Himalaya

Himalaya Rao-Potlapally graduated from Willamette University with a Master’s degree in Business Administration focused in Venture Capital finance. She also holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Adelphi University. Himalaya has experience working inside and consulting with seven different venture funds including managing two start-up company investment conference funds; the Angel Food 2019, a community investment fund organized in connection with the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network’s 2019 Angel Food Conference, and Mid-Valley Angel Fund 2020, a community investment fund organized in connection with a startup investing conference Himalaya helped to launch with OEN, OTBC, and SEDCOR.

Himalaya also has prior entrepreneurial experience, launching and running two start-up ventures prior to fund management. Himalaya has also designed and presented entrepreneurship curriculum used at Willamette University and Portland State University. Himalaya is passionate about creating access for entrepreneurship to BIPOC and rural communities and has been involved in the efforts of InventOR; an Oregon state-wide inter-collegiate competition focused on prototyping and product-based businesses. She has done a number of speaking engagements focused on the importance of venture capital deal flow syndication and investment diversity including conferences held by the Angel Capital Association, Young Entrepreneurs Business Week, and VertueLab.

Marceau

After leaving a long career as an ordained minister, Marceau got his start in the startup business world by winning TechStars Startup Weekend late in 2016. He went on to launch Werkhorse, an on-demand staffing platform for the gig economy. He became an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Jaguar Land Rover Incubator before being invited to the 2018 PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment). In 2017, he launched the Black Founders Matter Apparel line to raise awareness about the disparity in funding between Black entrepreneurs and their White counterparts. In 2018, Marceau became an Analyst for Rogue Venture Partners. He has served as a judge for TechfestNW, InventOR and many other local and regional startup competitions in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. He also serves as a Mentor in Residence at PIE and actively advises several startups.