About Us

Manager

The Ohio TechAngel Funds are managed by TechColumbus, which also provides funding assistance for earlier-stage opportunities, as well as coaching, mentoring, and incubation services.

Management Team

The OTA management team schedules and coordinates the activities of the Fund, manages the Fund’s operations and finances, administers the Fund’s Grants from the State of Ohio Third Frontier Program, promotes the Fund to stimulate deal flow, and provides support and interface for the Fund Members, portfolio companies and partners.

 

Victor M. Thorne, Director

Victor Thorne brings a background of both investment and operating management experience, spanning Fortune 500 corporations to entrepreneurial ventures. He is Co-Founder of Broadline Capital, a global investment management firm. In 2008, Broadline Capital received the industry award for Asia Venture Deal of the Year, named by Private Equity International (PEI) for Broadline’s investment in China Risk Finance. PEI’s Global Awards are voted by the industry to recognize transactions for their impact on the private equity landscape. China Risk Finance is a leading provider of credit management solutions and financial products within China.
 
A decade ago Victor co-founded the leading provider of supply chain management and intelligence solutions to the trillion-dollar food system. Creating the industry’s first SaaS electronic supply network, the resulting company became an innovator in the automation of core business processes. The company’s robust and secure transaction engine facilitates more than $220 Billion in supply chain commerce transactions annually and converts traditional paper-based processes into more efficient paperless transactions for more than 6,000 manufacturers and distributors, and 100,000 retail operators throughout North America. In 2007, the company was successfully sold to institutional investors at a nine digit valuation.
 
Victor began his career at Morgan Stanley, has consulted for Lucent Technologies’ Supply Chain Networks, and was Senior VP of Coffou Partners. He received his AB from Harvard University, and received his MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Executive Program on Supply Chain Management. He serves as a member of the Boards of Directors of Brand Thunder and VacationView, as well as the Executive Board of the Chicago-based non-profit Jobs For Youth. He previously served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center. 
 
Victor’s mission with the Ohio TechAngel Funds is to grow Ohio’s reputation as a preferred and optimal location for entrepreneurs to launch their technology ventures and grow them into profitable and sustainable world-class enterprises. Victor has traveled to 31 countries in 5 continents and has participated in archaeology digs in Kenya, led a global marketing project for major vineyards and wineries in Chile and Argentina, scuba-dived in Barbados and climbed the Great Wall of China. 
 
Victor and his wife, Bridget, reside in New Albany, Ohio with their two year old daughter.

John O. Huston, Principal, USPrivateCompanies, LLC

 

During his 30-year commercial banking career, John’s positions at banks in five states ranged from Chief Lending Officer to Chief Credit Officer to CEO. Upon retiring from banking in 2000 he commenced his business angel activities and formed USPrivateCompanies, LLC which has provided equity to over thirty of Ohio’s most promising entrepreneurs.
 
John was appointed by Governor Taft to the Ohio Venture Capital Authority at its inception in 2003. The Authority’s Ohio Capital Fund generates high paying jobs by making $150 million of early stage capital available to the state’s most promising technology entrepreneurs. Twenty-one venture capital firms have already received funding via this program. When John’s term expired in February 2010 Governor Strickland appointed him to the Third Frontier Advisory Board. Ohio’s Third Frontier Program is a $1.6 billion bi-partisan commitment to expand Ohio’s technological strengths and promote commercialization. Ohio voters overwhelmingly expanded the program by $750 million via the May 4, 2010 ballot.
 
When John launched the first Ohio TechAngel Fund in 2004 the group became a founding member of the Angel Capital Association (ACA). Now with three funds and 280 members, the Ohio TechAngels is one of North America’s largest angel groups. John is also a member of both the North Coast Angel Fund (Cleveland) and the East Central Ohio TechAngel Fund (Athens), serving on their Executive Committees. 
 
John has taught finance at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business and is a frequent lecturer regarding entrepreneurship. In addition to managing the Ohio TechAngels he serves on the boards of several of his portfolio ventures. His not-for-profit activities include the Advisory Board of WELD (Women for Economic and Leadership Development), the TechColumbus Deal Flow Assessment Committee, and the TechColumbus Investment Committee for all its pre-seed funds. Nationally, John is the current Chairman of the ACA and past Chairman of the Angel Capital Education Foundation.
 
John attended the University of Virginia on a Navy ROTC scholarship, graduating with a BA in economics. While stationed as a navy pilot in Georgia he obtained his MBA from Georgia Southern University. John and his wife, Liz, reside in Columbus, Ohio. Their two married children (and two grandchildren) live in Cleveland and San Francisco. 
 
In increasing order of difficulty, John’s most exciting experiences to date have been bungee jumping, skydiving, aircraft carrier landings, and angel investing. He’s convinced that growing high paying technology jobs is the key driver of a sustainable, vibrant economy. As a private investor John hopes to spark such job growth across Ohio. In his role as the Chairman of the Angel Capital Association he seeks to increase the success of angels, angel groups, and entrepreneurs across North America.

 

 

 

Zach D. Lawrence, CFA, Investment Analyst

 

Zach has 8 years of professional investment experience and is the newest member of the Ohio TechAngel Funds management team, joining in 2011.  Zach also holds the position of Investment Analyst at TechColumbus where he concentrates on funds management and due diligence.  Previously Zach served as a research analyst for a 6-person team at UBS Financial Services which focused on private wealth management and institutional consulting.  He acted as an assistant portfolio manager for the team’s discretionary portfolio management clients, performed investment due diligence for the team’s institutional clients, and profiled companies for potential referral to the UBS Investment Banking and Private Equity deal origination team.
 
Zach earned a B.A. in Philosophy from the Ohio State University and a Master of Accounting and Financial Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management.  He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation, and previously served as a grader for the CFA Exam Grading Program.  Zach lives in Dublin with his wife and daughter, and is involved locally as a board member for the Columbus Jaycees Youth Foundation and as a committee member for the CFA Society of Columbus.  He volunteers with several charitable organizations and is a member of the Worthington Noon Lions Club.

 

 

 

Nameer A. Chaudry, Funds Management Intern

 

Nameer graduated from Ohio State in December, 2003 with a BA in Economics.  After graduating, Nameer enlisted in the Army and served 5 years as an Intelligence Collector and Interrogator with the 3rd Infantry Division.  In June 2009, after completing a 5 year tour of service in the Army, he took a position as a consultant with L-3 and returned to Iraq for a 13 month assignment providing intelligence collection support for the Special Operations Command.   In September of 2010, Nameer began his MBA studies at Fisher College of Business and is majoring in Finance and Strategy.