OfficeHours, an advisory platform created by the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council (PEC), has added a number of new alumni mentors. As you may know, OfficeHours provides the opportunity for entrepreneurs (typically Princeton student and young alumni founders) who are facing an issue or challenge and who want to speak with an expert possessing skills and experience to help the founder resolve the issue.
Currently, the OfficeHours platform includes approximately 25 volunteers with a wide range of startup skills, from fundraising and legal to direct-to-consumer marketing and business development, and across a wide range of industry sectors including life sciences and technology to arts and social entrepreneurship. A founder seeking advice can search and filter these mentors by skill and expertise, read their profiles and link to their LinkedIn page, and then select and immediately schedule a 30-minute phone or virtual meeting. PEC’s partners at Keller Center, Lewis Center for the Arts, and Princeton Alumni Angels have also joined the platform, offering this valuable service to startups across the broader Princeton student, faculty, and alumni entrepreneurial community. Seven new entrepreneurs have recently been added to OfficeHours — each specializing in a different field. PEC will continue to rotate alumni mentors on and off the platform in response to user needs and feedback. Descriptions of their work can be found below:
Greg Cullison ‘99 is the CEO of QWERX, a cybersecurity software company that provides patented dynamic network device authentication. With his expertise in the foreign service, naval intelligence, and management consulting/technology sectors, Cullison has valuable skills in IT and international/emerging markets. Additionally, connect with him for advice on Capital Raising and Business Development.
Shawn Kung ‘99 is an Angel Investor/Advisor for LucidCloud Advisors. With investments in startups like Aster Data ($331M 2011 acquisition), Tenable Security ($3B 2018 IPO), Facebook, and more, Kung has deep experience in B2B, AI and Machine Learning, Data Science/Engineering, and full-stack B2B SaaS apps. Connect with him to learn more about Capital Raising and Business Formation in the Cybersecurity, Engineering, FinTech, and Technology sectors.
Olga Chin ‘05 is the CEO and Founder of Interprice Technologies, a fintech platform for transparent communication between corporate bond issuers/private equity firms and underwriters. She has valuable experience and knowledge in the banking/research industry and across the corporate bond markets. She is particularly interested in helping Princeton founders with questions about Talent Acquisition and Management, Product Development, SaaS, Sales, and Marketing Operations.
Frank Langston ‘06 was a strategic value partner for both Thiel Capital (an investment firm) and a pharmaceutical company with nearly 100 employees. With his expertise in business development, business formation, capital raising, product development, Saas, and strategy, he successfully redesigned how clinical trials were designed, contracted, and executed to best serve corporate objectives. Bringing non-traditional tools to the pharma environment, Langston has valuable insights in the biotech sector. Connect with him for advice on investments in biotech and life sciences, a startup sector that is exploding given advances in AI, telehealth capabilities, and precision medicine.
Grayce Mei ‘10 is an Investments Principal for Whitford Management. With skills in Finance, Strategy, Angel/VC investment, and the review of pitches, Mei has ample knowledge of both public and private market investments. Her experiences at LionTree (an investment bank) and MacAndrews and Forbes (a portfolio holding company) have sharpened her insight on how to manage a diversified portfolio of public and private companies. Connect with her for advice on funding strategies particularly in the eCommerce, Media, and technology sectors.
Ben Cogan ‘12 is the Co-CEO of Agora Brands, an e-commerce aggregator that acquires promising direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses looking to grow. In addition to Agora, Cogan is also the co-founder of several other startups, including Hubble Contacts, Mockingbird Strollers, and Willow Underwear (recently sold to Because Market). As an angel investor, Cogan specializes in providing valuable advice to DTC e-commerce brands. Connect with him for guidance on Business Formation, Capital Raising, Marketing, and Pitch Review/Coaching.
Darek Johnson ‘16 is the founder and CEO of Coachable, an edtech startup where participants are taught everything they need to be successful in a technical career. With his degree in Operations Research and Financial Engineering (ORFE) and his previous expertise as a software engineer at Google, Johnson advises aspiring founders who are seeking guidance on Edtech, Software Engineering Pedagogy, or being a solo founder.
With the introduction of these seven successful entrepreneurs with deep subject matter expertise to the OfficeHours platform, do not hesitate to leverage this valuable resource that is unique to Princeton’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Click here to schedule an OfficeHours consultative call today. Click on “Find a Mentor” if you are seeking advice or “Become a Mentor” if you wish to support Princeton founders as an advisor on the platform.