Recalibrating Sustainability

Amie Patel is a Partner at Elevar Equity and leads the firm’s organizational and operating functions. Her leadership responsibilities include organizational development, talent, strategy, business development, and systems/processes. Amie also manages and cultivates Elevar’s global partnerships, including LP and co-investor relations.

Amie has over 20 years of experience working in a variety of organizations, with a focus on emerging market investing. Prior to Elevar, she was a Vice President with Goldman Sachs Asset Management, which she joined through the acquisition of Imprint Capital. Before Imprint, Amie was with the Soros Economic Development Fund, concentrating her efforts on early- to growth-stage investments.

Amie also worked as a Presidential Management Fellow and Investment Funds Officer with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and began her career as an M&A analyst with Merrill Lynch and First Union Securities. Between banking and business school, she volunteered in Nepal with Students Partnership Worldwide as a Program Manager, working on environmental education and women’s issues.

Amie holds an MBA from Georgetown University and a B.S. in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis, MO.

Deb Kemper is a Managing Partner at Golden Seeds Ventures, where her leadership drives impactful investments across enterprise software, advanced materials, and MedTech. As an industry expert with a robust track record in venture capital, Deb specializes in identifying and supporting high-potential, technology-driven startups, with a dedicated emphasis on empowering women-led ventures and advancing innovation in healthcare and deep tech sectors.

Deb’s strategic acumen — cultivated through years as a McKinsey consultant and as the past Chair of the Boston Forum — has enabled the successful execution of deal flow and thorough due diligence processes, directly contributing to significant capital raises and value creation for portfolio companies. Deb currently serves as a Board Member at Crowdsmart.ai, applying her expertise in strategy and leadership to accelerate the growth of pioneering companies.

With a strong commitment to leveraging advanced technology for positive impact, Deb frequently engages with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, working to cultivate a future where technological leadership and sustainable practices drive both business performance and societal benefit.

Gerry Hays is a global leader in the emerging retail venture space and the CEO and Chief Architect of Doriot, where he pioneered VentureStaking® — a groundbreaking system that opens high-stakes, high-return opportunities to everyday investors. Gerry is the inventor of FantasyStartup®, the world’s #1 startup investing simulation, and QAI, an SEC-pending certification program designed to qualify investors as accredited through an education-based pathway.

A 21-year professor of venture capital at Indiana University, Gerry brings deep academic and real-world expertise to the startup ecosystem. He has founded five venture-backed companies, achieving three successful exits, and is the author of “The First-Time Founder’s Equity Bible,” a five-star-rated guide on Amazon that empowers entrepreneurs with essential equity knowledge.

Alejandro Delmar is a co-founder of Seabridge Sustainability as well as an industry leader in corporate sustainability with over 20 years of experience in real estate, infrastructure, and financial services. Previously, Alejandro served as Senior Sustainability Advisor at HXE Partners and Deloitte, Sustainability Investment Associate at PGIM Real Estate, and Senior Risk Advisor at EY.

A fellow and mentor with EDF Climate Corps, Alejandro holds a B.A. in Political Science and Statistics/Computer Science from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University with a focus on Infrastructure Policy and Real Estate, and a Graduate Diploma in Financial Risk Management from Universidad del Pacífico.

Diane Kaldany is the co-founder of The CSG Group. After obtaining her B.A. in Philosophy from Fordham University, Diane embarked on professional self-discovery via the real estate, banking, and insurance sectors as a business development executive. She was compelled to make a difference, joining nonprofit boards; curating art shows; and organizing discussions on a variety of topics, such as economic inequality, women and children’s issues, and education. During her tenure as the U.S. Development Director of a Lebanese NGO, Diane came to understand the challenges of grassroots organizations and the communities they serve.

In 2018, Diane realized that systemic change takes time and commitment and that enterprises have the capital and resources to make an impactful difference, especially through private-public partnerships. To that end, she co-founded The CSG Group with the mission to encourage and help enterprises lead through purpose and values by incorporating more transparent social and sustainable business practices into their operations.

Rene Bonomi pursued his MBA at Cornell University and has a degree in Industrial Engineering from UFSCar in Brazil. He brings years of experience both in business development, for startups as well as corporations, and in financial advisory, structuring M&A and capital-raising transactions. Rene has international business experience working in Latin America, United States, and Europe. His industry expertise includes industrials, renewable energy, healthcare, biotechnology, agriculture, food production, and social and environmental impact.

Rene is passionate about environmental finance and impact investing, venture capital, and startup acceleration. He has a consulting business focused on supporting entrepreneurs, startups, and corporations on financial strategy, business modeling, and business strategy in the fields of social and environmental impact. Rene’s business has a collaboration partnership with The CSG Group to work on these projects globally. He also collaborates with Idea Lunchbox, an U.S. accelerator that internationalizes and expands deep tech startups to the U.S. market.

Monica Touesnard is the Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at the Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University. She is responsible for conceptualizing, designing, launching, and championing new programmatic enhancements for the Center as well as managing and cultivating existing ones.

As Executive Director, Monica fills numerous roles, including the execution of the Center’s communications strategy and career coaching, advising current and prospective Cornell students interested in careers at the intersection of business, environmental, and social issues. She also fosters and maintains collaborative relationships domestically and internationally with companies, nonprofits, alumni, entrepreneurs, executives, academic institutions, and others. Monica manages projects with various organizations, including companies and NGOs, focused on enterprise development in low-income communities.

Prior to her current position, Monica was the founding Executive Director for the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. She has additional experience in project management, speaking, and consulting, both locally and internationally. Monica is
regularly invited to review social entrepreneurship proposals such as Echoing Green’s Fellowship Program or sustainability grants such as the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future’s Academic Venture Fund.

Monica earned her MBA from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School with focus on Sustainable Enterprise and has a B.A. from McGill University in Canada.