If seeking funding, apply directly to the Band of Angels, www.bandangels.com. As I don't hire consultants don't contact me to "explore" your services. Life is too short.Advisor to public and private companies, financial and corporate venture funds and national and regional governments on venture capital, angel investing, private company finance, governance and building successful startup hubs. Investor focus is on AI and data analytics solutions for key business markets, health IT and deep tech. Chair, Board of Directors, Angel Capital Association and former chair of the ACA's, Education and Smart Practices Committee. Author of the ACA's courses on Assessing and Managing Risks in Early Stage Investing and Angel Backed Boards of Directors. Former Vice Chair of the Board and Chair, Education and Smart Practices Committee.Chairman, Software Industry Group, Band of Angels, Silicon Valley's oldest technology investment group. 25 years in global venture capital and sixteen years in angel investing. I have recently advised investors, governments, corporate VCs and startups in locations as diverse as Armenia, Germany, Israel, the Republic of Georgia, Italy, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and across the US. Senior Advisor, Neva, SGR. Neva is the venture capital arm of Italy's largest and Europe's fifth largest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo. I advise the Bank's Investment Committee on proposed investments and the fund on strategy, operations and portfolio management.I lecture on venture capital at major universities including Stanford, Santa Clara University, the American University of Armenia and the Deggendorf Institute of Technology, where I am an Adjunct Professor.A former Fulbright Scholar (Italy), I have written and lectured recently on "Startups in Down Markets: The Private Capital Outlook in 2024," "Who Killed Theranos: Lessons for Board Directors," "Going Global: Addressing Home Markets, Silicon Valley and the World," and "The Lessons of the Black Plague (1348-1650) in Confronting Pandemic-related Social and Cultural Change." Prior to work in private capital, I was CMO at Verity, the leader in corporate knowledge management, when the company was named Turnaround of of the Year by the Turnaround Management Association for becoming market share leader (1999.). Prior to Verity, I was Director of Strategic Marketing and DIrector of European Marketing at NeXT, reporting to Steve Jobs.A former Professor of History, I have published numerous works including two books on the Italian Renaissance. I received my BA, MA and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.