GEORGETOWN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PRESENTS
Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize
October 26, 2023 5–7 p.m. Rafik B. Hariri Building Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
#BarkTank
About the Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize Aligning with the Jesuit values of Georgetown University, the Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize honors and supports Georgetown students who have launched or are preparing to launch new business ventures that will address problems in the world around them. Ultimately, the Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize builds awareness around the innovation and accomplishments of Georgetown’s entrepreneurs and strengthens the university’s reputation as a place where ambitious students can turn their passions into entrepreneurial ventures. The prize is supported by Ted Leonsis (C’77, P’14, P’15), a longtime entrepreneur, investor, and founder, majority owner, chairman and chief executive officer of Monumental Sports & Entertainment; his wife, Lynn; his son, Zach (MBA’15), president of media and new enterprises at Monumental Sports & Entertainment; and his daughter, Elle (C’14), digital marketing director of SnagFilms, Inc.
P ROGRAM Welcome
Jeff Reid, founding director, Georgetown Entrepreneurship
Emcee
Mackenzie Loy (MBA/MPP’22), founder, Homemade in DC and The New Majority; past recipient, Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize
Finalist Pitches
Enna Health Georgetown REUSE Open Grid Technologies Orbit Reservoir Selleb Shanda SoleStep
Special Remarks
Panos Kostopoulos (G’22), co-founder and CEO, Proxy Foods; past recipient, Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize Paul Almeida, dean and William R. Berkley Chair
Leonsis Prize Winners Announcement Reception
Finalists Enna Health
Nirmal Maitra (B’17, M’25) Enna Health enables cancer patients to effortlessly log cancer and treatment-related symptoms in less than 60 seconds an entry, shares summarized data with care teams for optimal symptom management, and provides essential resources like nonprofit support and reading materials for added assistance.
Georgetown REUSE
Rita Alan (SFS’24), Molly Austin (SFS’25), Brooke Hodge (SFS’24), and Elizabeth Packard (C’25) Georgetown REUSE works to increase accessibility, reduce waste, and promote a circular system of consumption by way of providing affordable and pre-loved clothing, school supplies, and dorm materials to students and community members.
Open Grid Technologies
Nanbo Liu (MBA’24), Theo Hebblethwaite (MBA’24), and Mike Wen (MBA’23) Open Grid provides tailor-made electricity packages to power the daily needs of electric vehicle commuters living in urban settings through subscription-based plans and innovative fast-charging technology.
Orbit
Steven Pang (C’26) Orbit makes immersive neurotech for gaming, movies, and virtual reality.
Reservoir
James Azar (MBA’23) Reservoir is a credentialing and identity management SaaS platform offering businesses an efficient network to manage and validate digital credentials.
Selleb
Claire Lee (B’24) Selleb is a receipts-powered social platform where users can see, share, search, save, and shop products recommended by friends.
Shanda
Dumi Mabhena (MBA’24) Shanda is a simplified audio editing solution for people with interviewbased podcasts.
SoleStep
James Hart (EMBA’24), Shawn Karawa (EMBA’24), Mika Rhabb (EMBA’24), and Omar Wilson (EMBA’24) SoleStep is a health technology company dedicated to improving musculoskeletal health, fitness, and overall societal well-being through smart sole technology.
A special thanks to the Entrepreneurs in Residence and other experts who coached the finalists: Troye Bullock Jr. (C’16) Brian Cooley (C’94, MBA’01) Jen Dalton (B’99, MBA’12) Howard Eisenberg Laura Fredericks (C’08) Matthew Lowinger Fiona Macaulay Mike Malloy (G’12)
Neel Premkumar (B’02) Tian Shi (C’22) Matthew Slaughter (B’95) Steve Taylor (MPM’09) Liz Tenety (C’07) Dave Terzian (C’76) Ken Williams (G’16) Cathryn Wile
Judges David Blair
David Blair serves as the executive chairman of Accountable Health, Inc., a diverse healthcare service holding company that utilizes technologyenabled solutions to improve quality, increase efficiency, and reduce costs in the delivery of healthcare. Previously, Blair served as CEO of Catalyst Health Solutions, Inc., earning Catalyst a spot on Fortune’s 100 FastestGrowing Companies list five times. Blair has been recognized as one of Forbes America’s 15 Most Powerful CEOs under 40. He has served on Ike Leggett’s County Executive’s Economic Advisory Group, he is a member of the Community Foundation’s Sharing Montgomery Grants Committee, and he serves on the boards of the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Partnership for a Healthier America.
Michaelle DiFebo Freeman
Michelle DiFebo Freeman is the owner and CEO of the Carl M. Freeman Companies, a 74-year-old real estate company that specializes in land acquisition, planning, development, and management of residential and retail properties. Freeman is the founding chairman of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation, which honors her late husband. A founding member of Venture Philanthropy Partners, Freeman serves on the board of Halcyon and the Entrepreneurship Advisory Group at Georgetown University. She is a minority partner in Monumental Sports and Entertainment and is one of 13 female NBA team owners. Elle Magazine named her as one of the 10 Most Influential Women in Washington, D.C.
Nancy Hilliker Nancy Hilliker is a vice president at Revolution Growth. She previously worked in equity research covering consumer and retail companies at Citigroup and Wells Fargo in New York City, where she worked on several major transactions for Tapestry, Michael Kors, Hanesbrand, and VF Corp. As a graduate student, she won first place in New Spring’s growth equity thesis competition for a presentation on supply chain software. Hilliker started her career with Bates White, LLC, in Washington, D.C. She graduated with a B.S. in finance from Canisius College, an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and she is a CFA charterholder.
Ted Leonsis (C’77, P’14, P’15)
Ted Leonsis is a venture capital investor, filmmaker, author, and philanthropist. As the founder, chairman, and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, he is the majority owner of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, and Capitol One Arena. Leonsis is a former senior executive with America
Online, a founding member and investor in the Revolution Growth Fund, which includes investments in FedBid, Resonate Networks, and Optoro, and the founder and chairman of SnagFilms. In 2010, he wrote the book The Business of Happiness.
Zachary Leonsis (MBA’15)
Zachary Leonsis is president of media and new enterprises, overseeing all of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s media operations, team rights agreements, and media revenues. In addition, Leonsis oversees all corporate development activities which include corporate M&A, private equity, and venture capital investment opportunities. The Washington Business Journal and Sports Business Journal both recognized Leonsis for his work in revolutionizing the direct-to-fan regional digital experience by honoring him on their prestigious Forty under 40 lists. Leonsis earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Panos Kostopoulos (G’22)
Panos Kostopoulos is the co-founder and CEO of Proxy Foods, a D.C.-based SaaS company that empowers food and beverage enterprises to optimize recipe formulation through AI-powered precision. Beyond his role at Proxy Foods, Kostopoulos also co-founded and serves as director of Cell Ag Greece, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing cellular agriculture and other innovative sustainable food technologies. He holds a masters in chemical engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and an M.S. in biotechnology from Georgetown University. Kostopoulos brings a decade of hands-on experience in the realms of food R&D and various biotechnology sectors. He is the reigning co-champion of Bark Tank from 2023.
Grant Verstandig
Grant Verstandig is a co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Red Cell. He also is the co-founder and executive chairman at Zephyr AI, DEFCON AI, TARA Mind, and all Red Cell incubations. Verstandig served as chief digital officer of UnitedHealth Group from 2017 to 2021, and he was as a senior advisor to the National Security Agency on advanced analytics, technology, and artificial intelligence, and holds several patents in those fields. He also is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Cybersecurity Group, the National Council for American Enterprise, and sits on the boards of Third Option Foundation, the International Spy Museum, and the Greater Washington Partnership as a founding member. He is an active supporter Children’s Hospital, Inova, and MedStar-Georgetown, and he is the founder and chairman of Verstandig Family Foundation.
About Georgetown Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship is one of the world’s most powerful forces for positive change. Georgetown Entrepreneurship seeks to instill an entrepreneurial mindset in students, to foster an entrepreneurial culture across the university, to support the successful growth of alumni ventures, and to leverage the power of entrepreneurship to make an impact in the world beyond Georgetown. Signature programs include the Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize, mentoring and coaching from Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, the Georgetown Venture Lab sponsored by the Leonsis Family for alumni-led ventures, the Pivot Program for returning citizens, the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Challenge Pitch Competition, the Georgetown Startup Interns program, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business entrepreneurship minor, and Summer Launch Incubator. Learn more at entrepreneurship.georgetown.edu. Follow us on LinkedIn: @Georgetown Entrepreneurship