BASES Board of Advisors

Hanz Kurdi

Chuck is an Associate Professor and W.M. Keck Foundation Faculty Scholar in the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. As part of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, his research focuses on the role of the ins… — **Chuck** is an Associate Professor and W.M. Keck Foundation Faculty Scholar in the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. As part of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, his research focuses on the role of the institutional and university environment in high-growth, technology entrepreneurship. Prof. Eesley was selected in 2015 as an Inaugural Schulze Distinguished Professor. His National Science Foundation of China and Kauffman award supported research focuses on rethinking how the educational and policy environment shapes the economic and entrepreneurial impact of university alumni. Over the past three years, Prof. Eesley has been playing a growing role in national and international meetings on fostering high-tech entrepreneurship, including advising the U.S. State Department in the Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) program, Chile (CORFO), Taiwan (ITRI), and the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology. He is a member of the Editorial Board for the Strategic Management Journal. Before coming to Stanford, Prof. Eesley completed his Ph.D. at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management in 2009 where he won BPS Division and Kauffman Dissertation Awards for his work on high-tech entrepreneurship in China.

Chuck Eesley

Rebeca is a Co-founder and CEO of the San Francisco-based startup, YouNoodle, which focuses on helping companies and governments engage with communities of entrepreneurs and innovators for open innovation and co-creation processes. Recently listed b… — **Rebeca** is a Co-founder and CEO of the San Francisco-based startup, YouNoodle, which focuses on helping companies and governments engage with communities of entrepreneurs and innovators for open innovation and co-creation processes. Recently listed by Forbes as one of their 20 inspiring young female founders to follow on Twitter and recognized by the World Economic Forum as a recipient of the Young Global Leaders award, Rebeca was educated in the US, receiving both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from MIT. She went on to pursue a PhD on Social Network Theory at Stanford University. During this time,she co-founded the Cleantech Open (CTO), now the largest cleantech competition in the US. Rebeca was the lead organizer of the BASES Social E-Challenge Competition for four years.

Rebeca Hwang

Tom is a Consulting Professor in the Department of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), at Stanford School of Engineering. He is an adjunct faculty member for National University of Singapore Overseas Coll… — **Tom** is a Consulting Professor in the Department of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), at Stanford School of Engineering. He is an adjunct faculty member for National University of Singapore Overseas Colleges Program in Silicon Valley, and a cofounder of Gear Up Ventures, a global partnership that helps entrepreneurs in organizations large and small to create new markets and disrupt existing markets. Tom is a founding member of the Board of Advisors (1996).

Tom Kosnik

Ruby is the Product Partner at KPCB Edge, where she focuses on digital health and mobile marketplace companies. Before joining Edge, she was an Associate Product Manager at Google, where she worked on the Chrome browser and later helped launch Proje… — **Ruby** is the Product Partner at KPCB Edge, where she focuses on digital health and mobile marketplace companies. Before joining Edge, she was an Associate Product Manager at Google, where she worked on the Chrome browser and later helped launch Project Fi, Google's wireless carrier service. Ruby holds an M.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Bioengineering from Stanford University and was the co-president of BASES in 2012-13.

Ruby Lee

Charles was Vice President of the BASES Social E-Challenge in 2011 and then Co-President of BASES in 2012. Graduating from Stanford in 2012 with a B.S. in Computer Science and a concentration in information, Charles is currently getting his big data… — **Charles** was Vice President of the BASES Social E-Challenge in 2011 and then Co-President of BASES in 2012. Graduating from Stanford in 2012 with a B.S. in Computer Science and a concentration in information, Charles is currently getting his big data fix as a program manager for Microsoft Bing's core relevance team. Charles has worked on the intersection of technology and a variety of different sectors from energy (Con Edison) to law (SIPX.com) to finance (Morgan Stanley) and beyond.

Madhu Chamarty

Jonathan started out as an officer on the E-Challenge team, and went on to be CTO and then President of BASES in 2004. Since school, he's been a product manager at Google twice and helped start two companies Picurio (Y Combinator) and Katango (Klein… — **Jonathan** started out as an officer on the E-Challenge team, and went on to be CTO and then President of BASES in 2004. Since school, he's been a product manager at Google twice and helped start two companies Picurio (Y Combinator) and Katango (Kleiner Perkins, acquired by Google).

Jonathan Berger

**Chuck** co-founded BASES while working on his M.S. in Electrical Engineering at Stanford. In 2004, he graduated with a PhD in Electrical Engineering as well. He went on to found RollCall, a mobile app for social events, which was later acquired by StubHub. He now serves as Head of Engineering at Mobile Action.

Chuck Lam

Heesun is currently living in Seoul, Korea and working on Business Development and Strategy at CLO, a 3D virtual fashion startup. Prior to her move, Heesun was VP of Projects at YouNoodle, a startup based in San Francisco focused on building a meani… — **Heesun** is currently living in Seoul, Korea and working on Business Development and Strategy at CLO, a 3D virtual fashion startup. Prior to her move, Heesun was VP of Projects at YouNoodle, a startup based in San Francisco focused on building a meaningful platform for entrepreneurs around the world. Working closely with product and large-scale campaigns, Heesun helped develop YouNoodle's technology as well as implement and support entrepreneurship programs. Heesun received her M.A. in Education and B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University, where she also served as Co-President of BASES (Business Association of Stanford Entrepreneurial Students). Heesun is an advisor for BASES as well as Duke Startup Challenge.

Heesun Lho

Eli is the Partnerships Director at YouNoodle, a role which pairs him with universities, companies and organizations around the world in the development of business plan competitions and innovation challenges. His favorite days are those spent helpi… — **Eli** is the Partnerships Director at YouNoodle, a role which pairs him with universities, companies and organizations around the world in the development of business plan competitions and innovation challenges. His favorite days are those spent helping organizations support their entrepreneurs by designing programs that provide tools and resources for their growth. Before YouNoodle, Eli worked in Madrid and later in San Francisco for Opinno, a global network of innovation centers located in the main technology hubs around the world. While at Opinno, Eli collaborated with M.I.T.'s Technology Review magazine to host the TR35 Young Innovators Awards in Spain and Latin America.

Eli Rabek

As the CEO of Crowdbooster, Ricky wants everyone to understand how to get more out of social media. Ricky first began experimenting with Twitter in 2008 and quickly became fascinated by the potential for new relationships between us and the people a… — As the CEO of Crowdbooster, **Ricky** wants everyone to understand how to get more out of social media. Ricky first began experimenting with Twitter in 2008 and quickly became fascinated by the potential for new relationships between us and the people and organizations that we love. Crowdbooster is funded by Y Combinator and prominent angel investors, and serves clients like Lil Wayne, JetBlue, LA Times, and Ben & Jerry’s. Before Crowdbooster, Ricky graduated with a BA in Science, Technology & Society from Stanford, where he served as BASES co-president.

Dimitri served as co-President of BASES in 2005-2006 and graduated in 2007. After school, he joined Intellectual Ventures in Seattle, working to launch IV’s first ever spinout company, TerraPower, that attracted investment from Bill Gates and is tod… — **Dimitri** served as co-President of BASES in 2005-2006 and graduated in 2007. After school, he joined Intellectual Ventures in Seattle, working to launch IV’s first ever spinout company, TerraPower, that attracted investment from Bill Gates and is today commercializing a new generation of nuclear energy. Dimitri served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Foundation Capital, and joined Better Place, a company launched out of a white paper he helped write at Stanford, as one of the first employees. Better Place raised $750m to build a transportation system that can run a whole country without oil, and commercially launched in Israel and Denmark in 2012.

Dimitri Dadiomov

Karen is one of the BASES co-founders and served as co-president from 1996 to 1997. After graduating from Stanford with a B.S. in Engineering Management and Science, she has helped start-ups and public companies bring new products to market. She is … — **Karen** is one of the BASES co-founders and served as co-president from 1996 to 1997. After graduating from Stanford with a B.S. in Engineering Management and Science, she has helped start-ups and public companies bring new products to market. She is co-inventor for 4 patents and has led strategy and go-to-market execution for software application and infrastructure companies such as SugarCRM and Informatica.

Karen Hsu

Othman is an entrepreneur and investor, who was Twitter’s Vice President of Product, responsible for Growth, International and Revenue. Prior to Twitter, Othman cofounded MixerLabs (creator of GeoAPI), which was acquired by Twitter in 2009. Before t… — **Othman** is an entrepreneur and investor, who was Twitter’s Vice President of Product, responsible for Growth, International and Revenue. Prior to Twitter, Othman cofounded MixerLabs (creator of GeoAPI), which was acquired by Twitter in 2009. Before that, he was at Google, where he led several products, including performance efforts, the Google Toolbar, Google Gears and early Firefox extensions. Othman holds degrees in computer science and management from Stanford and MIT. Othman also serves on the board of directors of ESI Group, a publicly-traded French software company. Othman served as the Co-President of BASES in 98-99. He is @othman on Twitter.

Othman Laraki

Mary is currently an analyst at Qatalyst Partners, a global financial advisory firm in San Francisco focusing on giving strategic and M&A advice to technology companies. Prior to Qatalyst, she interned at SK Telecom Ventures, a corporate venture… — **Mary** is currently an analyst at Qatalyst Partners, a global financial advisory firm in San Francisco focusing on giving strategic and M&A advice to technology companies. Prior to Qatalyst, she interned at SK Telecom Ventures, a corporate venture capital firm Silicon Valley. Mary was involved in BASES from 2009 to 2012 as President, Vice President of E-Challenge, and Officer. Originally from Japan and Georgia, Mary graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a focus in clean energy.

Mary McCann

Mehran is a Professor and Associate Chair for Education in the Computer Science department at Stanford University. He is also the Robert and Ruth Halperin University Fellow in Undergraduate Education. Prior to joining the Stanford faculty, he was a … — **Mehran** is a Professor and Associate Chair for Education in the Computer Science department at Stanford University. He is also the Robert and Ruth Halperin University Fellow in Undergraduate Education. Prior to joining the Stanford faculty, he was a Senior Research Scientist at Google for several years. His research interests include computer science education, machine learning, and web search. He is co-chair of the ACM/IEEE-CS joint task force on Computer Science Curricula 2013, which is responsible for creating curricular guidelines for college programs in Computer Science at an international level. He has published over 50 technical papers and has over 20 patent filings. He received his BS, MS, and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University.

Mehran Sahami

Christopher graduated from Stanford in 2018 with a degree in Computer Science, and was a co-president of BASES during the 2016-17 academic year. Next year, Chris will be part of the third cohort of Schwarzman Scholars, a Master’s program at Tsinghua… — **Christopher** graduated from Stanford in 2018 with a degree in Computer Science, and was a co-president of BASES during the 2016-17 academic year. Next year, Chris will be part of the third cohort of Schwarzman Scholars, a Master’s program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Chris believes that entrepreneurs will quickly drive advancements in AI and automation that reshape global political and social structures. As a Schwarzman Scholar, Chris hopes to learn how governments can effectively work with industry leaders to guide advancements in technology for the benefit of humankind. In his free time, he is an enthusiastic cyclist, painter, and waltz dancer.

Charles Naut

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Alvin graduated from Stanford University in 2010 with a focus on entrepreneurship, where he also served as the Co-President of BASES. He started a small mobile studio with two cofounders during his Stanford days which s… — Born and raised in Hong Kong, **Alvin** graduated from Stanford University in 2010 with a focus on entrepreneurship, where he also served as the Co-President of BASES. He started a small mobile studio with two cofounders during his Stanford days which successfully exited a year after graduation. After spending 6 years in Silicon Valley, Alvin has moved to Beijing in May 2012 to head up Flipboard's China expansion. In his spare time, he could be found brainstorming all kinds of venture ideas and looking for the next good cup of coffee or tea.

Alvin Tse

Ricky Yean

**Omar** served as BASES President during the 2020-2021 academic year, whereby he managed the transition to an online environment, introduced new initiatives such as weekly pitch night, and expanded the scope of programming such as the $100K Challenge. Prior to this, Omar was VP of Global Entrepreneurship, spearheading efforts to host a global summit on sustainability. Omar graduated from Stanford in 2021 in Chemical Engineering, and is currently working at J.P. Morgan’s Technology M&A group in San Francisco.

Omar Fidawi

Valerie graduated from Stanford in June 2018 with a B.A in Economics and M.S in Management Science and Engineering. She was the co-president of BASES during the 2017-2018 school year. Prior to her role as co-president, she led the Business Development team and spearheaded BASES’ fundraising strategy and partnerships across tech and venture capital firms. She also conducted research with Professor Tom Byers from the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) on ethics in entrepreneurship education and studied abroad in Florence, Italy.

Valerie is currently on the tech investment team at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), a technology venture capital firm with over $24 billion assets under management and 200+ IPO’s in its 40 year history. Prior to her role at NEA, Valerie did investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York City and worked on the Digital Strategy team at Hyundai in Seoul, South Korea. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, playing piano and indoor cycling.

Valerie Huynh

Christopher Yuan

Ryan served as the President of BASES during the 2007-2008 academic year. While at Stanford, Ryan also cofounded a video-focused startup called ReelSurfer, which later attracted funding from various investors including YCombinator. After graduation,… — **Ryan** served as the President of BASES during the 2007-2008 academic year. While at Stanford, Ryan also cofounded a video-focused startup called ReelSurfer, which later attracted funding from various investors including YCombinator. After graduation, Ryan worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, and then joined the MIT Investment Management Company, where he is a member of the Global Investment Staff. He focuses primarily on investments in marketable securities, as well as real assets, growth stage private equity, and venture capital. Originally from Colorado, Ryan currently lives in Cambridge, MA.

Ryan Akkina