launching tech ventures
Thur, Sept 12 | Babson College

Startup Boston
Panelist: Making an Offer They Can't Refuse: How to Recruit the Startup Talent You Want
Wed, Sept 18 | CIC

Startup Boston
Panelist: Seed Funding and Raising Capital: How to Fundraise Before Your Startup has Traction
Fri, Sept 20 | CIC

Harvard Business School: Field X Class
Guest Speaker: Fundraising 101: How to pitch and land your first investors
Tue, Sept 24 | Harvard Business School

HubWeek: 2019 Fall Festival
Speaker
Oct 1-3

Arc Tank 3.0
Pitch Competition Moderator
Tue, Nov 19 | The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

2019 Past Events

TrepCamp
Guest Speaker: Fundraising
Wed, Jul 31 | Boston University

Babson Summer Venture Program
Guest Speaker: How to Raise a Seed Round
Thu, Jul 11 | Babson College

TrepCamp
Guest Speaker: How to Raise a Seed Round
Wed, Jul 10 | Boston University

The Mentors: How To Start Solving The Student Debt Crisis, With David Chang Of Gradifi
Guest
Tue, May 21

Bloomberg Radio: Baystate Business: Budgets, Casinos and Student Debt (@38:45)
Guest
Mon, May 20

Harvard Business School Online: Connext 2019: Business with a Purpose
Panelist
Sat, Apr 27 | Harvard Business School

Best Places to Work in the Bay Area 2019
Sponsor and Awards Presenter
Thu, Apr 18 | Hilton Union Square

TechTogether Boston
Hackathon Judge
Sun, Mar 24 | Boston University

Building a Great Company Culture from the Ground Up
Moderator
Tue, Feb 26 | WeWork

Startup Founder Talk
Guest Speaker: Founder Lessons, Learned the Hard Way
Thu, Feb 21 | First Republic Bank

Harvard Business School: Field Y Class
Guest Speaker: Financing 101: financing your startup and yourself
Tue, Feb 19 | Harvard Business School

Across Boundaries Conference
Panelist
Fri, Feb 1 | Hynes Convention Center

HBS Startup Bootcamp Pitch Panels
Pitch Feedback Judge
Fri, Jan 25 | Harvard Business School

BUILD Education Roundtable
Host
Tue, Jan 15

The Stacking Benjamins Show: Smart Money Moves To Make In 2019 (and an intro to Gradifi)
Guest
Fri, Jan 11

2018 Past Events

Bloomberg Radio: Baystate Business: Markets and Biotech
Guest
Thu, Dec 6

Salesforce CxO Dinner
Guest Speaker
Wed, Dec 5

Arc Tank 2.0
Pitch Competition Moderator
Tue, Nov 27 | The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Shoobx Drive
Panelist
Thu, Nov 8 | District Hall

Innovets Veteran Entrepreneur Pitch Competition
Pitch Judge
Wed, Nov 7 | District Hall

Babson How2Tuesdays
Speaker: How to raise a seed round
Tue, Nov 6 | Babson College

New Frontiers in Cybersecurity: From Blockchain to Machine Learning
Moderator
Thu, Oct 25 | Wayfair

BUILD Entrepreneur Games
Host Committee Chair
Thu, Oct 18 | Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center

US-China Venture Summit
Panelist: VC
Sun, Sept 30 | MIT

Founders Live Boston!
Pitch Judge
Thu, Sept 20 | WeWork Cambridge

Boston Fintech Week: Universities & Innovation Life Cycles
Panelist
Thu, Sept 13 | WPI Innovation Center

Babson College: New Technology Ventures Class
Guest Speaker: Adventures in launching tech ventures
Tue, Sept 11 | Babson College

Babson College: Customer-Centric Marketing Class
Guest Speaker
Mon, Sept 10 | Babson College

Revolution Day
Dinner Guest Speaker
Tue, Aug 7 | Row 34

Radio Entrepreneurs
Guest
Fri, Aug 3

2018 Babson Summer Venture Showcase
Opening Remarks
Thu, July 26 | Federal Reserve

gener8tor Executives on a Plane: Visit to Boston Tech Hub
Speaker: Universities & Entrepreneurship
Wed, June 13 | Revere Hotel

Retail Boost
Moderator: Selling on Social: How to Move Past Engagement & Maximize Sales
Wed, May 9 | Rue La La

HBS Rock Accelerator Demo Day
Head Coach
Tue, May 8 | Harvard Business School Chao Center

Boston Startup Week Preview Event
Ask Me Anything (AMA) & Fireside Chat
Wed, Apr 25 | CIC

Harvard Business School New Venture Competition
Pitch Judge
Wed, Apr 18 | Harvard Business School

WeStart-Wellesley Business Leadership Council Startup Weekend
Workshop Speaker (with Rob Kornblum): How to Pitch
Sun, Mar 11 | Wellesley College

Asian American Heritage Week
Panelist: Asian Americans in Tech and Entrepreneurship
Thu, Feb 22 | Northeastern

HBS Startup Bootcamp Pitch Panels
Pitch Feedback Judge
Fri, Jan 19 | Harvard Business School

Unpitch
Pitch Feedback
Thu, Jan 18 | C Space

2017 Past Events

Babson How2Tuesdays
Speaker: How to raise a seed round
Tue, Nov 28 | Babson College

The Arc Tank
Pitch Competition Moderator
Wed, Nov 15 | The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Intelligent.ly Exchange
Guest Speaker
Tue, Nov 14 | District Hall

BostInno's 50 on Fire
Winner (Inno Blazer) for Education
Thu, Nov 9 | The Revere Hotel

GrowthHackers AMA
Ask Me Anything (AMA) Host
Thu, Nov 9

kTeams Corporate Venture/Scout Session
Panelist
Wed, Nov 8 | CIC

Harvard Business School: Field X Class
Guest Speaker: Fundraising 101: How to pitch and land your first investors
Tue, Nov 7 | Harvard Business School

SheDemos 2017
Pitch Judge
Wed, Nov 1 | WeWork South Station

Guppy Tank: Boston Public School Students Design Mobile Apps
Pitch Judge
Thu, Oct 19 | WeWork St. James

InnovateEDU & HUBweek: Celebration of Student Entrepreneurship in Boston (recap video)
Closing Keynote Speaker
Wed, Oct 11 | Boston University

BUILD Entrepreneur Games
Host Committee Co-Chair
Wed, Oct 11 | Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center

US-China VC Summit & Startup Expo
Fireside Chat with Zac Pan, Lightspeed China: US-China startup ecosystem
Sat, Sept 30 | Boston Hynes Convention Center

Boston Startup Week
Speaker: How to pitch and land your first investors
Wed, Sept 20 | CIC

Babson eTower: Young Entrepreneurs Conference
Closing Keynote
Fri, Sept 15 | Babson College Park Manor West

Mass Technology Leadership Council 2017 Leadership Awards Gala
Tribute to Sir Tim Berners-Lee for the Commonwealth Award (tribute video)
Thu, Sept 14 | Seaport World Trade Center

Babson College: New Technology Ventures Class
Guest Speaker: Adventures in launching tech businesses
Thu, Sept 14 | Babson College

Bloomberg Radio: Baystate Business Hour
Guest: The C-Suite Segment
Wed, Sept 6

MassChallenge Pitch Workshop
Pitch Feedback Judge
Wed, Aug 30 | MassChallenge

Epiic Solutions Pitch Competition
Pitch Judge
Fri, Aug 18 | CIC Boston

Brandathon 2017 Match Event
Presenter
Thu, Aug 3 | WeWork South Station

2017 Babson Summer Venture Showcase
Opening Remarks
Thu, July 27 | Federal Reserve

Bloomberg Radio: Baystate Business Hour
Guest
Mon, July 24

VentureApp Live Chat
AMA Chat Host
Thu, July 20

CUFSLP Partners Meeting Summer 2017
Guest Speaker
Thu, July 13 | University of Massachusetts Club

Product Hunt LIVE
Ask Me Anything (AMA) Host
Thu, July 13

OTEC-Liaoyuan Private Demo Day
Pitch Judge
Sat, June 17 | Hatch Fenway

Boston TechJam
Panelist: Diversity, Talent & Leadership
Thu, June 15

MITX Data Summit
Moderator: Improving Athletic Performance: The Role of Data in Sports
Wed, June 14 | Google Cambridge

Capital W Speed Pitch
Pitch Moderator
Thu, June 8 | District Hall

Pitch It: A Startup Showcase
Pitch Judge
Thu, May 18 | Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen and Loewy

C Space Shark Tank
Pitch Judge
Wed, May 17 | C Space

Uber Retreat
Guest Speaker
Thu, May 11

Babson Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab Pitch
Pitch Judge
Wed, May 3 | The Atrium at The Davenport

President’s Innovation Challenge
Pitch Judge
Sat, Apr 29 | Harvard Innovation Lab

Babson Tie-Off Demo Day
Pitch Judge
Fri, Apr 28 | Babson College

Harvard Business School New Venture Competition
Pitch Judge
Tue, Apr 25 | Harvard Business School

Intelligent.ly Exchange
Guest Speaker: Navigating Change
Thu, Apr 13

MITX Finalist Announcement
Presenter
Thu, Apr 6

E.F Kauffman Foundation Bootcamp
Panelist: Funding
Fri, Mar 31 | MassChallenge

Rock Accelerator Pitch Workshop
Pitch Judge
Mon, Mar 6 | Harvard Business School

BUILD Student Showcase
Judge
Thu, Mar 2 | MIT Sloan

Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) Harvard Conference
Panelist: Technology in Innovation
Sun, Feb 19 | Harvard

National Merchant Day
Exhibitor: Feelter Innovation Showcase
Thu, Feb 16 | Tribeca Rooftop

Big Booster Boston Bootcamp
Speaker: Investment Workshop
Panelist
Tue, Feb 14 | MassChallenge

Liaoyuan and Harvard China Forum: Startup & Innovation Night
Speaker: Boston Startup Ecosystem
Panelist: What angels look for
Fri, Feb 10 | Harvard

MITX eCommerce Summit: Accelerating Commerce
Moderator (Fireside Chat with Sanchan Saxena, Instagram): The Role Social Plays in eCommerce
Roundtable discussion leader: Social Media + eCommerce
Wed, Feb 8 | PwC

National Collegiate Research Conference
Panelist: Entrepreneurship
Thu, Jan 19 | Harvard University

Mentorpalooza!
Panelist
Wed, Jan 18 | Goodwin Procter

Unpitch
Pitch Feedback
Wed, Jan 11 | C Space

2016 Events

Venture Fast Track: Fundraising Bootcamp for Early Stage Entrepreneurs
Lunch Mentor & Pitch Judge
Mon, Dec 12 | Nutter McClennen & Fish

BIA Kelsey Next
Moderator (Fireside Chat with Ben Sack): Automating Local Commerce: From Buttons to Bots
Wed, Dec 7 | Royale Boston

Wanderu Hackathon
Pitch Judge
Fri, Dec 2 | Wanderu

Rock Founders Dinner
Guest Speaker
Wed, Nov 30 | Harvard Business School

Mass TLC Transform
Lunch Discussion Leader: How Large Organizations Can Leverage Start-Ups
Fri, Nov 18 | Federal Reserve, Boston

Shoobx Startup Series
Panelist: Solving the Funding Puzzle
Thu, Nov 17 | WeWork South Station

Harvard Law Entrepreneurship Project
Guest Speaker: Lunch talk on fundraising
Fri, Nov 11 | Harvard Law School

SheDemos 2016
Pitch Judge
Wed, Nov 9 | C-Space

Babson Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab
Speaker: Monetizing web/mobile services
Wed, Oct 26 | Babson

US-China VC Summit & Startup Expo
Panelist: Startup Infrastructure
Sat, Oct 1 | Boston Convention and Exhibition Center

Harvard Business School: Field X Class
Guest Speaker: Fundraising 101: How to land your seed round
Tue, Sept 27 | Harvard Business School

SmartMoney Startups Workshop
Speaker (with JD Davids): Fast Track Fundraising for Your Portfolio Companies
Wed, Sept 14 | OpenView Venture Partners

MassChallenge Workshop
Speaker (with JD Davids): Identifying Funding Sources
Mon, Sept 12 | MassChallenge

Intelligent.ly Exchange
Guest Speaker: Navigating Change
Tue, Aug 23 | District Hall

Leland Cheung Young Professionals Event: Innovators & Apps
(see event photos)
Co-host
Thu, Aug 11 | Felipe's Taqueria

Lean Startup Circle Meetup Panel
Panelist: Best practices for raising a seed round
Wed, Aug 10 | Foley & Lardner

Brandathon 2016 Match Event
Guest Speaker
Thu, Aug 4 | Arnold Worldwide

MassChallenge 2016 Bootcamp
Speaker (with Scott Bailey): Doing Business in Boston
Mon, June 27 | MassChallenge

MassChallenge 2016 Bootcamp
Speaker (with Shereen Shermak): Fundraising Intro
Fri, June 24 | MassChallenge

BUILD Entrepreneur Games
Host Committee Co-Chair
Thu, June 23 | Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center

Xconomy Influx
Moderator: The New Face of Collaboration
Wed, June 22 | Museum of Science

International Entrepreneur Meetup
Guest Speaker: Doing Business in Boston & Lessons Learned
Wed, June 15 | Plug Cambridge

Education First Networking Q&A
Panelist
Thu, June 9 | Education First

SmartMoney Startups Workshop
Speaker (with JD Davids)
Wed, June 1 | WeWork Fort Point

MITX 2016 Awards
Pitch Judge & Awards Presenter
Wed, May 25 | Westin Waterfront

A Night to Focus on the T’s Future
Panelist
Tue, May 24 | Northeastern

MassChallenge Round 2 Judging
Pitch Judge
Mon, May 9 | Morgan Lewis

Capital W Speed Pitch
Pitch Feedback Judge
Fri, May 6 | District Hall

Techstars Selling to Prospects Elevator Pitch Judging
Pitch Feedback Judge
Thu, May 5 | Techstars

Rock 100 Entrepreneurs Summit
Discussion Leader: Sales & Growth in Mobile Tech
Wed, Apr 27 | Harvard Business School

MassChallenge Colombia Bootcamp
Speaker: Doing Business in Boston
Tue, Apr 19 | District Hall

Raizlabs XLR8 Roundtable
Guest Speaker: Fireside chat
Thu, Mar 3 | Raizlabs

MassChallenge Korea Bootcamp
Speaker (with Dan Deac): Fundraising Tactics 101
Thu, Feb 25 | MassChallenge

Startup Leadership Program
Pitch Judge
Mon, Feb 22 | Foley Hoag

Northeastern Society of Asian Scientists & Engineers (SASE) Northeast Regional Conference
Closing Keynote Speaker: Collaboration, Creativity & Inspiration
Sat, Feb 13 | Northeastern

Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) Harvard Conference
Morning Keynote Speaker: Lessons Learned in Global Entrepreneurship
Sat, Feb 13 | Harvard

MIT $100K Winter Accelerate Finale
(see event photos and webcast [VIDEO])
Emcee/Host
Wed, Feb 10 | MIT

Lyon-Boston Bootcamp
Host & Speaker: Fundraising 101 Primer
Tue, Feb 9 | MassChallenge

Harvard Winter Xcelerate Demo Day
Panelist: Entrepreneurship & Career Paths
Sat, Jan 23 | Harvard

PwC Boston HeForShe
Guest Speaker/Flash Talk: Gender Diversity in the Workplace (#HeForShe)
Thu, Jan 21 | PwC

2015 Events

KPIs in B2C Startups
Panelist
Mon, Dec 14 | SmackHigh

Unpitch
Pitch Feedback
Wed, Dec 9

MassChallenge-Morocco Bootcamp
Speaker: Fundraising 101
Tue, Dec 8

BostInno's 50 on Fire
Winner for Investment
Thu, Dec 3 | Moakley Courthouse

Intelligent.ly Exchange
Guest Speaker
Tue, Nov 10

Big Booster Lyon
Keynote Speaker: Welcome Address
Tue, Oct 27

Ignite 3
Guest Speaker
Sat, Oct 24

Rev Boston
Panelist: Getting on boards, advising, and investing
Sat, Oct 17

Brandathon University
Guest Speaker: Opening comments
Wed, Oct 14

Breaking Into the Boston Startup Ecosystem
Panelist
Wed, Oct 7

FutureM
Track Host
Tue, Oct 6

MassChallenge Deep Dive
Speaker: Funding & pitching
Thu, Aug 20

Brandathon
Judge & Presenter
Thu, Aug 6

MassChallenge 2015 Bootcamp
Speaker: How to Do Business in Boston
Tue, June 30

nToggle Lunch & Learn
Guest Speaker
Wed, June 24

BUILD’s 4th Annual Youth Business Plan Competition
Pitch Judge
Sat, May 30

Global STEM Education & an Innovation-Driven Global Workforce of the 21 Century
Panelist
Fri, May 29

MassChallenge 2015 Finalist Announcement
Keynote Speaker
Wed, May 20 | Hult

Front End of Innovation
Panelist: Connecting with startups
Blog interview, CMO luncheon
Tue, May 19 | Boston WTC

StartOut Startup War Stories
Panelist
Tue, Apr 28

Intelligent.ly Exchange
Guest Speaker
Wed, Apr 8

Boston Women's Venture Summit
Pitch Judge
Tue, Apr 7

Northeastern University: Entrepreneurial Finance Class
Guest Speaker
Fri, Apr 3

MIT Asia Business Conference
Panelist: How to identify the next big entrepreneurs: from incubating and accelerating to angel investing and VC investing
Sat, Mar 7 | MIT Media Lab

MITX eCommerce Summit
Speaker: Commerce Trends & Innovations
Tue, Mar 3

2014 Events

Boston College Tech Trek
Host
Fri, Dec 5 | PayPal

MITX Up for Start Tank
Host
Tue, Nov 18 | PayPal

CJP/Haifa Visit to Start Tank
Host & Speaker: Entrepreneurship & About Start Tank
Mon, Nov 17 | PayPal

Innovation unConference
Expert
Fri, Nov 14

MIT Sloan E&I Club to Start Tank
Host & Speaker: About Start Tank & Entrepreneurship
Fri, Nov 7 | PayPal

BBJ Power 50: Most Influential Bostonians
Honoree
Thu, Nov 6 | Boston Harbor Hotel

Tech Hub Caucus Idea-a-thon
Emcee
Wed, Nov 5 | PayPal

N2 Event
Corp representative for eBay/PayPal (with Tim C.)
Tue, Oct 28 | District Hall

Harvard Asian Alumni Summit
Panelist: Start-up Tales from the Tech Frontier
Sun, Oct 26 | Harvard Science Center

Northeastern University: Entrepreneurship Class
Guest Speaker: Entrepreneurial finance in practice
Wed, Oct 22 | Northeastern

Tufts University: Entrepreneurship Class Visit to Start Tank
Host & Speaker: Tufts & entrepreneurship presentation
Mon, Oct 20 | PayPal

Harvard Hackfest
Keynote Speaker: Media, advertising & entrepreneurship
Sat, Oct 18 | Harvard i-Lab

Atlas Annual Meeting - Boston Syndicates
2-minute pitch/showcase presentation on Inmoji
Thu, Oct 2 | The State Room (60 State Street)

MIT Enterprise Forum - Innovation Spaces
How physical spaces foster innovation presentation & panel (with Karen Landry)
Wed, Oct 1 | District Hall