Before diving (back) into the startup world, Anju spent a decade at CableLabs, a telco innovation lab, where she spearheaded teams that delivered multi-billion dollar breakthroughs like Low Latency DOCSIS, Micronets, and Custom Connectivity. She also successfully productized and commercialized the lab’s first and most profitable SaaS platform.

Prior to that, Anju cofounded an advisory firm for startups, guiding clients in gaming, tech, and media on achieving product-market fit and driving new product development. She was a partner at MK Capital, a software and technology venture firm, and early in her career, a management consultant with Boston Consulting Group.

Recognized for her leadership, Anju was a 2023 Cablefax Most Powerful Women honoree, a 2019 NDC Top 50 Women in Tech honoree, and a 2018 Silicon Valley Business Journal Women of Influence honoree.

Anju serves on the External Advisory Board of the Center for Global Health at the University of Chicago. She received her BA with honors in economics at the University of Chicago and her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Anju is based in Silicon Valley, where she enjoys experimenting with disruptive technologies and trying to break things.

Justin formerly served as Chief Product Officer and currently serves as Technology Advisor for Cohesion, a commercial real estate prop tech startup in Chicago. Previously, Justin was President and owner of Magnani, an award-winning experience design and strategy firm in Chicago, recognized as one of the 30 most innovative companies of 2019 by CIO Bulletin, Top Design Agencies of 2019 by Agency Spotter, Top UX Agencies in the US by UpCity, among others.

Throughout his career, Justin has led the development of brand/marketing strategies, product ideation and innovation programs, digital experiences and branding platforms for B2B and B2C companies ranging in size from entrepreneurial startups to Fortune-100 companies. 

An MBA who can do improv,  Justin studied improvisational comedy at the Conservatory at Chicago’s famed Second City, received his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and was a founding fellow of the University of Chicago’s Leadership and Society Initiative. He is also currently a lecturer at UChicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and Graham School, teaching courses on Design Thinking, Innovation and AI.

Justin is also an award-winning screenwriter, novelist, avid composer and musician, year-round bicycle commuter, and damn fine dancer (though, admittedly, not all at the same time). 

A career Chief Technology Officer, John ran technology and product teams at companies such as Curriculum Associates, Chief, Groupon, Enova, and FTD.

John focuses on broadening access to tech careers through education and community building. He serves as a mentor with 1871’s “WMNTech” program for emerging women tech leaders and volunteers as a teacher and curriculum developer for i.c. stars, a coding boot camp supporting students from underrepresented communities. He has spoken at events focused on DEIB topics, including ChiWiTCon, ARA Mentors, and DisruptHR. From 2020-2023, he was a Board member and chair of the Tech and Data committee at the nonprofit BottomLine, which supports first-generation college students. 


He also serves as a board director for an early-stage cybersecurity company, Havoc Shield, and is a board observer for an AI-powered data migration company, Zengines.  

John holds a B.A. from Northern Illinois University and an M.S. in IT and Privacy Law, with honors from the University of Illinois-Chicago Law School, and is a frequent writer and speaker on the subjects of technology, leadership, and diversity.