Bhavna Thakur
Finance | Investment Strategy
Bhavna is a global business leader and has extensive experience in advising C-Suites and boards in making financial decisions that create long term value for all stakeholders, keeping core purpose and sustainable values aligned with profitability. As an independent director, Bhavna is a trusted advisor to companies with a proven ability to analyze their growth strategy, deal with complexity, enhance their capital raising initiatives, M&A opportunities, strategic alliances and business transformation strategy. Given her expertise in building businesses powered by AI, Bhavna pro-actively assists companies in defining an artificial intelligence strategy creating tremendous business value - focusing on identifying use cases, implementation, adoption, scalability and future proofing the business.
She has a proven track record of leveraging her relationships with global public market investors, sovereign wealth funds and global private capital providers to diversify pools of liquidity. Her global experience, extensive network, cultural dexterity, and ability to be a sound advisor results in her reputation for integrity, accountability and excellence.
She has led multi billion dollars of private financings, project and structured finance, lPOs and raised debt and equity capital on major global stock exchanges, i.e. NASDAQ, NYSE, NSE & BSE, LSE, Euronext, HKSE and SGX. She has lived and worked in New York, London, Hong Kong and Mumbai. She has a unique blend of deep transactional and cross-border experience as a lawyer, banker, investor and now an AI entrepreneur.
Currently Bhavna is the Chief Operating Officer of Tifin.ai which is an innovator in technology and AI solving problems at scale in the wealth management industry. At Tifin, she is building companies powered by conversational Ai offering intelligence as a service and transforming financial futures. She is leading the mandate to build companies powered by Ai in India as well as the U.S. Previously, Bhavna was Managing Director and heads Exits and Capital Markets at Everstone Capital Advisors, a leading institutional platform in SE Asia and India with $6bn in AUM across private equity, real estate, credit, green infrastructure and venture. She has a 23+ year career in corporate finance, starting off as an M&A and capital markets lawyer at Davis Polk and Wardwell and Paul Weiss, respectively, in New York and London, followed by a career as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong and India after which she ran Citi India's Capital Markets business raising more than 30bn+ for India's C-suite and Companies. She was also the Chair of the Diversity Committee for Citigroup’s India business and assisted in drafting the Indian laws on Women Directors on Boards.
Bhavna currently serves on the boards of Just Dial Limited, (JUSTDIAL) (google search of India), Kinara Capital Limited and the Drama School, Mumbai. She serves on Audit Committees, Corporate Social Responsibility Committees, Stakeholder Relationship Committees and Compensation and Renumeration Committees.
Bhavna studied law at the National Law School, Bangalore and Columbia University in New York. She lives between Mumbai and Boulder, Co with her young daughter, Ahilya, and is committed to creating a better world for future generations.
Craig Edelstein
Finance | Investment Strategy
As a dynamic and strategic-thinking investor and turnaround executive, Craig
showcases broad investment and operational experience. He has been involved
in investments and exits spanning agritech, biotech, cybersecurity, energy &
materials, and real estate. In an operational capacity, he has worked in various
industries, including technology companies, public affairs, marketing, and real
estate.
Currently, Craig has been assisting/advising emerging managers as well as novel
technology companies. Previously, he was acting President of Infinium, a
company focused on rare earth metal production via electrolytic cells and
chemical metallurgy. Prior to that, he worked at The Frost Group, a family office
where he helped manage a range of direct investments and themes, including
seed stage, growth stage, and M&A. He also oversaw realignment of its multimillion
dollar alternative investments portfolio, acting as liaison to fund
managers. His turnaround abilities helped take a money-losing FBO asset,
reposition it for profitability, and negotiate multiple public and private
agreements that set it up to be the second largest FBO at FLL.
Craig also continues to maintain a presence in his own family’s commercial real
estate business, where he has helped execute multiple exits, including a large
multiparty land assembly deal and sale.
He has sat on the Boards of Uriel Solar, Infinium Metals, and the MIT Sloan
Alumni Board, and represented The Frost Group on the Board of Morgan Solar.
He is highly passionate about creating wealth, delivering business value, and
developing people within start-up and mature environments.
Craig received his MBA from MIT as a Sloan Fellow and received his MPA from
The Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He also has a BA from the
University of Pennsylvania.
Jeff Jacobsen
Finance | M&A
Jeff Jacobsen is a recognized strategic and operational finance leader with extensive experience in both private and public companies. Jeff’s core competency is value creation through full cycle corporate development including acquisitions, mergers, integrations, organic growth and divestitures.
Key accomplishments include: the roll-up of a $400 million travel distribution and technology company and subsequent divestiture to a private equity consortium including SoftBank (The Leisure Company); providing finance and administration leadership for a travel technology venture from start-up through growth to $50 million in annual transactions, and subsequent sale (Neat Group, now part of Orbitz); $3 billion merger of the two largest global natural gas compression companies (Universal and Hanover); and various strategic acquisitions of private companies and divestitures of non-core business units to private equity buyers (Newpark Resources).
Jeff was also a top-ranked global airline and travel technology strategy consultant as a founding Principal in American Airlines’ third-party consulting practice. Prior to his business career, he was a nuclear plant engineer in the US Naval Reactors Program.
Jeff holds a BS in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado and an MBA in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is happily married, has three sons, and enjoys golf, skiing and wake-surfing.
Julie Castro Abrams
Investment Advisor
Julie Castro Abrams is the founder and Managing Partner of How Women Invest, an early stage venture firm focussed on high growth, tech enabled women-founded enterprises. The firm is a
culmination of her lifetime of work propelling women founders to launch and find success with training, capital and networks. Julie brings her extensive experience identifying and supporting early stage entrepreneurs and twenty years as a CEO and board director. She is bringing her extensive networks, leadership and entrepreneurship experience to disruption of the venture landscape.
An active investor and advisor to start-ups, and as the leader of the nation's largest micro-enterprise
and micro-finance organization for 11 years, Julie has helped launch over 6,000 women into
successful businesses. In her role as CEO of Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, an SBA Certified
Development Financial Institution, Julie drove innovation in the US micro-enterprise and finance
space. Investing in extensive research about the indicators of long term success for women
entrepreneurs, Julie brings deep intellectual prowess, extensive networks and experience to this
transformative venture firm.
Today she is advising the SBA, White House and Congress on national legislative initiatives to
address economic opportunities for women. She serves on the California First Partners Project as an
advisor regarding corporate board diversity. In her role as Founder and CEO of How Women Lead,
she has been a driver of legislative initiatives and transformation in the US and California. Julie
serves as an Advisor to financial services firms including the fin-tech start-up LENDonate and Nia
Capital. She previously served as an advisor to Beneficial Bank and as the Governance Chair for the
Association for Enterprise Opportunity and the Women’s Funding Network.
As the CEO of How Women Lead, she is at the center of the movement to disrupt antiquated,
unequal systems by propelling women into even greater leadership roles and increasing
opportunities for all women. Julie has been an essential driver of the ecosystem for women on
corporate boards in California. Julie has been a national leader in the movement and drove the
successful passage of the groundbreaking Senate Bill 826, requiring public companies to have
women on their boards.
The recipient of many accolades, she has been awarded the More Jobs Genius Award, the Morgan
Stanley Innovation Award, Cisco’s Innovation in Technology Award, the League of Women Voters’
Women Who Could Be President Award, the Stevie Award for Best Non-Profit Executive, and the
Commission on the Status of Women’s Human Rights Award. She has also been featured in six
books, including “Scrappy Women in Business,” “Women of Courage,” and “The Missing Mentor,” and
she has been featured in Fast Company’s video series “30 Second MBA.”
Jesse Speltz
Investment Advisor
Jesse Speltz, Director of Tax Credit Investments, at Cabretta Capital is responsible for business development and expanding Cabretta’s national footprint with institutional and high net worth investors to mitigate their state tax liabilities.
Jesse is an accomplished finance and business development professional with 30+ years of leadership experience working with middle market and growth-oriented companies. Prior to joining Cabretta, Jesse led business development for DHG’s private equity and transaction advisory teams, assisting buyers and sellers with their M&A and financial accounting requirements around a transaction.
Jesse is heavily involved within the financial community, currently serving as a board member for the Atlanta Association of Corporate Growth (ACG), attending 25-30 ACG events across the country on an annual basis. Jesse and his wife live on the north side of Atlanta in Roswell, GA. When Jesse is not in the office you can find him on the golf course, traveling, enjoying a glass of wine, and/or cooking. If you are ever in the area, reach out, and let’s tee it up!
Mitchell VerVoort
Investment and Legal Advisor
Mitchell VerVoort is an accomplished attorney with a career spanning over three decades, during which he has been a prominent figure in various facets of law and business. With a diverse range of expertise, he has made substantial contributions to the fields of Start-Ups, Software, Computer, Internet, Digital Media, and Information Technology.
Mitchell's extensive experience in technology contracts and licensing has been pivotal in guiding businesses through the complex legal landscape of the tech industry since 1993. His profound knowledge and insight into the intricacies of these contracts have enabled countless companies to navigate legal agreements and licensing arrangements with confidence.
Mitchell's dedication to the world of tech start-ups is evident in his invaluable support for new ventures. His expertise extends to the formation and financing of tech start-ups, where he has played a pivotal role in helping entrepreneurs turn their innovative ideas into thriving businesses. His guidance has been instrumental in securing funding, establishing legal frameworks, and ensuring the legal compliance of these budding enterprises.
Throughout his career, Mitchell VerVoort has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence and a passion for ensuring that the legal aspects of business operations are handled with precision and care. His vast experience and diverse skill set have made him a sought-after legal professional in the tech sector, and his impact on countless businesses and entrepreneurs is a testament to his expertise and dedication. Mitchell continues to be a driving force in the legal and business world, providing invaluable counsel to clients and contributing to the success of a wide array of ventures.
Priti Patel, MD
Healthcare Advisor
Priti Patel is an experienced leader dedicated to healthcare innovation and transformation through technology. With over two decades in family medicine and clinical informatics, she serves as the Chief Medical Information Officer at John Muir Health and is recognized for her advocacy for clinicians. She is passionate about harnessing digital tools to improve quality, safety, and efficiency in patient care. Dr. Patel is especially dedicated to identifying and incorporating artificial intelligence tools at the point of care to advance clinician experience and patient outcomes.
Prior to her informatics journey, Dr. Patel served in medical director, board of director, and physician leadership roles. She teaches family medicine residents and volunteers at the John Muir Mobile Health Clinic which serves vulnerable patient populations. Dr. Patel completed her undergraduate education at Columbia University with a B.S. in Bioengineering, her M.D. at Albany Medical College, and her residency training at the University of New Mexico. She is board-certified in Family Medicine and Clinical Informatics. As a fellow of the Carol Emmott Foundation, which promotes gender equity in healthcare leadership, Dr. Patel is a committed advocate for women leaders in healthcare technology.
Richard Vazquez, MD FACS
Healthcare Advisor
Dr. Vazquez practiced general surgery for 38 years at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Emeritus 2017) in Chicago, Illinois and is a faculty member (Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery) at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University. He attended medical school at the University of Illinois from 1965 to 1969 and completed his general surgical residency in 1974 at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois. Concurrently he attended the University of Illinois graduate school in bioengineering and physiology while he attended medical school and his residency program. He has been continuously board certified by American Board of Surgery since April 1975 and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons since 1976. He has served on committees of SAGES (Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons) such as the Patient Safety, Quality, and Outcomes, and the Safe Cholecystectomy task force (current).
Among his professional achievements, Dr. Vazquez served as Chief Medical Officer of the Illinois State Police from 1988 to June 2002 acting as the professional medical and medical and surgical advocate for all state troopers, code personnel, and their families for all serious injuries and illnesses referred to his unit.
Dr. Vazquez has been CEO/CMO of SafeStart Medical, Inc. since 2017. The SafeStart platform provides a simple digital framework toward zero harm and high reliability. SafeStart SAAS is designed to eliminate handoff and communication errors, to prevent harm to patients, to reduce delays, cancellations, and no shows for preoperative patients in any clinical setting. Patients and families are actively involved in the review of their image enhanced safety record from (home when possible). SafeStart promotes a culture of safety while providing a high reliability auditable process that produces a patient specific image rich surgical safety timeout checklist in lock step with the safety checklist Universal Protocol of numerous professional medical and nursing societies.
Chris Esguerra, MD, MBA
Healthcare Advisor
An experienced healthcare leader, Chris Esguerra, MD, MBA, FAPA, CHCQM continues to lead systems transformation, program evolution, and public/private partnerships leading to outcomes focused on equity, delivery transformation, integration, and novel payment models. He serves as Chief Medical Officer for Health Plan of San Mateo, a public plan covering Medicaid and dually eligible Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries. He also advises a number of nonprofit organizations and healthcare startups making a difference for underserved populations.
His experience encompasses health care provider and systems leadership, managed care operations, novel payment models, public-private partnerships, and health care transformation. He has led significant efforts around integration of care and services for a variety of populations, holistically addressing social determinants of health in healthcare delivery, and helping people remain and age in the community with appropriate long term services and supports. He served on a National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine committee that published Integrating Social Needs Care into the Delivery of Health Care to Improve the Nation's Health. He supports and advises startups in the areas of strategy, product, markets, regulatory/compliance, and business development.
Dr. Esguerra is board certified in both Psychiatry and Health Care and Quality Management, and is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians. He received his BS in Chemistry and Medical Degree from the University of Southern California. He completed his residency training in Psychiatry at San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Psychiatry Residency Training Program. He also received his MBA in business management from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Chara Rager
Healthcare Advisor
Chara Rager brings a unique combination of over 20 years of experience in the finance industry, including her work with Middleburg Venture Partners, before making a career transition into healthcare. Currently serving as a nurse on the Oncology unit at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. She is enthusiastic about providing safe quality patient-centered care to all those in need, vulnerable, dying and underserved. She continuously looks to improve the delivery of patient healthcare, increase safety measures, end communication errors, prevent patient harm, and reduce suffering through the optimization of care delivery using evidence-based practice.
Chara’s passion is contributing to a positive change within the healthcare industry that goes beyond incremental improvements. She often seeks out new opportunities to develop innovative ideas that can supply meaningful change. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing and is an active member of the American Nurses Association and Oncology Nurses Association. She enjoys networking and attending association meetings where experiences and clinical problems can be shared, and she can learn about new research evidence related to the healthcare industry.
Simon Gao
Artificial Intelligence | Healthcare Technology
Simon is a seasoned data science executive who is focused on healthcare data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Simon is currently the Director of Data Science at Sentara Health. He has worked with Chenmed, New York Life, and CUNA Mutual Group responsible for data analytics initiatives on patient care outcome prediction and optimization, database marketing analytics, and customer health risk underwriting. He has been the head of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence at Chenmed; a Corporate VP, Chief Analytics Officer at New York Life DTC, where he helped develop and drive the creation of enterprise data science roadmaps. Corinium Intelligence recognized Simon as one of the Top 50 Data & Analytics Professionals in USA & Canada.
At AI Safety Holdings, Simon is focused on determining the strategic value of our investments as it relates to leveraging AI for Healthcare Technology and Data Analytics.
Simon holds a PhD in Applied & Resource Economics from University of Florida, Gainesville and a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern A&S University in China.
Ori Kitov
Legal Advisor
Ori Kitov is an attorney in one of Israel’s top leading law firms Corporate Department, providing general counsel to public and private companies, with an emphasis on capital markets, structured finance and derivatives, commercial transactions, corporate law, M&A, and restructuring. Ori further provides ongoing corporate and securities law advice to Israeli companies and institutional investors.
In recent years, Ori has taken part in significantly large transactions in the Israeli economy in the fields of insurance, Healthcare and REIT corporations.
Ori was member of the editorial board of the Bar-Ilan University Law Review and served as a teaching assistant in taxation courses in the Bar-Ilan University. Ori has a Master of Business Administration (Honors), and Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Laws (Honors) and was Awarded Dean’s and Rector’s List for achievements in each one of the degrees above mentioned, with total averages placing him in top 2.8 percentile of class.
AI Healthcare Capital | 2001 Timberloch Place | Suite 500 | The Woodlands | Texas | 77380
Copyright 2020 - 2024 AI Healthcare Capital, llc. - All Rights Reserved.