Saratoga Forum 2022

Michael Kocan

General Partner, Outbound Capital

Michael Kocan is a venture capital investor and General Partner at Outbound Capital based in Saratoga Springs, which recently closed a $5M Fund I. The fund has invested in seven B2B software and hard tech startups since launching in 2021.

Catherine Hover

Founder & CEO, Palette Community

Catherine Hover is the entrepreneur and working mother responsible for introducing the region to the paint and sip industry; opening 3 studios in the Upstate NY/ Vermont Region. Catherine successfully sold part of the business to her employees and artists so that she could launch a new concept called Palette. Her initial vision for Palette was to fill the need for support and resources in small urban markets specifically for women. Since opening the first hub in 2019 in Saratoga Springs, she opened 2 more locations in the region and is set to open 2 more by 2025. In the last 3 years, Catherine has provided shared space and resources to a growing network of 400 individuals and 10 corporate partners who all believe nothing bad happens when women have more opportunity, community and investment.

Brett & Taylor Sohns

Co-founders, LifeGoal Investments

Saratoga-based brothers from Upstate NY, Brett and Taylor both worked on Wall Street for over a decade before founding LifeGoal Investments to make diversified investment risk strategies through ETFs to everyone.

Rai Archibold

Managing Director, Schwartz Heslin Group, Inc.

Raimundo C. Archibold Jr., CFA, Managing Director, has been with the firm since 2010 and currently heads the investment banking division of SHG. Rai brings over 25 years of experience in equity research where he covered primarily the technology and telecommunication sectors. Rai has a depth of transactional and capital markets experience, having been involved with over 20 Initial Public Offerings and M&A transactions.
His experience includes work with JP Morgan Equity Research where he was the lead analyst covering the IT Services sector. At Kaufman Bros, he was the lead analyst covering the telecommunications industry. In addition, Rai worked with financial institutions while at Fox-Pitt Kelton. He has experience with advanced materials and is an investor in the technology, media, and telecommunications industries.
Rai holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Dayton, and an MBA from Pace University. Rai also holds the CFA® designation.

Breakfast at Saratoga & Tour

Racing fans are invited to continue a summer tradition during Breakfast at Saratoga driven by the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA). Breakfast at Saratoga welcomes guests to enjoy a morning buffet on The Clubhouse Porch at Saratoga Race Course while the thoroughbreds train on the main track.
During breakfast, take advantage of the free backstretch tram tour, driven by CDTA (weather permitting). The first stable-area tram leaves the main clubhouse entrance at approximately 7:30 a.m. with additional trams departing every 15 minutes. Each tour is 45 minutes in length. The last tour departs at approximately 9:00 a.m.

David Brown

Managing Partner, Impellent Ventures

David Brown is the Founding Managing Director of Rochester-based Venture Capital firm, Impellent Ventures. David is an experienced leader with a passion for entrepreneurship and social causes.

Elisa Miller-Out

Managing Partner

Elisa Miller-Out is a business leader, investor, technologist and mother. She is chair of the board for Singlebrook, a web software development firm she co-founded in 2006 and for which she served as CEO until 2016, when she oversaw the acquisition of the firm’s largest division. Not one to sit still, in 2017 she co-founded Chloe Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund on a mission to bring more women into technology investing and leadership.
To date, Chloe Capital has funded 10 companies with a combined portfolio value of $70 million and drawn more than 15,000 members to its #InvestInWomen movement. Beyond leading her own companies, Elisa’s greatest passion is sharing her business knowledge with others. She actively mentors business leaders every day and has mentored several hundred in recent years through her various roles, such as managing partner for Chloe Capital, Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell University and Launch NY, Instructor for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Innovation Advisor to the NY State Energy
Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA). Elisa has served on the boards of numerous commercial enterprises, as well as the NY State Climate Action Council. Her commitment to diversity and her individual achievements have garnered numerous awards, as well as coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today.

Marcia Mitchell

Director, NY Ventures

Marcia Mitchell is a Director at NY Ventures (NYS Innovation Venture Capital Fund). NY Ventures supports and invests in diverse entrepreneurs and their high growth companies across the state to secure a healthy, sustainable and economically vibrant future for all New Yorkers. (if that’s already long enough, feel free to chop it there, otherwise, here is some more…) Prior to NY Ventures, Marcia was a Senior Associate at ff Venture Capital, an early stage VC firm based in NYC. Before working in venture, Marcia spent several years working across several industries including financial services, technology consulting, marketing and fashion. Marcia holds a B.A. in Economics from Tufts University and an M.Sc. in Technology Commercialization and Entrepreneurship from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Brian Model

Managing Partner, Topmark Partners

Brian is a growth stage venture capitalist focused predominantly on high potential business-to-business technology-enabled companies based in up-and-coming regions, primarily Florida, the Southeast, and Upstate New York, areas where an abundance of investment opportunities are underserved by a relatively small number of local growth equity investors.

Todd Tidgewell

Partner and Corporate Practice Leader, Nixon Peabody

Todd is a Partner in Nixon Peabody’s Corporate practice group, one of the world’s premier legal practices for mergers, acquisitions, and corporate transactions. He focuses on private equity transactions, including the formation and financing of business enterprises, mergers and acquisitions, capital financing and private equity fund formation. Todd is the corporate counsel to a number of emerging technology companies and privately held businesses and advise private equity, venture capital and angel investors in connection with their portfolio investments. He is a regular panelist and frequent speaker at events focused on M&A, venture capital and emerging technology and have written on the subject of deal structuring and private finance for several publications. He served as a member of the drafting committee of the National Venture Capital Association’s Standard Forms Project, which released its first set of industry-standard venture capital deal documents in 2004.

Hugh Johnson

Chair Emeritus and Chief Investment Officer, Graypoint

Hugh Johnson has been presenting his economic outlook at the Saratoga Forum for over a decade. He managed over $1.2B through his company, Hugh Johnson Advisors, before merging his firm with Graypoint in 2021.