Team

Nuclein, LLC was founded in 2017 by experienced biotechnology entrepreneurs Alan Blake and Dr. Richard Crockett. The company’s mission has been to create a hand-held, disposable, all-in-one, self-test for infectious disease testing, which delivers battery-powered, sample-to-answer results within one hour.

The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Leadership Team

Alan Blake

Mr. Alan Blake is Chief Executive Officer of Nuclein. Prior to his involvement with Nuclein, Mr. Blake was a Co-Founder and CEO of Yorktown Technologies LP, which developed and marketed GloFish®, the world’s first widely commercialized biotech animal. Launched in 2003, GloFish subsequently grew to become the most visible consumer biotech product in the world, available in more than 7,000 retail locations, including Walmart, PetSmart and Petco. GloFish was sold to Spectrum Brands Inc. (NYSE: SPB) in 2017. Before GloFish, Mr. Blake founded and led ClassMap, a venture capitalist funded startup in the online learning space, managing the daily operations of 50 employees. Mr. Blake has also served as a Board Member for numerous companies and nonprofit organizations, including currently serving on the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business Advisory Council. He graduated with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and holds 25 patents.

Jeffrey Stukuls

Jeffrey Stukuls

Mr. Jeffrey Stukuls is Chief Financial Officer of Nuclein. Mr. Stukuls has an accomplished background as a Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer in the technology development, online retail, and services industries. In addition to co-founding and selling his own businesses, including Medwing.com in 2010, his expertise has centered on raising substantial funding and scaling various businesses. Mr. Stukuls was CFO of TrackingPoint, a technology development company which raised over $80M and grew its first-year revenue to over $11M. Additionally, Mr. Stukuls led rapid-growth efforts at Stampede Consulting, which scaled from a team of 10 to over 1,000 people in its first year. He graduated from Bentley University with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and a minor in Computer Information Systems, as well as earned an Entrepreneurial Master’s Program Certificate from the MIT Extension School and the Entrepreneur’s Organization.

Steven Back

Steven Back

Mr. Steven Back is Chief Operating Officer of Nuclein.  Prior to Nuclein, Mr. Back held leadership positions in Quality, Regulatory, Engineering, and Manufacturing. During his 14 years at Luminex Corporation, he served as Head of Quality and Regulatory across five North American locations, overseeing Quality Management System enhancements, Regulatory Body audits, Product Submissions, Medical Device Report actions (Recalls), Supplier Quality, Production and Incoming Quality, Design Assurance, Documentation and product control and release. As VP of Manufacturing at Luminex, he led all aspects of instrument and reagent/assay cGMP compliant manufacturing, which included Incoming Quality, Quality Control, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Instrument Assembly and Reagent/Assay manufacturing. Prior to Luminex Corporation, Mr. Back worked at Abbott Laboratories, holding several leadership positions during his 18-year tenure, leading Engineering, Manufacturing, and Quality organizations.  He Graduated with a BSSE from Wright State University, an MSEE from the University of Texas at Arlington, and an MBA from the University of Dallas.

Michael Karberg

Michael Karberg, PhD

Dr. Michael Karberg is the Chief Scientist, and a founding team member, of Nuclein. In this role, he has been intimately involved in developing the company’s core technologies since its inception.  With decades of experience, Dr. Karberg has amassed an extensive background in nucleic acid assay development and optimization. In previous roles at Life Technologies and Thermo Fisher Scientific, he managed the research and development of animal health and food safety custom assays and products. He has developed over 100 assays, including those used to detect E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, type 2 porcine circovirus, and porcine respiratory coronavirus. Dr. Karberg graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Genetics and earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin.

John Fussell

John Fussell

Mr. John Fussell is the Associate Director of Operations of Nuclein.  Prior to Nuclein, Mr. Fussell served as Engineering Manager and Manufacturing Manager at Luminex Corporation, leading development, product transition and market launch efforts for several IVD and life science instruments.   Mr. Fussell has held leadership roles in the semiconductor, aerospace, and medical instrument manufacturing industries during the past 25 years of his career, following a ten-year career in the space programs at Johnson Space Center. Mr. Fussell earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Richard Crockett, MD

Dr. Richard Crockett is President of Nuclein. Prior to Nuclein, Dr. Crockett was Co-Founder and President of Yorktown Technologies LP, leading the research, development, production and regulatory efforts of the company, including the successful review of multiple FDA applications. Beyond Yorktown, Dr. Crockett is an experienced entrepreneur, who prior to co-founding Yorktown Technologies, co-founded ClassMap with Mr. Blake. He graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Science in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, later returning to Yale to earn his medical doctorate before surgical residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. Dr. Crockett holds 22 patents and is published in several peer-reviewed journals.

Brian Estes

Brian Estes

Mr. Brian Estes is Chief People Officer of Nuclein. Prior to Nuclein, Mr. Estes was Director of Global Human Resources of Artivion, Inc.’s Asia Pacific and Latin America regions, leading global HR operations and rapid-growth global expansion efforts for the Class 3 medical device company. While at Artivion, Mr. Estes led the integration of the company’s acquisitions of On-X, a mechanical heart valve manufacturing facility in Austin, TX, and Jotec GmbH, a surgical prosthesis and endovascular device manufacturing facility in Hechingen, Germany. Prior to Artivion, Mr. Estes held Human Resources leadership positions at The Advisory Board Company (now Optum) and the Miami Marlins (Major League Baseball), leading rapid-growth and expansion efforts at each firm. He is certified as a Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR), and Professional in Human Resources (PHR), and graduated cum laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Performance.

Huiping Zhu

Huiping Zhu, PhD

Dr. Huiping Zhu is Vice President of Assay Development of Nuclein. Prior to Nuclein, Dr. Zhu was Director of Assay R&D at Luminex Cooperation, leading molecular diagnostic product development and design verification in support of 510(k) and IVDR submissions. During her career, Dr. Zhu has been awarded an NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, an R01 and an R21 research grant, and was a key contributor to multiple NIH and CDC research programs. Dr. Zhu has authored over 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications in the fields of molecular diagnostics, human genetics, and developmental biology. She graduated from Peking University Health Science Center with a Bachelor of Medicine (M.B.) degree, and subsequently earned her Ph.D. in Genetic & Molecular Epidemiology there as well.

Miranda Chavez

Miranda Chavez

Ms. Miranda Chavez is Associate Director of Program & Project Management and Customer Support of Nuclein. Prior to Nuclein, Ms. Chavez held Program Management leadership roles at Pattern Bioscience and Luminex corporation, leading design transfer, and go-to-market, initiatives at each company. She established Luminex’s first Field Quality Assurance department, leading global root-cause analysis, and product resolution efforts, for field-related issues. Ms. Chavez has led EUA, IVD and CE IVD efforts for more than 20 medical diagnostic products and is credited with a CLSI guideline for Newborn Screening Programs. She graduated from Saint Edward’s University with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, pre-medical.

Michael Catalasan

Michael Catalasan

Mr. Michael Catalasan is Associate Director of Quality for Nuclein. Prior to Nuclein, Mr. Catalasan was Sr. Manager, Quality Engineering at Smith and Nephew, where he led teams across multiple sites in the U.S. and Costa Rica supporting manufacturing operations and R&D for the Sports Medicine and ENT franchises. In addition to his medical device experience, he has held positions of increasing responsibility in the pharmaceutical industry in Operations and Quality, including serving as Quality Management Representative in Missoula, Montana for Baxter and Manufacturing Quality Manager in Austin, Texas for Hospira. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.

Nuclein was founded in 2017 by experienced biotechnology entrepreneurs Alan Blake and Dr. Richard Crockett. 

Nuclein was founded in 2017 by experienced biotechnology entrepreneurs Alan Blake and Dr. Richard Crockett. 

Alan Blake

Mr. Alan Blake is Chief Executive Officer of Nuclein. Prior to his involvement with Nuclein, Mr. Blake was a Co-Founder and CEO of Yorktown Technologies LP, which developed and marketed GloFish®, the world’s first widely commercialized biotech animal. Launched in 2003, GloFish subsequently grew to become the most visible consumer biotech product in the world, available in more than 7,000 retail locations, including Walmart, PetSmart and Petco. GloFish was sold to Spectrum Brands Inc. (NYSE: SPB) in 2017. Before GloFish, Mr. Blake founded and led ClassMap, a venture capitalist funded startup in the online learning space, managing the daily operations of 50 employees. Mr. Blake has also served as a Board Member for numerous companies and nonprofit organizations, including currently serving on the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business Advisory Council. He graduated with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and holds 25 patents.

Richard Crockett, MD

Dr. Richard Crockett is President of Nuclein. Prior to Nuclein, Dr. Crockett was Co-Founder and President of Yorktown Technologies LP, leading the research, development, production and regulatory efforts of the company, including the successful review of multiple FDA applications. Beyond Yorktown, Dr. Crockett is an experienced entrepreneur, who prior to co-founding Yorktown Technologies, co-founded ClassMap with Mr. Blake. He graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Science in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, later returning to Yale to earn his medical doctorate before surgical residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. Dr. Crockett holds 22 patents and is published in several peer-reviewed journals.

Jeffrey Stukuls

Jeffrey Stukuls

Mr. Jeffrey Stukuls is Chief Financial Officer of Nuclein. Mr. Stukuls has an accomplished background as a Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer in the technology development, online retail, and services industries. In addition to co-founding and selling his own businesses, including Medwing.com in 2010, his expertise has centered on raising substantial funding and scaling various businesses. Mr. Stukuls was CFO of TrackingPoint, a technology development company which raised over $80M and grew its first-year revenue to over $11M. Additionally, Mr. Stukuls led rapid-growth efforts at Stampede Consulting, which scaled from a team of 10 to over 1,000 people in its first year. He graduated from Bentley University with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and a minor in Computer Information Systems, as well as earned an Entrepreneurial Master’s Program Certificate from the MIT Extension School and the Entrepreneur’s Organization.

Brian Estes

Brian Estes

Mr. Brian Estes is Chief People Officer of Nuclein. Prior to Nuclein, Mr. Estes was Director of Global Human Resources of Artivion, Inc.’s Asia Pacific and Latin America regions, leading global HR operations and rapid-growth global expansion efforts for the Class 3 medical device company. While at Artivion, Mr. Estes led the integration of the company’s acquisitions of On-X, a mechanical heart valve manufacturing facility in Austin, TX, and Jotec GmbH, a surgical prosthesis and endovascular device manufacturing facility in Hechingen, Germany. Prior to Artivion, Mr. Estes held Human Resources leadership positions at The Advisory Board Company (now Optum) and the Miami Marlins (Major League Baseball), leading rapid-growth and expansion efforts at each firm. He is certified as a Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR), and Professional in Human Resources (PHR), and graduated cum laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Performance.

Steven Back

Steven Back

Mr. Steven Back is Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs of Nuclein.  Prior to Nuclein, Mr. Back held leadership positions in Quality, Regulatory, Engineering, and Manufacturing. During his 14 years at Luminex Corporation, he served as Head of Quality and Regulatory across five North American locations, overseeing Quality Management System enhancements, Regulatory Body audits, Product Submissions, Medical Device Report actions (Recalls), Supplier Quality, Production and Incoming Quality, Design Assurance, Documentation and product control and release. As VP of Manufacturing at Luminex, he led all aspects of instrument and reagent/assay cGMP compliant manufacturing, which included Incoming Quality, Quality Control, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Instrument Assembly and Reagent/Assay manufacturing. Prior to Luminex Corporation, Mr. Back worked at Abbott Laboratories, holding several leadership positions during his 18-year tenure, leading Engineering, Manufacturing, and Quality organizations.  He Graduated with a BSSE from Wright State University, an MSEE from the University of Texas at Arlington, and an MBA from the University of Dallas.

Huiping Zhu

Huiping Zhu, PhD

Dr. Huiping Zhu is Vice President, Development – Biology of Nuclein. Prior to Nuclein, Dr. Zhu was Director of Assay R&D at Luminex Cooperation, leading molecular diagnostic product development and design verification in support of 510(k) and IVDR submissions. During her career, Dr. Zhu has been awarded an NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, an R01 and an R21 research grant, and was a key contributor to multiple NIH and CDC research programs. Dr. Zhu has authored over 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications in the fields of molecular diagnostics, human genetics, and developmental biology. She graduated from Peking University Health Science Center with a Bachelor of Medicine (M.B.) degree, and subsequently earned her Ph.D. in Genetic & Molecular Epidemiology there as well.

Michael Karberg

Michael Karberg, PhD

Dr. Michael Karberg is the Chief Scientist, and a founding team member, of Nuclein. In this role, he has been intimately involved in developing the company’s core technologies since its inception.  With decades of experience, Dr. Karberg has amassed an extensive background in nucleic acid assay development and optimization. In previous roles at Life Technologies and Thermo Fisher Scientific, he managed the research and development of animal health and food safety custom assays and products. He has developed over 100 assays, including those used to detect E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, type 2 porcine circovirus, and porcine respiratory coronavirus. Dr. Karberg graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Genetics and earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Michael Catalasan

Michael Catalasan

Mr. Michael Catalasan is Associate Director, Quality of Nuclein. Prior to Nuclein, Mr. Catalasan was Sr. Manager, Quality Engineering at Smith and Nephew, where he led teams across multiple sites in the U.S. and Costa Rica supporting manufacturing operations and R&D for the Sports Medicine and ENT franchises. In addition to his medical device experience, he has held positions of increasing responsibility in the pharmaceutical industry in Operations and Quality, including serving as Quality Management Representative in Missoula, Montana for Baxter and Manufacturing Quality Manager in Austin, Texas for Hospira. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.

Miranda Chavez

Miranda Chavez

Ms. Miranda Chavez is Associate Director of Program Management and Product Development of Nuclein. Prior to Nuclein, Ms. Chavez held Program Management leadership roles at Pattern Bioscience and Luminex corporation, leading design transfer, and go-to-market, initiatives at each company. She established Luminex’s first Field Quality Assurance department, leading global root-cause analysis, and product resolution efforts, for field-related issues. Ms. Chavez has led EUA, IVD and CE IVD efforts for more than 20 medical diagnostic products and is credited with a CLSI guideline for Newborn Screening Programs. She graduated from Saint Edward’s University with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, pre-medical.

John Fussell

John Fussell

Mr. John Fussell is the Associate Director of Operations of Nuclein.  Prior to Nuclein, Mr. Fussell served as Engineering Manager and Manufacturing Manager at Luminex Corporation, leading development, product transition and market launch efforts for several IVD and life science instruments.   Mr. Fussell has held leadership roles in the semiconductor, aerospace, and medical instrument manufacturing industries during the past 25 years of his career, following a ten-year career in the space programs at Johnson Space Center. Mr. Fussell earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Board of Directors

Dr. John Butler

Dr. John Butler is the Director of the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business. He is also a former Director of UT Austin’s IC2 Institute (2002-2013), which has produced more than 250 companies and helped them to collectively raise roughly $1 billion. In addition to serving on multiple other boards, Dr. Butler is a former Board Manager of GloFish LLC, the General Partner of Yorktown Technologies LP, and a noted author in the area of entrepreneurship. Among other career highlights, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board in 2006 and 2007. Dr. Butler holds a Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana State University and a doctorate in sociology from Northwestern University.

Sanjay Chandra

Mr. Sanjay Chandra is a Principal at Trinity Investors, managing more than $6.5 billion in assets and serves its affiliated companies in a variety of roles and responsibilities. In addition, Mr. Chandra is a Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of American Leather, a former Board Manager of GloFish LLC, and a Board Member of numerous other companies. Mr. Chandra also serves as an Engineering Advisory Board Member for the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Chandra graduated with highest honors from UT Austin with a Bachelor of Science in electrical and computer engineering and is a CFA charterholder.

Nuclein’s board of directors has decades of experience leading diverse organizations including technology, research, academics, and medical device manufacturing.

Nuclein’s board of directors has decades of experience leading diverse organizations including technology, research, academics, and medical device manufacturing.

Dr. John Butler

Dr. John Butler is the Director of the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business. He is also a former Director of UT Austin’s IC2 Institute (2002-2013), which has produced more than 250 companies and helped them to collectively raise roughly $1 billion. In addition to serving on multiple other boards, Dr. Butler is a former Board Manager of GloFish LLC, the General Partner of Yorktown Technologies LP, and a noted author in the area of entrepreneurship. Among other career highlights, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board in 2006 and 2007. Dr. Butler holds a Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana State University and a doctorate in sociology from Northwestern University.

Sanjay Chandra

Mr. Sanjay Chandra is a Principal at Trinity Investors, managing more than $6.5 billion in assets and serves its affiliated companies in a variety of roles and responsibilities. In addition, Mr. Chandra is a Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of American Leather, a former Board Manager of GloFish LLC, and a Board Member of numerous other companies. Mr. Chandra also serves as an Engineering Advisory Board Member for the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Chandra graduated with highest honors from UT Austin with a Bachelor of Science in electrical and computer engineering and is a CFA charterholder.

Dr. William Cunningham

Dr. William Cunningham holds the James L. Bayless Chair in Free Enterprise at the University of Texas at Austin. He currently teaches corporate governance at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law and the McCombs School of Business. Dr. Cunningham previously served as President of UT Austin (1985-1992) and Chancellor of the University of Texas System (1992-2000). In addition to serving on many public commissions and nonprofit boards, he has been a Board Member of numerous public companies, including currently serving as Chairman of the Board of Lincoln Financial Group (NYSE: LNC), Lead Director for Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), and the John Hancock Mutual Funds Board. He has also previously served on the boards of more than a dozen other public and private companies, including as Chairman of the Board of GloFish LLC. His many honors include a Distinguished Alumnus Award from Michigan State University, from which he also received an honorary law degree and the Distinguished Service Award from UT Austin. Dr. Cunningham received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1966, a Master of Business Administration in 1967, and a doctorate in 1971, each from Michigan State University.

David Shockley, Jr.

H. David Shockley, Jr. is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Movair (formerly International Biophysics Corporation), a 30-year-old medical device development and manufacturing company based in Austin, Texas. He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Organicare, a pharmaceutical drug developer and manufacturer in Austin. Mr. Shockley and IBC have developed many products over the past three decades, with several of these products becoming “spinoff” companies that were ultimately sold. In total, Mr. Shockley has been involved with the sale of more than $125 million in businesses that he started. He began his career in 1988 at Cardio Metrics, where he rose to President prior to its $3 million sale. In addition to serving as Chairman of Organicare, Mr. Shockley is currently serving as a Board Member for Safen Medical Devices, and he formerly served as a Director for numerous other health-related companies that were successfully sold. Mr. Shockley attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Bachelor of Science in biology.

Dr. William Cunningham

Dr. William Cunningham holds the James L. Bayless Chair in Free Enterprise at the University of Texas at Austin. He currently teaches corporate governance at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law and the McCombs School of Business. Dr. Cunningham previously served as President of UT Austin (1985-1992) and Chancellor of the University of Texas System (1992-2000). In addition to serving on many public commissions and nonprofit boards, he has been a Board Member of numerous public companies, including currently serving as Chairman of the Board of Lincoln Financial Group (NYSE: LNC), Lead Director for Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), and the John Hancock Mutual Funds Board. He has also previously served on the boards of more than a dozen other public and private companies, including as Chairman of the Board of GloFish LLC. His many honors include a Distinguished Alumnus Award from Michigan State University, from which he also received an honorary law degree and the Distinguished Service Award from UT Austin. Dr. Cunningham received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1966, a Master of Business Administration in 1967, and a doctorate in 1971, each from Michigan State University.

David Shockley, Jr.

H. David Shockley, Jr. is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Movair (formerly International Biophysics Corporation), a 30-year-old medical device development and manufacturing company based in Austin, Texas. He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Organicare, a pharmaceutical drug developer and manufacturer in Austin. Mr. Shockley and IBC have developed many products over the past three decades, with several of these products becoming “spinoff” companies that were ultimately sold. In total, Mr. Shockley has been involved with the sale of more than $125 million in businesses that he started. He began his career in 1988 at Cardio Metrics, where he rose to President prior to its $3 million sale. In addition to serving as Chairman of Organicare, Mr. Shockley is currently serving as a Board Member for Safen Medical Devices, and he formerly served as a Director for numerous other health-related companies that were successfully sold. Mr. Shockley attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Bachelor of Science in biology.

Advisory Board

Joe Aragona

Mr. Joe Aragona is a Co-Founder and General Partner of Austin Ventures – an Austin, Texas-based venture capital and private equity firm which has invested $4 billion in more than 375 companies since 1982. His investing experience ranges from early stage to middle market recapitalizations and spans a broad range of industries, including technology, industrial products, and financial services. Mr. Aragona received his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University. He served on the Board of Directors of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) from 1999-2006 and is a former Chairman. Mr. Aragona is currently Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the LiveSTRONG Foundation, which empowers people affected by cancer, and Casa Montessori, an early childhood development center. Mr. Aragona is currently investing through his family office while he serves as an Adviser and Limited Partner to two of the Austin Ventures next-generation endeavors: AV Capital – a middle-market private equity group; and AVX – a software-focused early-stage investment group. 

Jason Dorsey

Mr. Jason Dorsey is a generational researcher, strategist and bestselling author. Mr. Dorsey is Co-Founder and President of The Center for Generational Kinetics (CGK), the premier Gen Z and Millennial research and insights firm. CGK has led more than 65 generational studies around the world and made the Inc. 5000, twice. CGK’s clients include numerous Fortune 500 companies in health care, manufacturing and technology. Mr. Dorsey has been featured as a generational expert on more than 200 TV interviews and was called a “research guru” by Adweek. His forthcoming book is Zconomy: How Gen Z Will Change the Future of Business. Mr. Dorsey has served on the Board of Directors at both public and private technology companies, including Ultimate Software Group, which was acquired for $11 billion in 2019. Mr. Dorsey’s advisory work with Nuclein includes helping with overall strategy, marketing and external communications. 

The Nuclein advisory board provides expertise in fields including biotechnology, regulatory, fast-growth enterprises, marketing, and communications.

The Nuclein advisory board provides expertise in fields including biotechnology, regulatory, fast-growth enterprises, marketing, and communications.

Joe Aragona

Mr. Joe Aragona is a Co-Founder and General Partner of Austin Ventures – an Austin, Texas-based venture capital and private equity firm which has invested $4 billion in more than 375 companies since 1982. His investing experience ranges from early stage to middle market recapitalizations and spans a broad range of industries, including technology, industrial products, and financial services. Mr. Aragona received his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University. He served on the Board of Directors of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) from 1999-2006 and is a former Chairman. Mr. Aragona is currently Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the LiveSTRONG Foundation, which empowers people affected by cancer, and Casa Montessori, an early childhood development center. Mr. Aragona is currently investing through his family office while he serves as an Adviser and Limited Partner to two of the Austin Ventures next-generation endeavors: AV Capital – a middle-market private equity group; and AVX – a software-focused early-stage investment group. 

Jason Dorsey

Mr. Jason Dorsey is a generational researcher, strategist and bestselling author. Mr. Dorsey is Co-Founder and President of The Center for Generational Kinetics (CGK), the premier Gen Z and Millennial research and insights firm. CGK has led more than 65 generational studies around the world and made the Inc. 5000, twice. CGK’s clients include numerous Fortune 500 companies in health care, manufacturing and technology. Mr. Dorsey has been featured as a generational expert on more than 200 TV interviews and was called a “research guru” by Adweek. His forthcoming book is Zconomy: How Gen Z Will Change the Future of Business. Mr. Dorsey has served on the Board of Directors at both public and private technology companies, including Ultimate Software Group, which was acquired for $11 billion in 2019. Mr. Dorsey’s advisory work with Nuclein includes helping with overall strategy, marketing and external communications. 

Alan Richey

Mr. Alan Richey currently serves as Senior Vice President for Dell Technologies where he leads Dell’s Global Products, Operations and Solutions Legal teams. Mr. Richey brings to the Advisory Board a broad network and expertise in intellectual property support, supply chain strategy and management, international distribution, manufacturing, regulatory, trade compliance and logistics.  Prior to joining Dell, Mr. Richey was Associate General Counsel for Micron Technology where he was responsible for providing support for Micron’s global manufacturing and product organizations.  He also served as an associate for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where his practice focused on business litigation and commercial matters.  Mr. Richey earned a JD and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Houston, an MBA from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Cameron University.  In addition to his law license, Mr. Richey is a certified public accountant and serves on various commercial and not-for-profit boards.