Live Pitch Event

Jeff Hoffman is an award-winning global entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, bestselling author, Hollywood film producer, a producer of a Grammy Award winning jazz album, and executive producer of an Emmy Award winning television show. In his career, he has been the founder of multiple startups, he has been the CEO of both public and private companies, and he has served as a
senior executive in many capacities. Jeff has been part of a number of well-known successful startups, including Priceline.com/Booking.com, uBid.com and more.

Jeff is the Chairman of the Global Entrepreneurship Network, which works with entrepreneurs in 200 countries, as well as being a founding board member of The Unreasonable Group, whose portfolio companies have raised over $11 billion in funding and have positively impacted more than one billion lives worldwide. He is also on the Advisory Board of CEED Global, the Centers for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development, teaching entrepreneurship globally in developing countries. Jeff has supported the White House, the State Department, the United Nations, and similar organizations internationally on economic growth initiatives and entrepreneurship programs.

Ash Shrivastav is the Managing Partner of Uma Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology companies. He is also a Venture Partner at Buckhill Capital LP, where he spent over six years as a Principal, sourcing, evaluating, and leading investments in various companies and funds.

Ash has sourced and led investments in notable companies such as Last Country Inc. (Tucker Carlson Network, ALP), Perplexity AI, Anthropic, Primer Microschools, Hydra Host, Pigeon, Enduring Ventures, Revere VC, Worldly, Mill, Para, Goodr, and Decent, among others.

Ash has driven over 300,000 miles across 46 U.S. states and has lived in Houston, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Cambridge (UK), and Nepal. He has a keen interest in ancient history, deep tech, and faith and religious philosophy.

John T. Hewitt is an American businessman and CEO of Loyalty Brands Inc. He leverages his 55 years of experience and expertise in franchising, business management, strategy, and new venture development. He is the founder of three successful companies that have collectively opened over 10,000 franchises in the tax preparation and business services industry in the USA and Canada.

Hewitt is also an author of a best-selling book, iCompete: How my Extraordinary Strategy for Winning Can be Yours, and a recipient of multiple awards and honors, including the 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year by the International Franchise Association. His mission is to help aspiring entrepreneurs achieve their dream of business ownership and prosperity. He does this by creating and growing a synergistic group of franchise businesses and services that work together to provide customer loyalty, repeat business, and financial stability.

Sebastian Harris is the Founder and Managing Partner of Sandbox Fund and Aranova Capital, private investment funds focused on values-driven venture and structured finance. He co-founded PSQ Holdings (NYSE: PSQH), guiding it from inception to a $350M IPO in just 2.5 years. Sebastian is pursuing a master’s in International Relations at Liberty University and is passionate about principled innovation, faith-driven entrepreneurship, and building businesses that create cultural and economic impact. He lives in San Diego with his wife, Claire, and their dog, Tucker.

Gregory A. Petroff, Esq. is the managing partner of the Princeton, New Jersey office of Reitler Kalas & Rosenblatt LLP, a national corporate transactional law firm. Gregory is a seasoned corporate lawyer and skilled negotiator who centers his practice on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and general business and corporate matters. He guides clients throughout the corporate life cycle – from startup through acquisition.

He is adept at sizing up all aspects of a complex transaction and crafting innovative solutions to protect his clients from legal risk and get the deal done.
Gregory has served as lead counsel on transactions ranging from early stage to over $1.3 billion in deal value. He counsels senior executives, management teams, venture funds and private equity firms on a wide range of legal matters including, mergers and acquisitions of public and private companies; private equity and venture capital financings; securities offerings, reporting and disclosure; corporate governance; fund formation; and general business strategy and transactional tax planning.

Gregory is also a seasoned entrepreneur and owner of several business in various industry sectors. He is a frequent speaker on topics relating to venture capital, private equity, mergers and acquisitions and corporate tax. He has published numerous articles on these and other subjects. He is chairman emeritus of the Miss America Foundation and chairman of the Board of Trustee of Ambassador Christian Academy, Allenwood, New Jersey

Prior to joining Reitler, Gregory was an equity partner with Fox Rothschild, an AM Law 50 law firm, where he served as co-chair of the Technology, Life Science and Venture Finance Group and chairman of the firm’s Exempt Organizations Tax Practice. Gregory also served as the judicial law clerk to the Hon. John A Ricciardi, P.J.S.C., Hon John P. Arnone, J.S.C. and the Hon. Paul F. Chaiet (New Jersey Superior Court – Monmouth County Vicinage).

Gregory is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M.; New England School of Law, J.D.; Monmouth University (M.B.A.) and Liberty University (B.S,). Gregory also studied economics and international business at Oxford University, Wyckliffe Hall.

Kevin Bush is a General Partner at KMB Family Partnerships LLC, where he leads investments in the SaaS, Real Estate, and Managed Services spaces. He is also a Founder/Partner and Board Member of Leadline, Inc. and the former President and Founder of Source4Teachers & MissionOne Inc., d/b/a as Educational Staffing Services (ESS).

Encompassing more than 20 years of experience in the human capital space, Mr. Bush drove the strategic growth trajectory of S4T/ESS from start-up to a top-line successful business generating over 350mm+ in top-line revenue, leading to the company’s first acquisition by Nautic Partners of Rhode Island in 2015. Today ESS is the industry standard in K-12 managed services and a trusted partner to over 1,000 school districts Nationally. Mr. Bush served on the Board of Directors of ESS until December 2021; his tenure concluded with year-over-year revenues almost tripling from 2015.

As President of S4T/ M1 (ESS), the company received many accolades under Mr. Bush’s direction: Forbes Best Large Employers 2017, 2018, 2019 Inc. 5000 2015 Staffing 100 Fastest Growing US Staffing Firms 2016 Future 50 Award 2014 Best Places to Work 2014 Philadelphia Business Journal, Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Philadelphia Business Journal Top 100 Greater Philadelphia Company 50 Fastest Growing Companies, NJBIZ 2013 NJBIZ, Business of the Year 2013 EY Entrepreneur of the Year, 2014 South Jersey Biz, Fastest Growing Companies 2013 40 under 40, multiple national business publications 2011, 2012, 2013 NAACP Business Leader of the Year 2012

Throughout his career, Mr. Bush has been a top producer with Global Fortune 500 companies Sodexo (OTCMKTS: SDXAY) and Aramark Corporations (NYSE: ARMK), both global leaders in Food Services and Facility and Maintenance. Mr. Bush attended Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, and currently resides in Naples, FL with his wife Christa, and their two children Ryan & Sophia whom both attend The Village School of Naples