David Arabov graduated from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business in 2012 with BBA in Business Administration and Management. He has always had an entrepreneurial spirit that drove him from very early on. While at Pace, he started his first business Elite Daily which is now one of the most popular sites among millennials. He first saw a void in the marketplace in the traditional media and came up with a different alternative, a medium that is diverse and a voice of this generation. By doing so he managed to create a platform that is disrupting the media as we know it. The site attracts millions of new users every month and employs over 35 millennials.
Brendan is a Partner at Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLC, where his practice focuses on venture capital transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, fund formation and general corporate representation for early stage companies. Brendan's venture capital practice consists of providing counsel to technology and tech enabled services companies.
Brendan's M&A and joint venture practices are related to his venture capital work, primarily liquidation events, or companies seeking growth through joint ventures or acquisitions. He regularly represents early stage companies, from formation through exit event and all stages in between, including fundraising, employment matters and the various agreements that emerging companies enter into during growth.
Brendan is a member of NY Tech Meetup as well as the New York Technology Council, both of which are organizations devoted to increasing the growth of technology businesses in New York. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and a former member of the New York State Bar Association's Special Committee on Cyberspace Law. Brendan earned a B.A. in history from State University of New York at Albany and a J.D. from Pace University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review.
Stefan Doering, a 1989 MBA graduate of Lubin’s Information Systems, has been innovating in business and sustainability since 1987.
Key Business Accomplishments:
- Started, ran and funded 7 companies in the past 31 years, having raised over $5M
- Coaching a variety of businesses with programs having reached over 3,000 business innovators in 13 countries since 2003
- Developed green intrapreneurship strategy for General Motors that was included in their final bailout plan presented to Congress in December, 2008
- Taught landmark courses on green entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship at Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation 2007 – 2011
- Taught Clean Tech entrepreneur courses at the Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC), a leading non-profit in NYC for small business development
- Entrepreneur In Residence for NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority), coaching clean tech companies to scale up in New York
- Mentor, advisor and contest judge for students at Columbia Business School’s Eugene Lang Entrepreneur Center
- Pioneered green retailing in the 1990’s, growing Earth General to one of the largest green retailers in the US at that time, with 3,500+ different products screened for their environmental impact
Stefan has been featured on the CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg TV, and dozens more.
Brett is an innovative and highly talented digital media entrepreneur with experience in mobile software and entertainment. He is the Founder and Head of Operations of Panelfly Inc., a company he started in 2008 with two friends while studying for his MBA at Pace University. Panelfly is a leader in creating the ultimate digital fan experience. Dubbed SuperMedia, our unique transmedia storytelling approach, coupled with deep content discovery and social interactivity, Panelfly takes traditional on-screen experiences to a whole new level. Beyond the Internet, we are driven to deliver the world’s most immersive, interactive digital fanfest, whether at home or on the go.
Prior to starting Panelfly, Brett spent time with Telemetry Investments, where he focused on distressed mortgage assets. Brett received an MBA from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University and a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Syracuse University.
Lenny Kharitonov has always been involved in various entrepreneurial ventures and did a brief stint in banking at Lehman Brothers, now Barclays. He is the President of Unlimited Furniture Group. Unlimited Furniture Group Inc is an 8 year old parent company to various furniture related entities covering retail, e-commerce, and international distribution. Its global team speaks 10 languages and lives and works on 4 continents. He loves people and enjoys meeting them. Lenny's hobbies include reading and traveling and more recently ice hockey and biking.
Lenny received his BBA from Pace University in 2002 and Global Executive MBA from Columbia Business School, London Business School in 2012.
Asher Levine, Fashion Designer
Asher Levine established his presence in contemporary menswear with his first collection in 2010 which received international attention for its innovative aesthetic in a market hungry for change. Since then, Levine's venture has grown from a shared West Village apartment to an internationally recognized brand with a distinct vision for menswear. Custom apparel serves as the backbone in Asher Levine's business model; hi-profile clientele such as Will.i.am, Beyonce, Jim Steinman, Lady Gaga, Cirque du Soleil and many others from AL studio.
He is a Pace Alumni, BBA '10. Asher Levine Studio designs have been featured by CNN, MTV, The New York Observer, Interview, and Rolling Stone Magazine, amongst many others.
Best described as an entrepreneur and digital strategist, Aaron is the founder of Icebreaker Consulting which creates technology, social media, e-commerce, marketing and SEO strategies for businesses and individuals. Icebreaker specializes in boosting efficiency and productivity through customized technology education.
After graduating from Pace University with an MBA in Strategic Management he began working for a prominent social media agency as a Senior Account Director and later as the ROI and Metrics Specialist. He oversaw clients of all sizes including Netflix, Pepsi, Starbucks, Forbes, ExpoTV, Pandora, Coolio, Nextune and multiple film launches.
The foundation of Icebreaker Consulting came after years of work with individual clients. Since 2002 Aaron has been working with businesses and individuals to help them get the most use from their technology resources.
Icebreaker Consulting brings together a large network of connections in agencies, service providers, developers and other consultants who all work together to create and fulfill new possibilities for clients and the world. Icebreaker donates 5% of net profits to Netimpact.org
Born in Kenya of Indian descent & raised in Tanzania, Rumit Mehta has a love for Africa that is unmatched. Despite living in the urban jungle of New York City, he still manages to return to Africa and India both for family visits and by request from many of his clients. Rumit grew up leading safaris for friends and colleagues where he refined his keen wildlife spotting skills in the bush.
Originally trained as an architect, Rumit worked in the design and construction industry for 13 years while at the same time dabbling in travel planning for select clients. Very soon, the travel bug caught on and after much deliberation he decided to do it on a full time basis as it was more exciting than visiting muddy construction sites. As they say, the rest is history…
An avid thrill seeker, Rumit plays a pivotal role in developing custom itineraries for luxury and academic clients leveraging a wealth of knowledge and professional networks in both Africa and South Asia to design complex itineraries. With his deep knowledge of the hospitality industry, he is frequently invited as a guest speaker at business and academic forums. Rumit is also Vice President of the Association of the Promotion of Tourism in Africa (APTA)- Northeast Chapter.
Nicholas Schiavo is the Director of Investment Accounting at the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
Nicholas is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of accounting and reporting related to Helmsley's investment activities. He works closely with the Investments team, master custodial bank, and investment managers to ensure the timely and accurate execution of investment transactions. In addition to his Investment Accounting responsibilities, Nicholas reviews strategic Treasury management options for the Trust along with mission based investing that will produce both a social and financial return.
Prior to joining Helmsley, Nicholas operated his own consulting firm specializing in financial and operational advisory services for investment firms and their portfolio companies. Before that, he was the director of accounting for AltResources, a private equity fund administrator, and the vice president and controller for PineBridge Investments. Nicholas has over 25 years of combined experience in accounting, treasury, private foundation, auditing, financial services, alternative investments, and management.
Nicholas serves on the executive board and Treasurer of the MIT Enterprise Forum-New York Chapter, as well as the Global Advisory Board of the MIT Enterprise Forum. Nicholas received a BBA in Public Accounting from Pace University and an MBA in Finance/International Business from New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He is a Certified Public Accountant in New York State and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Nicholas has completed several New York City Marathons.
Sara Shikhman is the President of BedroomFurnitureDiscounts.com, a leading online retailer of home furnishings in New York. Under Sara's leadership Bedroom Furniture Discounts was able to turn a $20,000 investment into nearly $10 million in revenue despite being 576th to market. Sara earned her B.B.A. in Finance from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University and her law degree from University of Pennsylvania Law School. Prior to Bedroom Furniture Discounts Sara taught Business Law at Pace University, was a portfolio manager at Deutsche Asset Management and practiced corporate law at a top law firm in New York. In her spare time, Sara enjoys traveling, tennis and writing. Sara is a board member of the University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni board and the Lubin School of Business Alumni Board.
Alan Siege has an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Pace University and a Master’s degree in Performing Arts Management from Brooklyn College. He has led business workshops through the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the Support Center of New York, the Brooklyn Business Outreach Center and the Business Division of the Brooklyn Public Library. He is an instructor for the FastTrac Program, (part of the NYC Department of Small Business Services) and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at New York University and the City University of New York. In addition, he is the Principal of Small Business Management Consulting - a business coaching company - and has been assisting small businesses for over 20 years by improving the way they tell their business story.
Craig’s background is in product, user experience, and interactive technology design. He currently leads LiquidText, a startup founded in 2012 to give people the tools they need to read and understand long, complex documents. Craig earned his Ph.D. in 2012 from Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing where he and his teams developed better ways to support deep, critical reading; the work went on to be the foundation for his startup. Prior to LiquidText, Craig worked at IBM Research and Microsoft Research during college and graduate school, where he developed interactive visualizations for desktop window management and data compression technologies.
Prior to Georgia Tech, Craig received his BS in Physics from Pace University in 2003, and his MS in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2005.