Lauren spent several years working at early startups handling all manner of operational tasks and ad hoc items. She has worked for companies backed by top tier venture firms including: GV (Google Ventures), FirstMark Capital, IA Ventures, and Mayfield Fund.

She truly understands how to take care of the important foundational requirements of a startup so that founders can take care of the urgent needs of growing their particular businesses.

Lauren is always happy to take care of the routine daily/weekly/monthly needs of a company. And she's always ready to pitch in on the unique challenges that inevitably arise.

Before entering the world of startups, Lauren was a private investigator and led a unit specializing in pre-hire due diligence.

She has a BA from Columbia University and an MS from Teachers College (Columbia University).

Jacob founded Helpful Networks with the aim of supporting startups and their development. He is currently a co-founder and CEO of Accomplish Health, a modern medical weight management clinic.

He is also a Venture Partner at Expanding Capital, a growth stage investment firm backing US based companies and helping them expand here and in Brazil.

Jacob previously co-founded Benny, a freelancer back-office and insurance startup backed by Google Ventures. Before that he was a Founding Partner at MESA Ventures, the strategic seed/early stage venture arm of the investment bank MESA. Across his career as a venture capitalist and angel investor he has backed 30+ companies technology companies in consumer services, healthcare, advertising, financial services, insurance, shipping & logistics, internet of things, agriculture and enterprise software. Portfolio investments include Clover Health, Easypost, MParticle, Vence, Triple Lift, Tala, Ethyca, Fitstar (acquired by Fitbit), Abra, Grand St (acquired by Etsy), Gem, Seedling and Nativo. His portfolio companies have raised over $750 million in follow on capital and half a dozen are valued at over $100 million.

In a previous life, Jacob was a reporter at Venturebeat and founded a non-profit helping entrepreneurs. He is a born and bred New Yorker, just like his wife Lauren and his son Bowie.