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Matthew Le Merle is a Managing Partner of Keiretsu Capital, the co-investment fund of the world’s largest angel network and the 2nd most active venture investor in the US (www.keiretsucapital.com), and of Fifth Era (www.fifthera.com). Matthew is an expert on digitization and technology transformations having advised leading companies including Bank of America, eBay, EDS, Gap, Genentech, Google, HP, Microsoft, PayPal and Tata/JLR and many other companies on technology related issues. Matthew has also been asked to advise sovereign and regional economic entities on issues of innovation, entrepreneurialism and cluster growth. Clients have included State of California, SF Bay Area, Silicon Valley Region, Shanghai Municipality, Korea, the EU, the UK and others. Matthew’s career has spanned being a global strategy advisor, professional services firm leader, corporate operating executive, private equity and venture capital investor, and board director for high growth public and private digital economy companies. Prior to Fifth Era, Mr. Le Merle was a partner of Booz & Company leading their West Coast Communications, Media and Technology practice and was a global leader of the firm’s digitization capabilities offering. Earlier in his career, Matthew spent 21 years as a strategy consultant and advisor to Fortune 500 CEOs, boards and executive teams with McKinsey & Company and as a practice leader with EDS/A.T. Kearney and at Monitor Group where he led both firms’ West Coast practices. Mr. Le Merle was also corporate executive at Gap Inc. where he was SVP Strategy and Corporate Development and SVP Global Marketing for Gap Brand. Matthew is Board Director of the Bay Area Council, Trustee of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, Member of the Academy for Interactive Arts and Sciences and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He was appointed to the Governor of California’s China Delegation in 2010 and to the Governor’s Life Sciences Council in 2005. Mr. Le Merle received a BA (Double First) and MA degree from Oxford University, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a dual UK/US citizen and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Frank Paganelli is Chair of Lane Powell’s Startups and Emerging Companies Practice Group and isalso a leader of the Firm’s Food, Beverage and Hospitality Practice Group. He focuses his practice onsocial impact companies and investments.Frank is an experienced general counsel with significant corporate strategy and business managementexperience. Frank works with management teams, investors, boards of directors and businessowners to address strategic opportunities and challenges. He counsels clients on issues rangingfrom corporate structuring and governance to capital strategies, organizational development andcommercial transactions.Frank has held a number of executive roles for companies ranging from public telecom firm RhythmsNetConnections, where he served as General Counsel; biofuel retailer Propel Fuels, where he acted asGeneral Counsel and Vice President of Corporate Development; organic produce e-commerce leaderFull Circle Farm, where he was Chief Operating Officer and Board Member; and Clean ConversionTechnologies, where he served as President.

Susan Preston is the General Partner for the CalCEF Clean Energy Angel Fund, which is focused on seed/start-up stage investments in clean energy technology. She is also the Managing Partner of the Seattle Angel Fund, committed to fostering entrepreneurial growth in the Pacific Northwest through early-stage investments, as well as Co-Manager for the Element 8 Fund, focused on cleantech investments. Susan teaches in the MBA program and is the Buerk Endowed Fellow for Entrepreneurship at the University of Washington. Susan also serves as co-chair and a lead instructor for the Angel Resource Institute, a global investor and entrepreneur education organization. Susan is the author of numerous articles, white papers and books on angel financing. Her most recent book, Angel Financing for Entrepreneurs, Early-stage Funding for Long-Term Success was released by Wiley Publishing in March 2007, and her first book, Angel Investment Groups, Networks and Funds: A Guidebook to Developing the Right Angel Organization for Your Community, a comprehensive guidebook on the establishment and operation of angel investment groups, for which she has received numerous accolades, was published by the Kauffman Foundation in 2004. Susan is a world-recognized expert in angel financing and angel organizations. She is a national and international consultant and speaker on economic development, angel and venture financing for numerous countries and NGOs including the EU, OECD, USAID, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Australia, Industry Canada and EBAN. She was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation for 6 years focusing on initiatives supporting the growth and success of women entrepreneurs and initiatives related to angel investing and angel organizations. Susan has held several board positions with public and privately held corporations, and has served on numerous non-profit boards. She has been profiled in Red Herring, Inc. magazine, Smart Money, Worth and other local and national publications; and has contributed to numerous nationally published articles on angel investing. Susan is the founder of Seraph Capital Forum, the first all-women's angel investment organization. Susan spent much of her earlier career in senior management positions in public and private companies, from general counsel to CEO. She was also a partner in two national law-firms, and is a licensed patent attorney. Recent winner of the Angel Capital Association prestigious Hans Severiens Award, given each year to an individual whose actions advance the role of angel investing, expand entrepreneurship and benefit the angel investing industry as a whole. In 2014 Susan received the Small Business Person of the Year for 2014 from the Small Business Council of America. She was honored along with five Congressional representatives in the nation’s capital. Susan also recently receive Senator Cantwell’s Women of Valor award, which was presented by Vice President Joe Biden.