Our Team

In addition to founding Bacchus VC, in 2018 Jim co-founded Beresford Ventures, which has invested close to $10 million in 140 companies. Jim has made over 200 investments through these funds and his personal LLCs. He’s invested in another 130 on crowdfunding sites and over 300 through VC funds in which he’s an LP. Jim mentored startups at Endless Frontier Labs in NYC for 6 years and currently participates as a mentor at The Creative Destruction Lab in Toronto. Formerly a banker at UBS and Chase in NYC, he holds an MBA from NYU Stern, a BA from Yale, and attended Phillips Academy Andover.

Ade Ajanaku is an experienced technical product leader specializing in B2B & B2C data platforms, AI/ML solutions, and GTM strategy. Currently, Ade drives AI-powered data integrations platforms and Ad-Tech innovations at Intuit. With prior leadership roles at Yelp, Capital One, and ConsenSys, Ade has built and scaled AI-driven data products and revenue-critical platforms. Ade received a BA in Information Sciences from Columbia University and actively serves as a mentor at NYU’s Endless Frontier Labs.

Steffanie (Steff) is a seasoned leader with deep expertise in strategy, partnerships, business development, commercialization, and general management. With a background spanning healthcare, life sciences, and consulting, she advises investors, corporations, and entrepreneurs at the intersection of data, digital, and technology to accelerate scientific innovation. Steff has led corporate innovation and growth at companies including Biogen, Philips, Accenture, Medtronic, Health Care Service Corporation, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Massachusetts General Hospital. A mentor at NYU’s Endless Frontier Labs, she holds an MBA and MPH from the University of Michigan and a BS from Clemson University.

Avi is the founder of advisors.bio where he helps founders and investors build the next generation of life sciences companies. He is also COO of Peak B Bio and involved in company formation at both Great Point Ventures and Cornucopian Capital. Previously, he launched over ten products for Ion Torrent Systems (now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific). Avi is a mentor at Endless Frontier Labs, Nucleate (NY chapter), and the NY Stage Biodefense Commercialization Fund.  He received a Ph.D. in Genetics from the lab of George Church at Harvard University and a B.A. from Yeshiva University in NYC.Most notable investments: Mammoth Biosciences, Shape Therapeutics, Mission Barns

Abhishek Agrawal (Abi) is a versatile professional, excelling as a commercialization expert, technologist, entrepreneur, educator, advisor, and investor. With extensive experience in healthcare and management consulting, he played key roles in launching new molecular entities at GSK and Novartis. Abi advises various entities, including Gates Ventures and NYU’s tech incubator, and is active in AI/ML companies in life sciences. He brings commercial expertise in oncology, immunology, and neurology, with a focus on the US, Japan, and China. Experienced in entrepreneurship, he has founded companies addressing health challenges and promoting conscious consumerism

Mirza Ahmed is a Partner at Bridge-ME, a firm focused on bridging foreign start-ups to the Middle East and North Africa. Previously, he was a Senior Director at Hikma Pharmaceuticals where he led the company’s HealthTech-related portfolio growth efforts, including their Corporate Venture Capital team. Mirza successfully expanded Hikma Ventures’ portfolio of companies with a focus on digital therapeutics including partnerships in the MENA region. Prior to Hikma, he was a technology strategy leader for Syneos Health’s commercial businesses and a management consultant with PwC. Mirza currently also serves as a HealthTech advisor to OCA Ventures, and has past experiences with the United Nations and Council on Foreign Relations.

David holds a PhD in Physics from Uppsala University, Sweden. Transitioning to computational biology, he completed a postdoc at Rockefeller University, co-founded a bioinformatics company, and worked at GE Healthcare. With over 35 years of experience in biomedical data analysis, he has authored 200+ scientific publications. Currently a Professor at NYU School of Medicine, he directs programs in Systems and Computational Biomedicine and Biomedical Informatics. His research applies data science to model biological systems, particularly in cancer, integrating various technologies for biomarker and therapeutic target discovery.

Professor Paul Horn is the Senior Vice Provost for Research and Senior Vice Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship at the Tandon School of Engineering. Prior to his NYU position, he was senior vice president of the IBM Corporation and executive director of research. Under his leadership, IBM Research produced an unmatched string of technological breakthroughs, including the chess-playing supercomputer Deep Blue, the world’s first copper chip, the giant magneto-resistive head (GMR), strained silicon (a discovery that allows chips to run up to 35% faster), and BlueGene, the world’s fastest supercomputer that brought computing leadership back to the United States.

Alessandro Piol is the Managing Partner of AlphaPrime Ventures and President of Epistemic AI. Alessandro co-founded AT&T Ventures – the VC arm of AT&T, and was a General Partner at Invesco Private Capital where he headed the technology team. He is currently an advisor of Knightsbridge and of Sella Ventures, is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Visitors of Columbia’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science and he is also the co-author of Tech and the City: The Making of New York’s Startup Community. Alessandro holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Columbia University SEAS.

Scott Saxberg is a leading figure in energy and technology, known for founding Cache Island Corp. and successful ventures like Crescent Point and Shelter Bay, which collectively amassed over $18 billion in market capitalization and distributed $7.5 billion in dividends. As CEO of Cache Island, Scott drives innovation in energy transition. He manages Icebook Investments Corp, overseeing a diverse portfolio of twenty-five tech startups, and co-founded federally regulated financial Trusts, Odyssey Trust and Tetra Trust. Scott’s expertise fuels Disa Technologies Inc and IronSight, while he mentors at NYU Stern Business School and serves as a Fellow at the Creative Destruction Lab Rockies Energy and Paris Climate. Recognized as one of E&Y’s Top 40 Under 40, he’s also been honored as the 2009 Producer of the Year in Oilweek magazine.

Doug Stern has been an investor in Real Estate, private Equity, and startups for 30 years.  Recently Doug was the lead investor and advisor to Official which was acquired by Bumble.  Previously he was a partner at PlumTree  ventures a private equity group and a principal at National Office Supply which was acquired by Staples.   Doug received his MBA from NYU’s Stern School of business where he serves as a mentor.  Additionally, he is on the advisory council for Villanova’s institute on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Jeff Enslin is a seasoned investor with 23 years of experience as a Global Macro/EM portfolio manager and Senior Partner at Caxton Associates LP. During his tenure, he managed over $1.25 billion in capital across various asset classes, achieving a 1.5 Sharpe Ratio while maintaining a negative beta to the S&P 500 index. Jeff has also served on Investment Committees for institutions such as Lehigh University and the Peddie School, overseeing significant endowments. In recent years, he has diversified his portfolio with over 80 private investments as an active angel investor. Jeff’s involvement in mentoring programs like the Creative Destruction Lab and Endless Frontier Labs has expanded his network in both capital markets and the VC space. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Lehigh University and an MBA in Finance and International Business from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Chance has worked in the venture capital space since late 2018 when he joined Beresford Ventures, and has continued that path by joining the Bacchus team in 2023. He graduated with honors from Florida Atlantic University in 2019 with a BBA in Finance. After graduation he joined Amazon Logistics as an Operations Manager until the end of 2023. He plans on continuing his education and career aspirations by attending law school in 2025.

Ashleigh Falanga graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Psychology. In addition to her duties as Executive Assistant, Ashleigh is also active in her community. She runs a free back to school clothing event every summer for families that are unable to afford clothing for school. She also prepares meals for local residents that are in need of hot meals. Ashleigh homeschools her four year old son and runs various homeschool groups throughout Connecticut. Ashleigh has two older children that are competitive athletes whom she accompanies to events around the US throughout the year