MENTORING
THE PROCESS
2026 Finalists Mentoring Phase: 22-25 Weeks
Thursday, June 4th - Friday, November 6th
The Mentoring program is one of the most important benefits provided to those Innovators who make it to the Final stage of the competition. It is a 22 to 25 week immersive experience during which experienced Mentors are paired up with the Finalists and help them develop and master perspectives and soft business skills that will help them set themselves apart, and grow. Moreover, Mentors can help their Mentees address specific challenges particular to their business/startup.
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In addition to the Mentor-Matching program, Educational Classes/Modules are added to each year's competition, that offer insight into different aspects of running a successful business (Funding Alternatives, Intellectual Property considerations, Tax, and R&D, Successful Marketing and Sales Practices). The modules are presented by highly qualified field experts, willing to share their expertise and help startup owners and managers in their entrepreneurship journey.
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Our Mentors are experienced and passionate business leaders who selflessly make time off their busy schedules to provide support and counseling to all Finalists. They generously share their management and leadership know-how, communication cognizance, and message delivery empiricism, to help Finalists convey a strong Innovation Message during the Final Stage of the competition (The Eddies Innovation Showcase on 10/14/2026) and well beyond. They establish a relationship of mutual trust and respect with the Innovators, and many times they are asked to offer their opinions on general matters of importance to their Mentees, well beyond the scope of The Eddies.
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Mentors and members of the Massachusetts Innovation Network Team get together immediately after the Finalists are announced, to discuss how to best match each Finalist with their respective Mentor. Oftentimes, Mentors ask to be matched with Innovators from a particular industry, so they can best leverage their knowledge and experience during the Mentoring period; their requests are very seriously considered.
The Mentorship Program is Strongly Recommended; it provides support in a highly personalized way. The Mentors know exactly what the Judges are looking for in the finals, and can help participants tailor-make their message to the specific audience. Furthermore, the Mentors represent sources of knowledge, expertise, and connections during the startup's journey to succeed and scale (or get acquired).
The frequency of meetings/phone discussions between Mentors and Mentees is decided upon between Mentor and Mentee and depends on the needs and work schedules of the parties involved.
Meet Our Mentors
Lisa Dufresne
Investment Manager, GC Ventures America (PTT Group Chemical)
Lisa Dufresne is an investment manager with the Boston-based corporate venture team of PTT Global Chemical. GC, as it’s commonly known, is the flagship petrochemical refinery arm of PTT Group, the national oil and gas company of Thailand. GC invests in advanced materials, clean technology, the circular economy, and the bioeconomy. Before joining GC, Lisa spent over 15 years at a consulting firm providing technical and commercialization assistance to startups and other small companies, primarily those receiving federal Small Business Innovation Research funds. These companies spanned a broad range of markets, including chemicals, materials, medical devices and therapies, and energy.​ Lisa holds an MS in Environmental Engineering from Tufts University and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
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Vanessa Ferranto
CoFounder & CEO, Daobero; CPO & COO Fractional Executive, Startup Advisor, Lotyc Consulting
Vanessa Ferranto is a seasoned generalist with over 15 years of experience in product, design, and operations across diverse industries. She has built and led high-performing product and design teams, driving cross-functional alignment to develop scalable systems and optimize processes. As a co-founder of organizations like APO and BWP, and a former instructor at General Assembly, Vanessa has cultivated a passion for leading, teaching, and inspiring others. She is now channeling her multifaceted expertise into building her own company, focused on empowering founders to grow their businesses and amplify their impact.
Veronica Gibaja (Subject Matter Expert)
Chief Scientific Strategy and Quality Officer, Spectrus
Veronica Gibaja is a senior R&D executive with over 20 years of experience in drug discovery and early development across pharma and biotech. She specializes in advancing preclinical programs with patient stratification strategies and a focus on transformative therapies. Veronica began her career as a bench scientist and has since held senior leadership roles in small and mid-sized biotechs, where she led cross-functional teams and advanced programs through IND-enabling studies. She played a key role in the development and lifecycle expansion of Tazverik®, the first FDA-approved EZH2 inhibitor for follicular lymphoma and epithelial sarcoma. At Spectrus, she combines scientific insight with strategic leadership to help clients accelerate mass spectrometry-driven drug discovery. A strong advocate for innovation and entrepreneurship, Veronica mentors startups through the Massachusetts Innovation Network, ACS BrightEdge, Berkeley SkyDeck, and Nucleate, providing guidance on R&D strategy, IND readiness, and partnerships. She is also instrumental in forging collaborations with academic and nonprofit partners to support patient-centered research and expand Spectrus’ global impact.
Electra Govoni
CEO, TAB Boston Northwest
Electra is the CEO of TAB Boston Northwest in Burlington, MA. With over 30+ years’ experience in the FinTech industry, she is a skilled executive who specializes in leading transformative changes in companies, delivering operational excellence, streamlined technology and empowering a diverse and engaged workforce at SSgA, State Street Research & Management, Eagle Investment Systems and BNY Mellon. Today, Electra helps forward-thinking business owners grow their businesses, increase profitability and improve their lives with business coaching, facilitating local business owner advisory groups, and optimizing talent strategies in organizations to achieve business results. As an Executive Coach, Electra helps top leaders move beyond self-limiting beliefs and engage in creative problem-solving leading to focused action and resilience. Electra holds a BS in Computer Science from Merrimack College and a Masters Certificate from Boston College’s Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics – Leadership for Change. She is also a certified partner of Predictive Index.
Kathleen Hagan
Founder, Hagan & Company
Kathleen Hagan is a global marketing expert, corporate strategist, and advisor to early and growth-stage technology ventures. She is the founder of Hagan & Company, a Boston-based international marketing firm providing strategic advisory services across sectors including life sciences, medical technology, software, automation, and robotics. Known for her expertise in international marketing, business development, and government affairs, Kathleen specializes in guiding international firms into the U.S. market and facilitating successful cross-border partnerships. She has consulted with research institutions, government agencies, nonprofits, and high-growth businesses, and serves on the Strategic Advisory Council of Northeastern University’s Bouvé College of Health Sciences and The Boston Club’s Corporate Board Committee. A member of the Northern Ireland Life & Health Sciences Advisory Panel, she has also taught global marketing strategy at Babson College and Northeastern University. Kathleen authored the first comprehensive report on the Massachusetts robotics sector and holds degrees from Trinity College (Washington, D.C.) and Boston University, where she earned her MBA cum laude.
Sanjeev Kalyanaraman
Serial Entrepreneur with 6 exits; CEO, SolarMantle
Sanjeev is a seasoned entrepreneur with experience incubating and transforming businesses - resulting in successful exits. A proven executive who championed and executed innovation and turnaround strategies that resulted in increased revenues from new channels while optimizing operational investments. A leader, who listens, empowers individuals and consistently builds efficient teams to deliver successful results.
Sophia Kambanis
Executive Director, Massachusetts Innovation Network; Reviewer MassVentures START program; Mentor, Blue Institute Labs
Sophia has 30+ years of experience in profit and non-profit organization management, local and international market operations, multi-country management team building, and crisis management during merger and acquisitions. Sophia started her career with the design and implementation of marketing research plans and strategic marketing guidance for multinational organizations like Unilever, PepsiCo, KraftHeinz, CITIgroup, GlaxoSmithKline and PernodRicard. She has extensive experience managing teams with diverse nationalities, languages, work ethics and business practices. Sophia’s experience includes development of marketing and communication plans, brand awareness generation, and effective story telling techniques for charitable organizations, chambers of commerce and business associations.
Dr. Petros Kotidis
Senior Commercialization Advisor, NobleReach Foundation;
General Manager - US Operations, Lauretta.io; Advisory Board Member, Mesodyne and Massachusetts Innovation Network
Dr. Kotidis has been in the high-tech industry for more than thirty years and has commercialized numerous technologies in Life Sciences, Safety/Security, Industrial Process Control and Energy markets. He is currently serving as a Senior Commercialization Advisor for NobleReach Emerge, the investment branch of the CIA and the Intelligence Community, with particular focus on commercializing technologies with critical implications for US national competitiveness and security. He has advised numerous high-tech companies in strategic business development, technology commercialization, capital raising and expansion into new markets. Dr. Kotidis has Ph.D. and M.S. in Aeronautics from MIT with a minor from the Sloan School of Management at MIT, and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens. He has been awarded 26 patents for various optoelectronic and algorithmic inventions.
Rami Levin
President and Chief Executive Officer, CNS Pharmaceuticals
Rami Levin, MBA is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CNS Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of anti-cancer drug
candidates for the treatment of primary and metastatic cancers of the brain and central nervous system. Rami brings over 30 years of global leadership experience across oncology, CNS, rare diseases, endocrinology, and cell and gene therapy, with a proven track record of scaling organizations, advancing late-stage clinical programs, and driving transformative value creation. Previously, he held senior leadership roles as President & Chief Executive Officer of Saniona and Chief Executive Officer of ImStem Biotechnology. He led strategic turnarounds, sharpened pipeline focus, secured significant financing, and advanced multiple programs toward clinical and regulatory milestones. He has also held senior commercial and operational leadership roles at Sobi, Merck Serono, and Schering AG, where he successfully launched and scaled global brands including Rebif®, Betaseron®, Kuvan®, Orfadin®, and Gamifant®. Earlier in his career, he played a central role in global brand strategy and lifecycle management for Rebif®, one of theworld’s leading multiple sclerosis therapies.
Dr. Val Livada
Research Affiliate, MIT Materials Research Laboratory; Founder, Corporate Entrepreneurship Network; Advisor, MassRobotics and Greentown Labs;
Director, Built Environment Coalition.
Dr. Livada has been active in the innovation/entrepreneurship ecosystem for over 35 years. He has advised Global 300 type companies, research universities, regional organizations and startups on commercializing technology. Presently Val leads the Boston Center of the EU Enrich program, connecting European ventures to the US, and is working with MIT's Materials Research and Deshpande Centers to better connect. academia and industry. He is founder of the Corporate Entrepreneurship Network, sits on the Board of Directors of Aphios Corporation, The Built Environment Coalition, AutoHarvest Foundation and Monarch Antenna. He is also advisory board member for Greentown Labs, Mass Robotics, NU's Advanced Manufacturing Group, and Portugal's. BGI Incubator. Dr. Livada holds degrees from MIT and Tufts' Fletcher School and has taught at the Sloan School of Management at MIT and the Questrom School at BU.
Dr. William Messner
Adjunct Professor - Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University; Senior Advisor, SpadXTech
Dr. William (Bill) Messner is an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and a highly regarded educator and consultant. With expertise in mechanical design and automatic control systems, his work spans robotics, autonomous vehicles, data storage systems, instrumentation for biological research, biomanufacturing, and beyond. Dr. Messner has served as a trusted advisor to startups, for which he has significantly enhanced product performance and saved substantial costs. As a dedicated university professor, Bill has mentored fellow faculty, guided dozens of MS and PhD students, and advised thousands of undergraduates of which many have become successful entrepreneurs. His 25 years of experience as an expert witness in intellectual property cases provide a unique perspective on patent strategies and litigation. For assisting founders with creating compelling pitch decks, Bill is exceptionally skilled at helping people explain complex/intimidating ideas succinctly in accessible ways that nonexperts and lay people can understand.
Dr. Gopinath Nageshwaran
Global Medical Evidence Generation Lead-Immunology, Sanofi;
Angel Investor, Alix VC
An experienced Physician with an MBA degree, rich experience in medical affairs and digital initiatives. Currently into a strategic leadership role in the vaccines industry with a vision to make the innovative medicines accessible and affordable to a wider population in the world. Dr. Nageshwaran is also an angel investor with a VC group in Boston focusing on biotech space primarily.
Larry Nannis (Subject Matter Expert)
Business Coach, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center
Larry is a Certified Public Accountant, who retired from Katz, Nannis + Solomon, PC of Waltham-MA in 2016, after a 47-year-career. Over the last 35 years, Larry has worked with entrepreneurial companies that all levels of growth curve, providing accounting, auditing, tax and financial management advice designed to help the owners successfully grow their businesses and reach their desired exit strategies. He has served as "Expert-in-Residence" at TechSandBox, a technology incubator located in Hopkinton, MA. Larry was a VBA for Cohorts 8 and 11 of the National Goldman Sachs 10,000 small business program. He is presently an adviser for the Southeast Region of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center. He has been a Judge for MassVentures START program and a Mentor for the first two cohorts on E For All - Roxbury.
Dr. Mikael Petrosyan
Global Strategic Initiatives Lead, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Doctor of Pharmacy by training, dedicated pharmaceutical and biotech industry professional with a strong background in life-sciences consulting, portfolio strategy, and new drug commercialization. With a passion for bringing innovative therapies to market, successfully contributed to the development and launch of several lifesaving medications. Successfully managed highly efficient teams in both the United States and Europe, consistently exceeding organizational objectives.
Matt Polimeno (Subject Matter Expert)
Operations Leader & Strategic Advisor
Matt Polimeno is an operations leader brought in to address execution challenges, define strategy, and deliver measurable operational and financial improvement across industrial, manufacturing, and technology businesses. His experience spans private, venture-backed, and public companies, aligning leadership intent with day-to-day execution—from the shop floor to the boardroom—and building scalable operations across manufacturing, supply chain, and quality organizations. He has led operational transformations recognized with a national Manufacturing Leadership Award for Operational Excellence and delivered first-time company profitability across prior roles. Matt is known for aligning teams, removing barriers, and establishing the structure and accountability required to execute and scale. Matt is also the author of “Inflate Your Chances for Success: The Essential Handbook for Unlocking the Due Diligence Process,” which captures a practical framework developed through decades of operating, investing, and advisory experience to identify gaps, strengthen execution, and prepare organizations for growth.
Jack E Rossin (Subject Matter Expert)
Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Author, Communicator
Jack is a communicator. His professional career has always been in the communications field, first as a TV commercial writer and director, then with various advertising agencies, including his own, Rossin Greenberg Seronick. He published a business book (The Pawnshop Chronicles: Street Wisdom for the Business World) based on his experiences growing up and working in a pawnshop in Chester, PA. Today, Jack focuses his activities on presentation skill training. He teaches at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a graduate school. He also runs presentation workshops for private companies including those in medical areas, biotech, high technology, law, construction, and consulting.
Steven Saunders
Partner, Nutter McClennen and Fish, LLP; Angel Investor, Launchpad Venture Group and Hub Angels; Adjunct Faculty, Boston University; Mentor, MIT Delta V
Steven is an angel investor, entrepreneur, engineer, university lecturer, and a mentor. In his day job as a patent attorney, he chairs Nutter's Intellectual Property Department where clients of all sizes rely on Steven's counsel for managing their IP issues (portfolio development, strategy and evaluation, patent preparation and prosecution, IP litigation, and licensing). Steven also conducts extensive due diligence analysis for angel and VC investments, M&As. He works with a wide range of technologies, including medical, electronics, computer software and hardware, cloud computing, routing, IoT, alternative energy, high performance computing (HPC), integrated circuit design, MEMS, semiconductor fabrication, and materials processing. He is a member of Hub Angels and Launchpad Ventures and has advised numerous startups on growth strategy and raising capital. Steven is an adjunct faculty at Boston University, and a mentor for MIT's $100K Business Plan Competition, Venture Mentor Service, Sandbox, and DeltaV program.
Kevin Schmid
Chief Operations Officer, Modular Medical
Mr. Schmid is the Chief Operations Officer at Modular Medical, Inc. and was the Chief Executive Officer at Common Sensing, Inc. (2018 - 2021), and a member of the Board of Directors (2015 to present). Kevin served as a member of the Board of Directors for Eitan Medical Ltd. in Israel (2018 - 2022) . He has worked at the Stevanato Group (a provider of innovative packaging and drug delivery solutions for pharma) as VP of Drug Delivery Systems. Kevin has served as Insulet Corporation's VP of Business Development and Advanced Technology from 2011 to 2015. From 2003 to 2011, Mr. Schmid served as Vice President of Manufacturing and Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Mr. Schmid earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University and an MBA from Sacred Heart University.
Michael Seggev
Seasoned Biopharma and Digital Health Commercial Leader
Michael Seggev is a seasoned commercial leader with over 30 years of experience across biopharma and digital health. He has led successful launches and growth strategies for products spanning pharmaceuticals, digital therapeutics, and AI-powered health technologies. At Merck, he led the launch of a first-in-class HIV/AIDS treatment that transformed care and reached $1.8B in peak annual sales. Transitioning to digital health, Michael served as commercial lead at Teva Pharmaceuticals, where he helped launch the first drug/device/app combination—the connected Digihaler portfolio for asthma and COPD. He then held senior roles at Vocalis Health and Donisi Health, where he advanced commercial strategies for vocal biomarker-based diagnostics and in-home cardiopulmonary monitoring technologies. Returning to biopharma, he served as VP of Marketing at MindMed, focused on psychedelic-based treatments for anxiety and depression. He currently leads brand marketing for an investigational antibiotic at Innoviva
Barbara Shea (Subject Matter Expert)
Head of Marketing, Momentum IoT
Barbara has over 25 years of experience in ensuring marketing initiatives drive business results for hi-tech companies. Barbara’s broad expertise in strategy, branding, and product marketing; she has helped corporations like Schneider Electric, Bose, and AFL Telecommunications successfully launch new products and services. She has also worked at small startups, including Avici Systems, (IPO featured on the TV show 48 Hours), and Tertill Corporation (a robotics company founded by the inventor of Roomba®). Barbara enjoys working collaboratively with cross-functional teams to solve some of the most common business challenges including sales enablement, partner marketing, demand generation, employee engagement, and customer satisfaction. She is a passionate customer advocate and has led numerous initiatives to bring the customer’s voice into internal conversations about product roadmap and strategy.
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Bill Siopes
VP, Technical Operations, AI Optics; Founder, Need 2 Impact LLC
Bill Siopes is a medical device executive with over 20 years of experience leading the development, regulatory clearance, and commercialization of advanced healthcare technologies. As Vice President of Technical Operations at AI Optics, he leads product development, engineering, regulatory strategy, quality systems, and manufacturing scale-up for AI-enabled diagnostic platforms designed to expand access to early disease detection. Bill began his career with deep expertise in plastics and elastomeric materials and has since expanded into medical electronics, connected devices, AI-integrated systems, and complex capital equipment. He has led cross-functional teams across R&D, operations, regulatory affairs, and commercialization, bringing innovative products from concept through market launch. Known for combining technical rigor with strategic execution, Bill thrives in high-growth environments where engineering excellence meets clinical impact. He is passionate about building strong teams, aligning design controls with business strategy, and delivering technologies that improve patient outcomes at scale.
Judith Underwood
Co-Founder and CEO, Blue Innovation Labs
Judith Underwood is a social entrepreneur, educator, and environmentalist who co-founded Blue Innovation Labs, a public benefit corporation, in 2017. Blue Innovation Labs is home to the BLUE Incubator serving 25 startups, and is spearheading the development of the first waterfront BlueTech innovation, education, and Blue Jobs hub on the US Eastern Seaboard - BLUE on Boston Harbor – a 9.5-acre deepwater site used by the U.S. Navy during WWII in the Climate Justice and Gateway City of Chelsea, Massachusetts. Judith is also the Founder, in 2016, of its sister nonprofit 501C3 Blue Institute that supports solutions for clean water and climate challenges through education, culture, and early-stage entreprenurial programming graduating 40 ClimateTech startups through the BLUE Excelerator. Judith has 20+ years of technology transfer and science for economic development work at research and educational institutions including MIT, the United Nations, and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy. She has a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Boston, a master’s from New York University, with additional coursework in environmental studies at Antioch University New England, and business innovation & entrepreneurship and national security from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Judith supports her local community as a water/wastewater commissioner and serves globally as vice-chair of the education committee for the Marine Technology Society (MTS).