Using Technology to Reinvent Hospitality Business Models

Chris Hemmeter has spent his entire professional life in and around startups and high-growth businesses in travel, hospitality, and technology, having founded six companies during his 35 years in business. Today he is a co-founder and managing director of Thayer Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in emerging technology companies in the travel and transportation space. Immediately prior to Thayer Ventures, Mr. Hemmeter was founder and president of iCare Marketing (sold to Sysco Foodservice Corporation in 2012) and founder and CEO of Dynamic Payment Ventures (sold to Elavon, a subsidiary of US Bank in 2007).

Prior to that, Mr. Hemmeter was founder and CEO of CriticalArc Technologies, a supply-chain software provider to the foodservice industry; founder of E&O Kitchen and Bar, a casual dining restaurant based in San Francisco; founder of The Hemmeter Collection, a direct response retailer; and founder of Hemmeter Publishing, a publisher and distributor of travel books and content. Upon graduating from Cornell University in 1986, he joined Hemmeter Investment Company, a real estate developer of destination resort properties. Founded by his father in 1962, the Hemmeter organization developed major destination resort hotels in Hawaii and operated several related hospitality and travel businesses in the foodservice, gaming, retail, and aviation sectors.

Mr. Hemmeter received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Cornell University and his graduate degree from Harvard Business School in 1995, where he was recognized as a Baker Scholar for his academic achievement.

Elena Belavina is an associate professor at the SC Johnson College of Business. She collaborates with startups, established companies, and public agencies to study issues of sustainable urban transportation, food waste, grocery retail, and supply chains. Her recent research has examined how the grocery industry’s structure and pricing policies influence food waste, the environmental impact of online grocery shopping, and the design of bike-share systems. Professor Belavina has also studied sustainable sourcing, relational contracts, and supply network design, including the role of supply chain intermediaries. Methodologically, her research involves holistic analysis of logistic and economic systems, as well as econometric analysis of large data sets to advise on system improvements and policies.

Prior to joining Johnson, Professor Belavina was on the faculty of the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and earned a Ph.D. from INSEAD as well as Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Applied Mathematics and Physics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

Jason Brown is a managing partner at Blue Flag Partners, where he leads Blue Flag Capital’s real estate private equity and hospitality investment activities. Based in Boston, Blue Flag is a vertically integrated real estate investment and development firm with over $400 million in assets under management across a collection of luxury hospitality and residential projects. Blue Flag Capital, a real estate private equity firm, invests capital on behalf of its principals and limited partners through both single-purpose and discretionary private equity fund vehicles. Amongst other real estate and industry leaders, Blue Flag has formed strategic partnerships with top-tier groups, including Life House, the first Silicon Valley-backed hotel operations and technology company; The Lyons Group, Boston’s preeminent nightlife and restaurant group; and AutoCamp, the leading outdoor hospitality brand in the U.S. 

Prior to Blue Flag, Mr. Brown served briefly as president and Chief Development Officer at AutoCamp and as Chief Development Officer for YOTEL, where he led the growth of the brand from its first city-center hotel in New York to 3,500+ keys internationally. Previous roles spanned acquisitions, development, corporate finance, and strategy for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants as well as on behalf of Kimpton’s discretionary private equity funds (now KHP Capital Partners). Mr. Brown began his professional career as a consultant in Ernst & Young’s global real estate transaction group and is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

Rami Zeidan is the founder and CEO of Life House, a Silicon Valley-backed vertically integrated lifestyle hotel company, which innovates across all touch points to offer a high-end boutique hotel experience at a lower price for travelers and makes hotels more profitable for hotel owners. Prior to Life House, Mr. Zeidan served as a Vice President at TPG Capital, where he focused on real estate-related investments. Prior to joining TPG, he served as a director for Sydell Group, a boutique hotel developer, owner, and operator. Before Sydell, Mr. Zeidan worked at Starwood Capital Group in acquisitions, hotel asset management, and brand management. Prior to Starwood, he worked in the Real Estate Special Situations Group at Deutsche Bank. Mr. Zeidan studied Economics and Civil Engineering at The Johns Hopkins University and studied Finance and Economic History at the London School of Economics.