Entrepreneur Speaker Series

In this Entrepreneur Speaker Series, entrepreneur & Founder, Jeanne Sikoff will share her story about how she founded Zander’s Game House in Camarillo, the challenges the business faced, and how Zander’s will innovate and evolve in the future.

Zander’s Game House is home to over 1,000 board games and offers a space for friends and family to unplug from screens and reconnect through gaming.

Ian Hathaway is Co-Founder and General Partner of Far Out Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in the United States. He is also a startup advisor and mentor; senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; and board chair member at the Center for American Entrepreneurship. Most recently, Ian was SVP and Head of Capital Analytics at Techstars, where was a leader in the firm’s capital formation, fund management, and investment strategy activities globally, and was an advisor to Index Ventures.

Ian has a long track record as a thought leader in startups, innovation, and venture capital, and is co-author ofThe Startup Community Way, a book about entrepreneurial ecosystems published in 2020. His insights are regularly cited in leading press outlets, such as TheNew York Times, The Economist, Financial Times, and many others. He has been a frequent contributor to outlets such as theHarvard Business Review andTheWall Street Journal.

Ian has worked with large businesses, high-growth startups, and governments in the technology and media, startup and venture capital, financial services, and social sectors on a range of strategic, innovation, and analytical matters. He has advised, mentored, or invested in dozens of early-stage startups and emerging fund managers in the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Previously, Ian led product and innovation initiatives in the venture capital and media sectors (Techstars, Silicon Valley Bank, Bloomberg); was a consultant to major technology and financial services clients (e.g., Google, Goldman Sachs); was an economist at leading policymaking institutions (Federal Reserve Bank, World Trade Organization); was a founder, advisor, and early employee for data analytics startups; was a social entrepreneur (co-founded Center for American Entrepreneurship); and was an educator (New York University).

Ian is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of Dayton. He resides in Santa Barbara, California with his wife and three children.

Robert is a dynamic and accomplished professional, currently serving as the Director of Italian Business Development for gener8tor, a renowned venture capital firm, and accelerator. With a strong background in fostering innovation ecosystems, Robert plays a pivotal role in spearheading gener8tor's expansion into Italy.

With over 13 years of experience, Robert has established a remarkable track record in developing initiatives that bridge the gaps between various stakeholders in the entrepreneurial landscape. His expertise lies in forging strategic partnerships, cultivating entrepreneurship, and nurturing venture capital ecosystems. Prior to his role at gener8tor, Robert successfully led innovation ecosystem initiatives in California and Texas, where he facilitated collaborations between entrepreneurs, startups, development organizations, corporations, investors, academia, and government entities.

Beyond his role at gener8tor, Robert contributes to the growth of the venture capital community as an advisory board member for Ecliptic Capital, a prominent Austin-based venture fund. Additionally, he serves as the CO-CEO of Village Insights, an ecosystem management platform that empowers universities and innovation hubs to effectively manage and connect their networks, enabling them to achieve their objectives seamlessly.

Robert's expertise spans across various industry verticals, and his impact extends to multiple startups and startup accelerators, including MassChallenge Texas. Through his leadership and strategic vision, he envisions accelerating the Italian entrepreneurial landscape by establishing programs encompassing startup accelerators, corporate programming, speaker series, conferences, skills accelerators, and the launch of an Italian-based venture fund.

With his deep understanding of the global startup ecosystem, Robert is poised to empower Italian stakeholders, foster innovation, and drive economic growth by leveraging gener8tor's resources and expertise. His passion for entrepreneurship, coupled with his extensive network and innovative mindset, make him poised to help shape the future of the Italian startup ecosystem and the venture capital landscape.

LetzChat is a messaging platform that aims to revolutionize the way we communicate and connect with each other. In their presentation, the founders will discuss how they have worked with professional athletes to improve the platform and make it more accessible and user-friendly for sports fans and athletes alike.

This is a rare opportunity to learn firsthand from the creators of LetzChat and hear about their innovative approach to involving professional athletes in their startup. We encourage you to attend and bring any questions you may have for the founders.

One of 10 startups selected to be part of the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Accelerator, with Comcast now as an investor in LetzChat. One of eight startups selected to be part of the AARP Foundation Accelerator. Winners of the Pacific Coast Business Times Startup Superstar Award in 2018 representing California Lutheran University over UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly SLO, California State University of Channel Islands, and Ventura College.

Petra Griffith is a Managing Director for Wedbush Ventures which invests in visionary problem solvers who are passionate about meaningfully changing the way we live and do business. They focus on early stage venture investments (pre-seed and seed stage companies) across a variety of sectors with a particular focus on Southern California and areas where we can add value.