The managing director: ernie knight
  • The President of Knight and Associates, a management consulting firm, and an Executive-in-Residence for TBEIC, Ernie has experience in management consulting and is equipped to assist companies in their rise to success. He has over 15 years of experience with technology organizations focused on seed/early stages. Additionally, he has served as a Founding Managing Director of Nationwide Mutual Capital, where he invested locally and nationally, and led three exits of over $100 million. He also has experience at Reservoir Venture Partners and Innovation Works.
  • Ernie has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics from Case Western Reserve University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. 

The advisory board
Eugene Calabria
  • Eugene is the President and CEO of GBS Corporation, where he leads 400 employees contributing to over $100 million in annual sales. He also serves on the board of several non-profit organizations.
  • Previously, he was the President of GBS Technology division and Head of GBS Healthcare division, where he expanded products and services into new markets. He also played a pivotal role in shaping GBS during his time as a software developer.
  • Eugene has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a dual minor in marketing and economics from Youngstown State University. ​
Vasanthi Chandrasekaram
  • Vasanthi has a passion for combining disruptive technologies to create simple products that have a great human impact. She has over 18 years of experience delivering product and business growth in enterprise and consumer sectors of world-class organizations, such as Apple and Sprint. Currently, Vasanthi is the General Manager of a brand new product line at Amazon (AWS).
  • She serves on the Board of Directors for Ahalogy and RewardsPay, and is the Chair of Internet Things Investment Forum at the Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Northern California.
  • Vasanthi holds degrees in Physics and Computer Science from Smith College and Engineering from Dartmouth College, and she has a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. 
Chris McGowan
  • Chris is the General Partner of CJM Ventures, a private investment firm focused on buyouts, growth equity and venture capital, which brings distinguished investment expertise and access to sources of capital outside the state of Ohio. He has also been a private equity investor for over 23 years, including at Madison Dearborn Partners where he co-headed their basic industries practice for the last five years of his 12-year career there.  At MDP, he oversaw more than $2 billion of equity investments focused on growth equity and buyouts globally in the industrial, consumer, and energy and power sectors.  Additionally, he is the Chairman of the Limited Partner Advisory Committee for Hyde Park Venture Partners I (and a member of Fund II’s Board), which is an $85 million venture fund in Chicago.
  • Chris serves many organizations as a member of the board, including the Portfolio Advisory Board and Board of Directors of Hyde Park Angels, and as an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business where he teaches courses and programs focused on private equity and venture capital.  He also serves on the Board of Directors of Boise Cascade Company (Chairman of Audit Committee, NYSE: BCC).

The Investment Committee
Matthew Love
  • Matt is the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Mercy Health Regions. He is also a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and has served on many medical boards in the region.
  • He oversees the financial aspect for regional operations for Mercy Health’s seven regions/markets, encompassing over $4 billion of revenue and 23 hospitals.
  • Matt holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from The Ohio State University and a Masters of Business Administration from Cleveland State University.
Jim Pelusi
  • Jim is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Axia Capital Partners, and Founder and Managing Director of Valero Capital Partners. Both organizations invest in the lower middle market industrial technology sector.
  • Previously, was Senior VP and General Manager of the Factory Software Division of Brooks Automation. During his time at Brooks Automation, the company’s revenue grew from $24 million to $130 million in two years. Jim is also the CEO and co-founder of FASTech Integration where he raised $6.5 million in venture financing and grew the company’s revenue to $24 million.
  • Jim earned both a Bachelor of Science in Engineering & Operations Research from Columbia University and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Harry Shimp
  • Harry is the Senior Operating Partner with MCM Capital and has held profit and loss responsibility for seventeen different manufacturing business.
  • He has over 30 years of experience in the general management of high technology manufacturing companies and has been awarded 5 U.S. patents.
  • Harry holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Leigh University, and Masters degrees in Engineering and Industrial Administration from Carnegie-Mellon University.