Kristen Fortney

Chief Executive Officer, BioAge

Kristen is the co-founder and CEO of BioAge, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of treatments to extend healthy lifespan by targeting the molecular causes of aging. The company uses its discovery platform, which combines quantitative analysis of proprietary longitudinal human samples with detailed health records tracking individuals over the lifespan, to map out the key molecular pathways that impact healthy human aging. By targeting these pathways with a large and mechanistically diverse portfolio of drugs, BioAge will unlock opportunities to treat or even prevent these diseases in entirely new ways.

Kristen’s scientific background is in aging biology and bioinformatics. She received her PhD in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto, followed by postdoctoral training at Stanford University where she was a fellow of the Ellison Medical Foundation / American Federation for Aging Research.

Mercedes Elias

Co-Chief Executive Officer, AmeriVet Securities

Mercedes Elias is the first and currently the only woman veteran to serve as CEO of a service disabled, veteran-owned broker- dealer on Wall Street.

Ms. Elias is of Mexican American descent and grew up in San Antonio, Texas. Her father served in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base.

After graduating from St. Mary’s University in 2007, Ms. Elias attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps that same year.

Her commissioning class started with 49 women and only 17 women graduated, showcasing how difficult it is for women to

become officers in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Throughout her time on active duty, Ms. Elias was stationed in Quantico, Virginia; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Okinawa, Japan; Camp Pendleton, California and Garden City, New York.

Additionally, she served a combat tour in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. and completed her time on active duty in 2016 with the 1st Marine Corps Recruiting District in Garden City, New York.

In 2020, she was appointed by the Mayor of New York City to sit on the city’s Veterans Advisory Board, which functions through the contributions of 11 veterans who have been appointed to three-year terms by either the Mayor (6) or the Speaker of the New York City Council (5).

The board provides oversight of the city’s Department of Veterans Services and advises the Commissioner of Veterans’ Services on all matters concerning veterans in the community.

After leaving the military, Ms. Elias attended Columbia University and obtained her Advanced Business Certification. She is registered with FINRA Series 7 and 24.

Ms. Elias currently resides in Queens, New York and enjoys traveling, networking and spending time with friends and family.

Priyanka Desai

Vice President of Operations, OpenLaw

Priyanka Desai is currently assisting with operations for OpenLaw/Tribute Labs, which launched, The LAO, Flamingo, Neptune, MUSE0, Ready Player DAO, Dark Horse DAO and more. Prior to working for OpenLaw, she spent time at blockchain FinTech consortium R3. In addition, she worked for the New York State Department of Financial Services assisting the Capital Markets division on cryptocurrency enforcement and “Bit Licensing” of various New York-based blockchain startups. Prior to her time at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Priyanka worked for the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a large law firm. Priyanka is a graduate of Wake Forest University.

Noah Davis

Specialist, Head of Digital Art & Online Sales, Christie’s

Noah Davis is an Associate Vice President in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department in New York, specializing in Digital Sales of both physical and NFT-based art. Over the past several years, Noah acted as Specialist Head of Sale for the department’s First Open online-only auctions, contributing to the increasingly successful results of Christie’s virtual programming. More recently, Noah spearheaded the historic sale of Beeple’s Everydays: The First 5000 Days, establishing Christie’s as the vanguard traditional auction house for NFT offerings. Noah also assists the department with business-getting and client engagement for auction and private sales. He joined Christie’s in October 2014 as a cataloguer for the Afternoon Session of the Post-War and Contemporary Day Sale. Prior to joining Christie’s, he was a Post-Sale Manager at another international auction house and worked in the publications department of New York’s Gagosian Gallery. Noah earned his B.A. degree in English at New York University with a focus on absurdist post-war French theater.

Erick Calderon

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Art Blocks

Erick Calderon is a Houston, TX based blockchain nerd fully immersed in the NFT space. After claiming CryptoPunks in 2017, Erick has dedicated himself to exploring functional use cases for NFT technology, specifically in the art sector. These explorations culminated in the development and subsequent launch of the generative art NFT platform Art Blocks in November of 2020 which inspired by a background and passion for generative content.

Garett Bjorkman

Managing Director, Portfolio Oversight, CIM

Garett Bjorkman is a Managing Director in the Portfolio Oversight Group. He leads Portfolio Oversight for CIM’s private real estate debt and Opportunity Zone investment strategies. Prior to joining CIM, Mr. Bjorkman worked at various real estate private equity firms, holding positions in investments, capital markets and investor relations. Mr. Bjorkman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Real Estate and International Business from Denver University.

Justin Aversano

Twin Flames Artist

Justin Aversano is an artist and curator working within the New York City and Los Angeles art scene. He has organized a number of shows in NYC and LA, as well as public art exhibitions around the country. Justin is the co-founder and creative director of SaveArtSpace, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing community art to public spaces. His photography collection Twin Flames has been featured by Sotheby's and Christie’s.

Eric Adams

Democratic Nominee for Mayor of the City of New York

Like so many New Yorkers, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams grew up with adversity—and overcame it. As one of six children, born in Brownsville and raised in South Jamaica by a single mom who cleaned houses, Eric and his family did not always know if they would come home to an eviction notice on the front door or food on the table. And when he was beaten by police in the basement of a precinct house at 15, Eric faced a life-changing act of injustice.

But instead of giving into anger, Eric — now the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City — turned his pain into purpose and decided to change the police department from within. He joined the NYPD and became one of its most outspoken officers, calling out racism and bias in the department and pushing for major reforms.

Eric would often police the streets in a bulletproof vest one day during the high crime 1980s and 1990s and protest bad behavior by cops the next, marching side-by-side with civil rights advocates. He rose to the rank of captain, helping to build the first computerized system for tracking crime in the city, which led to historic gains in public safety.

Eric’s efforts to change policing began his lifelong work to improve and protect New York. From the NYPD, he moved on to the State Senate, where he represented sections of central and Brownstone Brooklyn. In Albany, Eric built winning coalitions to advance New York City’s values and goals, helping to push through measures to protect tenants and workers, improve public safety, and advance human rights, including marriage equality. He also became the first person of color to chair the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee.

Eric was then elected Brooklyn Borough President in 2013 by putting together a diverse coalition of Brooklynites to become the borough’s first Black leader. As the representative of one of the nation’s largest counties, Eric fought tirelessly to grow the local economy, reduce inequality, improve public safety, and advocate for smart policies and better government that delivers for all New Yorkers.

In addition to continuing to fight for struggling New Yorkers and a better quality of life for all, Eric became a national leader on public health policy after learning he had developed Type 2 diabetes. Following his diagnosis, Eric completely changed his diet and his body, reversing the disease and launching a personal mission to educate New Yorkers about preventative care and wellness. His work has already led to successful proactive public health efforts across the city and increased education in schools and with high-risk populations in lower-income areas, partnering with civic organizations and health experts.

Eric is a lifelong New Yorker. He received his master’s degree in public administration from Marist College, and is a graduate of New York City Technical College and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is also a proud product of New York City public schools, including Bayside High School in Queens. Today he lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where he has resided for over 20 years.

Sean Allocca

Deputy Managing Editor, InvestmentNews

Sean Allocca is Deputy Managing Editor at InvestmentNews. Prior to joining IN, Sean worked as an editor and journalist for Financial Planning and CFO magazine. Before covering the financial sector, Sean was editor of Forensic Magazine, where he wrote about investigations into unsolved crimes. He received an MA from Fordham University and a BA from Loyola University Maryland.

Karen Karniol-Tambour

Co-Chief Investment Officer for Sustainability, Bridgewater

Karen joined Bridgewater in 2006. As Co-Chief Investment Officer for Sustainability, she leads the design and oversight of new investment solutions with both financial and sustainability objectives. Karen is also member of Bridgewater’s Investment Committee, co-chairs the firm’s Sustainable Investing Committee, and a Partner. She has 15 years experience developing systematic insights on global markets and overseeing Bridgewater’s investment logic and portfolio construction, and previously headed Bridgewater’s Investment Research function. Karen received her AB from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs with a Certificate in Finance. She serves on the boards of the Truman Center for National Policy and Seeds of Peace, a nonprofit cultivating young leaders to transform conflict in the Middle East and South Asia. Karen is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, was included in Fortune’s "40 Under 40" most influential leaders in business in 2019, and has been named to Barron's list of "Most Influential Women in US Finance" for two years in a row.

Virginie Morgon

Chief Executive Officer, Eurazeo

Virginie Morgon is the CEO of Eurazeo, a position she has held since March 2018. Since joining Eurazeo’s Executive Board in 2008, Ms. Morgon has accelerated the firm’s diversification and growth, transforming Eurazeo into a leading, multi-strategy and international investment firm. Ms. Morgon also sits on the firm’s various investment committees.

Under Ms. Morgon’s guidance, Eurazeo currently manages over €18 billion in diversified assets, including €11 billion for third parties, and has 10 offices worldwide, including Paris, New York, Sao Paolo, Seoul, Shanghai and London. Eurazeo’s mission is to provide transformative investment solutions for companies across all market segments and sizes, from early-stage start-ups to multinational large-cap enterprises. Its solid institutional and family shareholder base and robust financial structure enable Eurazeo to form value-additive and long-term partnerships with the companies it supports.

Prior to joining Eurazeo in 2008, Ms. Morgon spent over 16 years as an investment banker at Lazard, where she advised international groups such as Air Liquide, Danone, Kingfisher, Publicis and Renault in New York, London and Paris. She was appointed the firm’s youngest managing senior partner in 2001, based out of Paris.

Ms. Morgon is a prominent and vocal advocate for diversity and global equality and has been regularly ranked on Fortune's list of “Most Powerful Women International”. She is a founding member of the Women’s Forum for Economy & Society, and serves as Co-Chair of the Paris Committee for Human Rights Watch. In recognition of her successful career and contribution to the economy, Ms. Morgon was made Knight of the Legion of Honor and Knight of the National Order of Merit, the two highest French civilian distinctions.

Ms. Morgon holds a degree from l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and a Masters’ degree in Economics and Management from the University of Bocconi in Milan, Italy. She is fluent in French, English and Italian and has worked in New York, Paris and London. Virginie Morgon is the proud mother of four children.

Ms. Morgon currently serves as an Independent Board Member for L’Oréal and Moncler. Her previous board appointments have included Accor Hotels and Vivendi.

Aaron Peck

Partner, Portfolio Manager & Co-Head of Opportunistic Private Credit, Monroe Capital

Mr. Peck is a Managing Director, Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of Monroe Capital’s Opportunistic Private Credit investment vehicles. He is also Portfolio Manager for Monroe’s retail and high net worth investment funds including serving as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Monroe Capital Corporation’s publicly held business development company (NASDAQ:MRCC). He joined the firm in 2012 and is a member of Monroe’s Investment Committee. Mr. Peck has over 25 years of experience in credit, lending, high yield, distressed credit and public company operations and investor relations. Prior to Monroe, Mr. Peck was Chief Investment Officer at Deerfield Capital Management and was responsible for the investment teams at Deerfield including syndicated and middle market loan teams which managed over $5 billion in assets. Mr. Peck was also chief portfolio manager for Deerfield’s publicly-traded specialty finance mortgage REIT and in that capacity, was the key point of contact for all institutional and retail investors, investment banking research analysts, lenders and investment bankers. Prior to Deerfield, he worked in leveraged credit at several investment firms including AEG Investors, Black Diamond Capital, Salomon Smith Barney, and ESL Investments. Mr. Peck earned his M.B.A. with Honors from The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and his B.S. in Commerce from The University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce.

Andrew Ross Sorkin

Co-Anchor, Squawk Box, CNBC

Andrew Ross Sorkin is co-anchor of “Squawk Box” (M-F, 6AM-9AM ET), CNBC’s signature morning program. Sorkin is also a financial columnist for The New York Times and the editor-at-large of DealBook, a news site he founded that is published by The Times.

Sorkin is the author of the best-selling book, “Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System—and Themselves,” which chronicled the events of the 2008 financial crisis. The book won the 2010 Gerald Loeb Award for Best Business Book, and was shortlisted for the 2010 Samuel Johnson Prize and the 2010 Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award. The book was adapted as a movie by HBO Films in 2011. Sorkin was a co-producer of the film, which was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards.

Sorkin is also co-creator of the drama series “Billions” on Showtime starring Paul Giamatti and Damien Lewis.

Over the years, Sorkin has broken news on many major mergers and acquisitions, including Chase’s acquisition of J.P. Morgan and Hewlett-Packard’s acquisition of Compaq. He also led The Times’s coverage of Vodafone’s $183 billion hostile bid for Mannesmann, resulting in the world’s largest takeover ever.

He won a Gerald Loeb Award in 2004 for breaking the news of I.B.M.′s historic sale of its PC business to Lenovo. He was also a finalist in the commentary category for his DealBook column. He won a Society of American Business Editors and Writers Award for breaking news in 2005 and again in 2006. In 2007, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader. In 2008 and 2009, Vanity Fair named him to its “Next Establishment” list. He was also named to the “Directorship 100,” a list of the most influential people on the nation’s board of directors. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Sorkin began writing for The New York Times in 1995 under unusual circumstances: He hadn’t yet graduated from high school.

He graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. degree in May 1999.

Follow Andrew Ross Sorkin on Twitter @andrewrsorkin.

Dr. Uma Valeti

Chief Executive Officer & Founder, UPSIDE Foods

Dr. Uma Valeti is the CEO and Founder of UPSIDE Foods, the world’s leading cultivated meat company. UPSIDE Foods was the first company focused on growing meat directly from animal cells and has led the industry ever since. Since 2015, UPSIDE Foods has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken and duck), to partner with the existing meat industry and to receive the world’s first green light from the U.S. FDA for a cultivated meat, poultry, or seafood product. UPSIDE Foods has raised over $600 million from a diverse coalition of investors including Richard Branson, John Mackey, Bill Gates, Temasek, ADG, Softbank, Threshold, Baillie Gifford, Norwest, Cargill, Tyson Foods and Whole Foods. Uma’s vision is to enable people around the world to eat the meat they love, while transforming the food system to become more sustainable and humane. At scale, cultivated meat is expected to use less land and water, emit significantly fewer greenhouse gases than conventionally produced meat, and transform animal welfare. Uma and UPSIDE Foods have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and NBC News, and Uma has spoken at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Milken Institute Global Conference and SXSW. In 2019 he was named a “Global Thinker of the Decade” by Foreign Policy magazine. Prior to founding UPSIDE Foods, Uma served at the Mayo Clinic as a practicing cardiologist. He is an adjunct professor in Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University.

Scott Wapner

Host, Fast Money Halftime Report, CNBC

Scott Wapner is host of the “Fast Money Halftime Report,” which airs weekdays from 12PM to 1PM ET.

He is also the author of “When the Wolves Bite,” which documents the battle between billionaire investors Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn over Herbalife.

Wapner has reported live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq MarketSite, covering the real-time action of the global financial markets. He was reporting live from the New York Stock Exchange during the May 2010 “flash crash.”

Wapner has also reported several documentaries for the network, including “Hotel: Behind Closed Doors at Marriott,” “Ultimate Fighting: From Blood Sport to Big Time,” which earned him an Emmy nomination, and “One Nation, Overweight,” which documents the impact of the nation’s obesity epidemic. In 2011, Wapner received an award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers as well as a Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for “One Nation, Overweight.”

Before joining CNBC, Wapner served as the franchise Business Reporter for KDFW-TV in Dallas and was a reporter for Associated Press Television News, based in New York City.

Wapner earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of South Florida.

Follow Scott Wapner on Twitter @ScottWapnercnbc.

Paris Hilton

Chief Executive Officer, Paris Hilton Entertainment

One of today’s most recognizable entrepreneurs and international influencers, Paris Hilton is a pioneer in television, podcasting and NFTs and an innovator in building businesses, social media and celebrity branding. With annual press valued at $702M in media spend equivalency, 28B monthly PR impressions, 130,000 press mentions over the last year alone and a global audience of over 54M across all socials, Hilton continues to solidify herself as a prominent tastemaker and powerful business leader.

Since starring in “The Simple Life,” Hilton has built a global empire as a businesswoman, influencer, activist, DJ, designer, investor, recording artist, philanthropist, host, actress, chef, model and author. In 2006, she created Paris Hilton Entertainment (now known as 11:11 Media), a multi-billion-dollar company that started with 45 branded stores and 19 product lines surpassing $4 billion in revenue. Today, 11:11 Media is a full-stop, integrated media and product company with verticals covering TV (Slivington Manor Entertainment), podcasts (London Audio), digital (11:11 Digital), licensing, NFTs, music, impact and more. Always attuned to emerging trends and opportunities, Hilton continues to expand 11:11 Media and use her platform to inspire, empower and create lasting positive impact.

Through Hilton’s production company (Slivington Manor Entertainment) and a multi-year partnership with Warner Bros., Hilton released “Cooking with Paris” (a new twist on a cooking show; released on Netflix in August 2021), is currently filming “Paris in Love” (a docu-series covering Hilton’s life leading up to and including her wedding; coming to Peacock in December 2021) and is in development on various other TV projects.

Through Hilton’s podcasting and audio company (London Audio), which is underpinned by a multi-year partnership with iHeartMedia, Hilton hosts her own podcast (“This is Paris” with 2.7M downloads as of August 2021), launched a “This is Paris” spinoff series (“Dominated”) focused on women who rule in worlds usually dominated by men, and is currently developing additional original podcast series spanning various topics including her social advocacy work.

As an investor, Hilton is committed to supporting and investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs. She has positively impacted the world at companies such as Daily Harvest, R3SET, Yat, Genies, Good Catch, Zen Water, Podz, and many more.

Hilton has also solidified herself as an NFT leader as was recently seen by her being named #7 on Forbes’ NFT 50 most influential people in NFTs and through being awarded “Winner of Best Charity NFT” at the 2020 NFT Awards. In staying true to her goal of fostering empowerment and in collaboration with Sevens Foundation, Paris curated and launched “Empowered By Paris: Empowered Women Empower Women Exhibition”, which is an NFT exhibit dedicated to showcasing and equipping female artists with a platform to succeed.

Through her powerful activism work, Hilton has spearheaded impactful policy changes across the United States. In the critically acclaimed “This is Paris” YouTube Originals documentary (which has garnered over 23 million views to date), Hilton revealed the abuses she suffered as a teenager within the Troubled Teen Industry and has since utilized her personal experiences to help pass seven U.S. state laws as well as a law in Northern Ireland all aimed at protecting youth and reforming facilities. In partnership with Breaking Code Silence, a nonprofit whose goal is to eradicate the abuse of children in systemically abusive institutions, Hilton has helped develop federal legislation that will positively impact 120,000 youth annually. Hilton was accepted to RISE Justice Labs, the world’s first civil rights accelerator, to continue her advocacy work around the Troubled Teen Industry and recently received a grant from the Hilton Foundation to develop a mental health support model for survivors. Philanthropy is an important part of Hilton’s life and she frequently works with the Children’s Hospital in LA, as well as various group homes and hospitals overseas. Moving forward, child rights advocacy and mental health reform will continue to be important pillars of her platform.

This is just the start for Paris Hilton and 11:11 Media, which has a mission to empower and inspire the next generation. In the coming year you can expect many innovative, exciting projects. Whether it is ParisWorld (a metaverse within Roblox), inventive new NFT drop formats, a beauty product line, a cookware/kitchen product line, or new TV shows and podcasts, 11:11 Media is poised to impress and will be a company to watch.

Brett Harrison

President, FTX US

Brett Harrison is the President of FTX US, a US-regulated cryptocurrency exchange. Prior to joining FTX US, Brett was Head of Semi-Systematic Technology at Citadel Securities, where he managed technology for the firm’s Options, ETF, OTC, and ADR trading globally. He began and spent the majority of his career at Jane Street, where he led the firm’s algorithmic trading system development. He also previously worked at Headlands Technologies as a senior software developer. Brett received his M.S. and B.A. in Computer Science from Harvard.

Rob Sechrist

President, Pelorus Equity Group

Rob is the President of Pelorus Equity Group and Co-Manager of the Pelorus Fund (a cannabis-use CRE mortgage REIT) with more than twenty years of experience in the real estate finance industry. Since the formation of Pelorus in 2010, he has raised more than $300,000,000 in secured real estate transactions. Rob’s primary role at Pelorus Equity Group is developing strategic alliances with private and institutional investors, forming equity partnerships, and coordinating the company’s growth into new markets. Today Pelorus funds millions a month primarily using the Pelorus Fund or syndications with family offices and other various debt and equity partnerships. Rob earned a BA from San Diego State University. Licenses include California Real Estate Broker’s License, NMLS License, and designated expert witness as an asset-based lender. He is also the CEO of JRS Capital USA, Inc., a real estate and technology investment firm based out of Newport Beach, California.

Ashraf Rizvi

Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Gilded

As CEO and Founder, Ashraf is responsible for the strategic direction and day to day running of Gilded. He has over 20 years of executive experience as Founder, Managing Partner and Global Business Head. Prior to founding Gilded, Ashraf was the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of SummerHaven Investment Management, a commodities management firm overseeing nearly $2 billion in assets for retail and institutional clients including endowments, foundations, and family offices. For over 13 years, Ashraf was a senior leader at UBS holding a variety of roles in New York and London including Global Head of Commodities Trading, Global Head of Metals, Global Head of Emerging Markets FX and Global Head of Credit Repo. Previously, he was Head of FX Options Trading in New York for Credit Suisse. And prior to this, he was a Senior Trader at Susquehanna Investment Group. Ashraf earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School. He also served for more than 15 years on the Undergraduate Board and the Europe, Middle East and Africa Board at The Wharton School.

Matt Ober

Managing Director & Chief Data Scientist, Third Point

Matt Ober is the Managing Director & Chief Data Scientist at Third Point LLC. His focus is on leveraging data and technology to enhance the fundamental investment processes across equity, credit, and venture capital investments. Before joining Third Point, Mr. Ober spent over 5 years at WorldQuant LLC where he was the Head of Data Strategy. Prior to WorldQuant LLC, he worked at Bloomberg on the Analytics team. Mr. Ober is a CAIA (Chartered Alternative Investment Association) holder and earned his B.S. in Finance at California State University Chico, where he is currently a member of the University Foundation Board of Governors.