Advisory Board

Operators, investors, and alumni who lend their expertise to Jumbo Ventures and the Tufts founders we support.

Andrew Peng

Principal, Collide Capital

Andrew invests in pre-seed through Series A founders tackling global challenges. He brings experience across venture stages and a deep focus on backing resilient, unconventional founders early.

Asheesh Advani

President & CEO, JA Worldwide

Asheesh leads JA Worldwide, one of the largest youth-serving NGOs, reaching millions of young people each year with entrepreneurship and work-readiness programs. A serial entrepreneur and author of Modern Achievement, he previously founded and scaled two venture-backed fintech companies.

David Horne

Partner, Fenwick

David advises high-growth startups and venture investors on corporate legal strategy, financings, M&A, and public offerings. He is a leading startup and venture capital lawyer in Boston.

Devika Patil

Managing Director, HSBC Innovation Banking

Devika leads investor coverage and business development in HSBC's Venture Capital Relationship Group, partnering with funds across the innovation economy. She previously spent years at Silicon Valley Bank and JP Morgan.

Jack Derby

CEO, Derby Management; Professor, Tufts University

Jack founded the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts and has taught entrepreneurial marketing and sales since 2007. He has founded or co-founded nine companies and brings decades of operating and board experience.

Jared Young

Director, Venture Capital, Tower Research Capital

Jared leads the venture fund at Tower Research Capital, investing pre-seed through Series B and incubating new companies. He previously worked at Bridgewater, Addepar, and Bienville.

Jonathan Diaz

Vice President, Sana Capital

Jonathan is a healthcare venture investor advancing health equity through innovative solutions for underserved populations. He is a graduate of Tufts University.

Katy Nelson

Investor & GTM Leader; fmr. Partner, Andreessen Horowitz

Katy built and led a16z’s largest GTM organization and now co-invests in early-stage founders building AI-driven solutions for regulated, high-impact markets. She is also an Executive in Residence and Adjunct at NYU Stern.

Kevin Frey

CEO, Generation Unlimited at UNICEF

Kevin is an entrepreneur and executive who has built and led education and human-capital organizations across more than 90 countries. He founded TeachAway and the Kesson Group, and previously served as CEO of Right To Play.

Laurel Woerner

Founder, LTW Consulting; Platform Strategy Leader

Laurel has spent a decade helping founders scale, advising platform leaders at Union Square Ventures, Bessemer, and Underscore Ventures. She previously led platform at RRE Ventures, helped found the community at Work-Bench, and served on the board of the VC Platform Global Community.

Lauren M Taylor

Managing Partner, NDVC

Lauren invests at the earliest stages in health and biotech infrastructure, stacking non-dilutive capital — philanthropy, corporate partnerships, and grants — on top of equity checks. She mentors with Creative Destruction Lab and scouts for Hustle Fund.

Zara Zaman

Investor & Head of Platform, Emerge Capital

Zara is an investor and platform leader at Emerge Capital, a European pre-seed and seed fund focused on the future of Human Capital Development. She previously founded Edventure, the first pan-European university venture builder.