Upstate Capital is a robust membership network for private equity investors, M&A professionals, venture capital investors, CEOs and business owners, entrepreneurs and ecosystem support professionals. Our mission is to increase access to capital for companies and deal flow for investors across New York.
The Upstate Capital Association of New York, founded in 2003, is a 501c6 membership association built by venture capital and private equity investors and professionals. The organization supports entrepreneurship education and advancement through the NYBPC, and other programs through its educational 501c3, the Capital Foundation of NY, founded in 2018.
Shelby Schneider is a passionate connector and leader known for her extensive work in fostering economic development and innovation. Her significant achievements include leading the expansion of a statewide semiconductor industry asset map and creating impactful programming as the Deputy Director of the New York State Economic Development Council. Shelby has also served as President and CEO of the Saratoga Prosperity Partnership, where she supported over 1,000 small businesses during critical times and spearheaded community development initiatives.
Committed to enhancing access to capital and strengthening community engagement, Shelby aims to propel Upstate New York’s investment ecosystem into a dynamic and prosperous future. She is dedicated to raising awareness of Upstate Capital’s mission, expanding membership opportunities, and promoting initiatives like the New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) and Invest NY to enrich the regional economic landscape.
Thomas Boomhower is the Senior Director of Program Management at the Upstate Capital Association of New York, where he spearheads signature initiatives including the New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) and the Invest NY innovation ecosystem data platform. With a background in economic development, public policy and strategic communications, Thomas is dedicated to expanding access to capital, supporting entrepreneurship and enriching communities across the region.
Previously, Thomas served as the Economic Development Specialist for Greene County, NY, where he led efforts to strengthen local businesses and drive community-focused economic growth. His work is grounded in a commitment to creating strategic partnerships, managing impactful programs and supporting Upstate New York’s innovation economy. Thomas holds a B.S. from Russell Sage College and an M.A. in American History from SUNY Albany.
Investors representing the full spectrum of capital available to companies from inception through the lifecycle of the business serve on the board alongside several business and investment transaction professionals.
Shelby Schneider is a passionate connector and leader known for her extensive work in fostering economic development and innovation. Her significant achievements include leading the expansion of a statewide semiconductor industry asset map and creating impactful programming as the Deputy Director of the New York State Economic Development Council. Shelby has also served as President and CEO of the Saratoga Prosperity Partnership, where she supported over 1,000 small businesses during critical times and spearheaded community development initiatives.
Committed to enhancing access to capital and strengthening community engagement, Shelby aims to propel Upstate New York’s investment ecosystem into a dynamic and prosperous future. She is dedicated to raising awareness of Upstate Capital’s mission, expanding membership opportunities, and promoting initiatives like the New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) and Invest NY to enrich the regional economic landscape.
David is a Managing Member at Bluehenge Capital Partners where he invests in unitranche/mezzanine loans and minority equity investments from $3MM to $25MM in size to middle market businesses. Prior to Bluehenge Capital, he was a Director at Stonehenge Capital for 16 years. Ari earned his BA in business administration from the of Texas at Austin in 1995.
Rami Katz is the CEO of Excell Partners, a VC firm focused on investing in seed and a-round deep tech opportunities. In his role, Rami guides Excell’s investment strategy and oversees the firm’s due diligence and investment operations. Since joining the firm, Excell’s assets under management have grown over twenty-fold, yielding multiple successful exits across a diverse portfolio of biotech, medical device, energy and advanced manufacturing ventures. Prior to Excell, Rami was the Director of Technology Commercialization at High Tech Rochester, a regional incubator, where he partnered with entrepreneurs, researchers, and startups to commercialize cutting-edge technologies. His work helped create over 50 investor-ready business plans, resulting in more than $40 million in funding from VCs, angel investors, and non-dilutive grants. A trained attorney, Rami previously led a litigation, banking, and corporate law practice in Israel, managing complex debt restructurings and growing his group’s revenue by over 300%. His multidisciplinary background uniquely positions him to support startups navigating regulatory, legal, and financial complexities. Rami is deeply committed to innovation and education. He serves as an adjunct faculty at the Simon Business School, where he teaches MBA level classes in entrepreneurship and finance, and sits on multiple nonprofit and community boards. Rami holds an MBA from the University of Rochester and a law degree from Tel Aviv University.
Brian is Managing Partner at Topmark Partners. Prior to Topmark, Brian spent 13 years managing equity investments in New York for Stonehenge Capital Company. His investment work is focused on growth-stage ventures, predominantly high potential business-to-business technology-enabled companies in up-and-coming regions, such as Florida, the Southeast, and Upstate New York, where an abundance of investment opportunities are underserved by a relatively small number of local growth equity investors. Brian earned a B.A. in Economics from Duke University and an MBA, with honors, from Columbia Business School.
Dom is a Principal on the Direct Equity team, he is responsible for leading the evaluation and due diligence of direct investment opportunities. Before joining Hamilton Lane in 2018, Dom was a Director with FS Investments, focused most recently on investment management related to private debt. Dom has previously held roles at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and T. Rowe Price and began his career as an analyst at Lehman Brothers.
David is Founding Managing Partner at Impellent Ventures. In addition to Impellent Ventures, he is Founding Managing Partner of NextGen Venture Partners. He served as Vice President of Innovation Leadership for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, where he drove economic vitality across Massachusetts by supporting entrepreneurs and innovators through the process of business foundation, development and expansion.
Randy Bianchi is Managing Director of Lakelet Capital. He has over 25 years of entrepreneurial and management experience as well as 10 years of experience as Business Development Partner at Summer Street Capital Partners.
Sam is a Principal at Union Hill Advisors and an Advisor at Hamilton Lane, where he represents and advises their NYS direct investment platform. He is also Managing Director for League Capital Markets, a FINRA registered broker dealer, where he advises companies on their growth and capital raising strategies. Sam earned a BA from Bucknell University in 1983 and his MBA from the Simon Business School at University of Rochester.
Nicholas Querques is the Vice President of Innovation and Partnerships at SUNY Research Foundation (RF), the largest comprehensive university-connected research foundation in the country, administering over $1.1 billion in research expenditures annually across the SUNY campus system. In his role, he is responsible for overseeing RF’s business units that handle intellectual property and licensing, new ventures and entrepreneurship, marketing and communications, external relations, and partnerships. Nick has over 17 years of experience building, scaling, and leading strategic initiatives and programs that serve inventors, entrepreneurs, and companies at the intersection of academia, government, and industry. He is actively involved in New York’s innovation ecosystem, serving on the board of directors and advisory boards for a number of incubators, accelerators, venture development organizations, and venture funds across the state.
Director of Corporate Development, Seneca Holdings
Holly joined Seneca Holdings in 2021. As a member of the Corporate Development team, she is responsible for identifying and assessing new business opportunities for the company. Before joining Seneca Holdings, she provided investment advice to individuals and institutions at a large regional investment firm. She is also a licensed attorney in New York State and a descendant of the Seneca Nation.
Somak is a Founder and Managing Partner at Armory Square Ventures where he invests in software, mobile, and technology-enabled services companies across New York state and the greater northeast region. He is also a board member of the Upstate Venture Association of New York, as well as Clerio Vision and Vizbee. Somak earned his BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Columbia Business School.
Thomas is the Chief Executive Officer at the Western New York Impact Investment Fund. He has deep experience leading high growth entrepreneurial ventures, raising capital and creating high-functioning management teams. Prior, he was President of Baton Pharma and Infonaut.
Michael has been Managing Director at Pine Street Capital Partners for 17 years where he has made mezzanine debt and non-control equity investments of $3-12MM in privately held companies mostly in the Eastern US. He is also a board member of the Albany Academies and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Michael earned his BA in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross in 1990 and his MBA from Emory University in 1997.
Vikram Agrawal serves as President, CEO, & Co-Founder of Levrx. In his role, Vikram is responsible for the vision, product strategy and business development. Prior to Levrx, Vikram served as President and CEO of Etransmedia.Previous to Etransmedia, Vikram worked as Program Manager at Indian Telephone Industries and Groupe Bull, India. He served as Director of Business Development for R.K. Enterprises in Cochin, India.
Pete Grum is a self-directed investment professional with significant accomplishments leading and growing a venture capital firm for over 25 years. Pete is experienced in private equity and investing in debt and equity of private companies and recognized for maximizing returns on investments, community involvement and Board membership. Pete is an Adjunct Professor at the University at Buffalo and teaches senior-level Corporate Finance in the School of Management. He earned his Master of Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology and his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Eisenhower College.
Kelsey Thomas, CPA, is Manager of Transaction Advisory at Withum. With over 15 years of professional experience, she specializes in financial transaction advisory services with a focus on building client relationships, managing people and creating opportunities. She has an in-depth knowledge and experience related to manufacturing, wholesale and distribution industries as well as various technology sectors. She’s a Licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York with a BBA in Accounting from James Madison University. She’s a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA). She was a Buffalo Business First under 30 Award Recipient.
Molly is an accomplished commercial banking executive with nearly two decades of experience helping businesses navigate growth, capital needs, treasury operations, payments innovation, and an evolving financial landscape. As a Commercial Leader at KeyBank, Molly oversees and supports corporate client relationships across Upstate New York, working with middle-market and large organizations to deliver financing, liquidity, treasury management, fintech, and payment solutions.
Chris is a Business & Finance Department Partner. He focuses his practice in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and general corporate law & governance. Chris serves as Chair of the firm’s Cross Border Transactions practice group and is a member of the Management Committee which is responsible for general oversight and management of the firm.
David launched TechEngine Capital in 2023 to partner with technology entrepreneurs underserved by traditional venture capital and private equity firms. Before TechEngine Capital, he spent nearly 20 years investing in early-stage B2B software startups with Osage Venture Partners, where he currently serves as a Venture Partner. He joined Osage in 2005 to help form its first venture fund and played a lead or supporting role in funding over 50 startups across multiple funds.
Senior Director, NY Ventures, Empire State Development
At NY Ventures, Josh Nelson invests in the diverse community of entrepreneurs, fund managers, and accelerators that fuels New York’s innovation ecosystem. Prior to joining NY Ventures, Josh worked at Harvard University in a variety of roles, including managing a student venture competition and an alumni co-working space at the Harvard Innovation Labs.
Jennifer Tegan has been the Managing Director of Empire State Development’s New York Ventures since April 2020. In that role, Tegan oversees and leads the activities of the NYS Innovation Venture Capital Fund (New York’s $100M venture investment fund) as well as the Technology Commercialization Fund, Innovate NY Fund and Minority-and Women-Owned Business Investment Fund, fund of funds programs. She also lead the recent efforts to create a pre-seed and seed fund as well as a fund to support emerging and regional managers across the state. New York Ventures invests in diverse entrepreneurs and high growth companies with a goal of building and maintaining a robust startup ecosystem across New York State.
Prior to joining Empire State Development, Tegan spent 18 years as a partner with Cayuga Venture Fund (CVF), a venture capital fund based in Ithaca, NY that invested over $70 million in technology startups. As an innovation ecosystem champion, Tegan served on the board of the National Venture Capital Association from 2017-2022 and has regularly met with leaders on Capitol Hill to advocate for greater access to capital across all regions of the US. She also serves on the boards of Tompkins Financial Corporation (NYSE: TMP) and its affiliated bank, Tompkins Trust Company, as well as the Upstate Capital Association of New York, a membership-based association focused on increasing access to capital in the Upstate NY region.
Tegan received her BA from Smith College, MS in Geology from University of Cincinnati, and her MBA from Cornell University and currently resides in Ithaca, NY.
David is Managing Director at Hamilton Lane Advisors where he manages, develops and oversees direct equity and credit investment activities including regional, state and small business focused investment programs as well as impact investment initiatives. He focused on investing in opportunities which deploy innovation and disruptive technologies to drive better outcomes and solve today’s challenges in environmental and social areas. Prior to Hamilton Lane, he was an Associate at Morgan Stanley. David has also served as a US Naval Officer in US Navy. He earned his BA in Political Science from Swarthmore College and his MBA From the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Sean is Commercial Bank Leader in Buffalo at KeyBank where he leverages his international experience to delivery growth through deepening customer relationships and new client acquisition. Previously, Sean was a Commercial Relationship Manager at HSBC, where he was responsible for managing a portfolio of mid-corporate multinational firms and driving growth through new client acquisition.
Jeff is a Partner and Team Leader of Transaction Advisory Services at the Bonadio Group, where he advises clients with respect to investment banking/M&A activities and provides accounting and consulting services to privately held companies, as well as providers of private capital and their portfolio companies. He has been at the Bonadio Group for 24 years. Jeff earned his BS in Accounting from SUNY Geneseo.
Capital Foundation
The Capital Foundation of New York, Upstate Capital’s 501c3 charitable arm, develops programs to support entrepreneurship and business owners focused on growth and change in their organizations. Current programs include the NYBPC and the Executive Peer Group.
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