Browse experts
Natalya T.
🔥 MBA
Midwest gal at heart but spent the last decade and counting on both coasts. I have varied interests and professional experiences, and I refuse to be defined by one thing. Your 20s are such a formative time, and I can’t wait to empower people to enjoy the process of being in that phase of life, instead of trying to get to certain outcomes.
Brian H.
📈 Marketing, sales, & business
I've had a weird career. I’m a Computer Engineering college dropout, turned Recording Engineer in a music studio. I absolutely loved working in music, but was a bit scared that my entire personality was based around it, so after 8 years in the industry, I made the terrifying decision to leave my comfort zone and try something new. I picked up my life, moved to NYC, and switched industries. Since then, I’ve worked my way up to VP of Operations at a fashion technology startup, and I’ve absolutely loved the journey.
One day my goal is to open up a series of music venues, but for now, I’m continuing to learn the ins-and-outs of starting and scaling a business.
I pride myself on being a generalist, and love learning a lot about a lot. My favorite things to do are:
The fun (professional) highlights:
Outside of work, I enjoy pretty much anything to do with creating/working with my hands. My biggest passion is making music & helping others do the same. I also love gardening, woodworking, and am currently teaching myself to sew & work with metal. I knew nothing about fashion before joining up with my current company, CALA, but have absolutely loved digging into the industry and now I browse around fashion brands for fun.
Mihir P.
🎉 Entrepreneurship
Hey Mentees, I grew up in Chicago and currently live here. I also lived in Salt Lake, Utah area, and most recently in Austin, Texas. I love exploring cities and local culture. My wife and I share an 8 month old son name Liam who we dearly love. And we have a very needy dog Leo who also we dearly love. Life on the home front is fun and never gets boring.
I studied Finance and Accounting, but didn’t pursue the field right away. Instead, I worked on other people’s startup ideas which eventually led to my own Humble Pen. This is when I got the product bug. I couldn’t scale the idea, so I moved on, and learned how to write web applications. I got my first job at Morningstar in their engineering rotational program. I rotated through several teams back-end, front-end, cyber security team, AWS team and finally design system team. I got a design bug while being on Morningstar’s Design System team. I made a switch back into Product Management. Today I am at Charles Schwab helping them rebuild their robo advisor offering. Product Management is many things but I like to use design lens to solve product problems. That is core part of my skill.
I also like building side projects. My most recently one was Wise Charlie which I sold in 2021. Currently I am building Big Imposter which is about imposter syndrome.
Outside of work, I like to read a lot and write a lot. When I am under-thinking, I read. And, when I am overthinking, I write. I also run a quarterly newsletter called mihirchronicles. It is nothing but a play zone for me. I also like to make art. Love the outdoors (bike and hike), exercising, playing basketball and tennis.
My 20s were all about exploration and my 30s are all about executing. This occurred to me while reflecting back on my career. My core belief is using your 20s to explore as much as you can. I have lived this and despite of having a few setbacks, life worked out great. I want to share this with others and help them do the same. This is my primary motivation to give back.
I am thrilled to talk to anyone who would like to have a conversation.
Mihir
Mariano S.
💸 VC & investing
I’m originally from Argentina, and moved to Florida as a kid. I studied CS at Stanford (2016), and there I made many friends, learned about engineering and Bitcoin, and changed my mindset.
I worked at a fintech company (Token) for a few years, and at a crypto company (Chia) building the blockchain and crypto protocols for 4 years. That entire time I was doing engineering and engineering management.
Last year, I started a VC job and had a significant shift in my career (although still in the crypto space). I am using the skills I learned before, to invest in companies and analyze the crypto industry. I’m super excited about the potential of crypto to enable the whole world to transact freely. Of course I’m very intrigued by AI as well.
I have always loved teaching coding and technical subjects to peers in college or at work. I enjoy helping other people, but I haven't had too many opportunities to do this.
Looking forward to meeting!
Mishaal N.
📈 Marketing, sales, & business
Lawyer by education, entrepreneur by nature. Co-founded a creative agency, worked in D2C, and in early-stage Venture Capital. Excited to be mentoring on Twenty to help people through some of the decisions I was always confused by!
Jackson F.
🔥 MBA
I grew up in Foster City, California with my mom Laura, dad Jack and sister Shannon. I have always loved singing, and participated in musical theater, choruses, and an a cappella group along the way. I hold my own at guitar if you give me some easy chords to play. I also grew up playing baseball (1B/OF), soccer (Goalkeeper), and swimming. I still occasionally play in rec leagues around the Bay Area.
I grew up fascinated by psychology, sciences, and arts, and studied Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. There I grew my appreciation for biological sciences, but became more and more interested with the business side of operating life science companies. I joined ZS Associates, a consulting firm with a focus in the life sciences industry. There I was privileged to be able to focus on building customer engagement strategy for oncology medicine manufacturers, learn core concepts in data-driven strategic decision making, and build operational skills. A call to entrepreneurship led me to UCLA Anderson’s School of Management to pursue my MBA.
The next step is to create products. My goal is to build products by developing Edily in the education space, creating experiences for customers that will change the way that education is shared in the world and improving access, comprehension, and the skills that make learning a valuable pursuit in our lives.
Jena D.
🎤 Public speaking
My tagline says it all - I crave adventure, adrenaline, and anything that pushes me outside of my comfort zone.
Professionally, I've spent over a decade navigating the complex world of digital solutions in academic research and industry-sponsored clinical trials. My focus has been on bringing disruptive change to legacy standards. As the 6th hire to a health tech startup, which reached a 2.1B valuation, I have been fortunate to be part of a very unique professional journey. Utilizing my expertise in UXR and truly understanding our end-users’ lived experiences (patients and caregivers), I established a department solely focused on engaging and measuring the success of these key stakeholders in an innovative way. By empowering these patient and caregiver advocates, they now have a direct role in shaping our company’s product development, streamlining study workflows, and improving the overall trial experience thereby creating patient-focused solutions that matter.
Prior to working at a startup, I made significant contributions as a Clinical Research Manager at both Harvard Medical School and Stanford University School of Medicine where I co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications, each focusing on harnessing machine learning, artificial intelligence, and remote patient monitoring for early autism spectrum disorder intervention.
Additionally, I am a fitness professional and teach a heated HIIT class at boutique and exclusive yoga studios and fitness centers.
Beyond my professional career, I've led Birthright trips to Israel, organized volunteer expeditions, and lent a hand to Big Brothers Big Sisters. I’m an avid horseback rider, mountaineer, and cyclist (🚴♀️ & 🏍️). I’ve delivered my best friend’s two babies (the first at-home delivery was not planned 😅), am one of less than 400 women who have skied to the South Pole, and have gone skydiving over 25 times. I sleep better in a tent than I do in my bed and my days always include exercising my border collie, Emma, and my horse, Taya.
Let's chat, connect, and find your path together!
Slater M.
🎉 Entrepreneurship
Hey, I’m Slater. When many people our age hear the word “entrepreneur”, they often picture the Silicon Valley, VC-based startup founder. In my world, the word “entrepreneur” conjures a picture of my dad (running his construction business) or my uncle (starting his restaurant and brewery). Since I was young, I have been drawn to the highs and lows of building things. After finishing my senior year as a student-athlete at Stanford, I applied to and joined Venture For America to pursue this particular passion. Fast forward six years, I’ve now built ops functions and teams at two pre-IPO companies (BARK and DoorDash) and am currently running marketplace operations at a web3 startup, Braintrust. During this journey, I’ve found that I get most excited when I get the opportunity to unlock the people around me. Mentoring is one form of this. I view the mentor / mentee relationship as a two-way street where each person learns as much as the other in the relationship. I’m looking forward to sharing more and learning about you soon!
Claire J.
I’m Claire, a software designer and strategic planner. I’ve dipped my toes in many industries and skills with my main constant being my own high bar for building design driven and ethically-sound products in each of my work experiences.
I originally grew up in Houston, the fourth largest city in the US, with a highly medically-focused Argentinian-Jewish family. While studying pre-Med at Stanford and shadowing a few physicians, I found myself much more interested in the efficacy and beauty of their medical devices rather than the practice of talking to, diagnosing, and treating patients. That served as my wake up call to try out some engineering classes. Long story short, I loved them and ended up declaring Mechanical Engineering: Product Design as my major.
Having worked on a range of physical and digital products at Stanford related to the medical field; I decided to explore my ability to move and learn quickly by joining Accenture’s digital consulting practice after college. Fast forward 3 years, 6 industries, and 4 live products later, I felt I had acquired enough skills during my time at Accenture to lead design at a startup. That led me to a 10 person virtual fashion startup called Forma Technologies (recently acquired by Snap) for a brief 6 months until I realized I wanted to work at a medium sized company and have the ability to critique and collaborate with other designers again. I then landed my current position at Silicon Valley Bank where I was designer no. 5 to join our rapidly growing team of almost 45 designers now. I’ve now been at SVB almost 2 years and look forward to continued work building internal and external tools for our Global Fund Banking and Corporate Finance sectors.
In my personal life, I spend most my free time either playing and caring for my Aussie puppy named Gio 🐶, at Austin Bouldering Project (ABP), running, learning about climate change mitigation, painting, and hanging with loved ones! I also love to cook and bake and try new recipes (particularly on a Yotam Ottolenghi kick recently).
I’ve been mentoring via my Stanford, Accenture, and Brown networks both informally and more formally for a couple years. I particularly like working with passionate students and early/mid career employees to guide them to find what fulfills their purpose or ikigai in life and work. Understanding the concept of ikigai (japanese term for “reason for being”) and putting it in practice in my life played a significant role in my early twenties and the concept continues to keep me grounded and navigating my life in the right direction for me.
Devika P.
Hi! My name is Devika, and I'm a designer and public health researcher, originally from New Jersey, recently living in San Francisco, and now a medical student at Penn State University, College of Medicine.
I studied product design engineering before pivoting to focus my career on healthcare disparities research (via a Master’s degree in Community Health and Prevention Research). For the past five years, I was the Design Manager, and then Design Director at The Better Lab, an academic research laboratory that utilizes human-centered design to address vexing healthcare challenges facing disadvantaged patient populations in San Francisco and beyond.
Sam S.
Throughout my career, I've passionately dedicated myself to mentoring and teaching, recognizing the transformative impact it can have on individuals and communities. Through my Teach for America Experience and through my engagement with The Last Mile, I've nurtured the growth of students from diverse backgrounds, guiding them in harnessing design and technology for their future paths. With IDEO, my role as a Design Lead has enabled me to mentor professionals by integrating inclusive and human-centered design principles into learning experiences and leading initiatives like Disarming Whiteness to foster diversity and equity.
I am also an ICF-certified coach, and I have a career and life coaching practice called Alvita Coaching. My coaching practice has three primary offers: Vision & Vitality Coaching, Career Catalyst Coaching, and Next Gen Leadership Coaching (a career coaching program designed for 18-24-year-olds).
What excites me about twenty is that it is a service that I so desperately wished existed when I was in my twenties. The platform’s recognition that professional growth is inextricably linked to personal development resonates deeply with my holistic approach to mentorship. I am eager to be part of a community that doesn’t shy away from the tough, intricate discussions that pave the way for authentic growth and learning.
Joe G.
I’m Joe, a product manager who has background as an engineer, researcher and designer. I started my career in research, transitioned into consulting and transitioned these skills into product roles at various technology startups.
So far in my professional career, I’ve developed skills that span across product development from strategy, UX research, design and engineering. Having started my career in consulting and then transitioning to high-growth startups, I’ve worked internationally in 4 markets (Indonesia, Turkey, Amsterdam, and the UK) and 6 industries. From these experiences, I’ve strived to work on building meaningful products and experiences while helping create sustainable organizations and impact in local communities.
Aside from a tactical product skillset, my experiences have allowed me to develop as a people manager and leader. I’ve worked at organizations that offer B2B and B2C solutions, across all stages of maturity from seed funding to post-IPO fortune 500 organizations. I’m happy to discuss the nuances to my experiences and how to navigate these environments and advocate for personal growth throughout.
In addition, I currently advise entrepreneurs through my own agency services and as part of the Alter Global network. Outside of work, I love being active physically, socially, and mentally. I love exploring the ocean - while working at a YC startup in Indonesia, I recently received my master diver certification. Additionally, I have competed in various lengths of Triathlons keeping me busy with training on a weekly basis. I try to stay active in my local communities, serving as a KIPP mentor to low-income high school students.
Nikhil R.
Hey friends - my name is Nikhil and I'm so excited to be a mentor here at Twenty. I've explored quite a few non-traditional paths in my life from music, to medicine/global health, to social entrepreneurship, to public policy. I'm excited to share what I've learned to help you navigate your own journey!
Daniela V.
My name is Daniela and I grew up in San Diego surrounded by a love for the ocean, soccer and any outdoor activity! I moved to the Bay Area to attend Stanford University where I got my undergraduate degree in Product Design and my master’s in Learning, Design and Technology at the school of Education.I have experience working as a product designer, UX researcher and UX/UI designer at different sized companies. I am currently working on an EdTech startup focusing on social-emotional learning and early education. Happy to speak about any and all experiences! I love speaking to and learning from new people and love helping people learn from experiences I have had, mistakes I have made and from moments I have learned from.Creative brainstorming is my passion and being able to help people think creatively through their life is one of my favorite things to do!
Harry S.
Who am I? I'm Harry, currently based in Seattle. My journey has led me to the role of Chief of Staff at Quantive, where I've had the privilege to work on scaling operations, driving strategy, and supporting investment activities among other responsibilities. On the side, I’ve started a newsletter focused on my passion for exploring business strategies and investments in the soccer world.
Why am I here? Mentoring holds a special place in my heart because of its transformative power. I believe in the value of good guidance and how it can steer us closer to our aspirations. I would not be where I am today without a mentor who helped me entirely rethink how I was approaching my career. Out of all the skills, degrees, and jobs you can have, I firmly believe it's the people and networks you build that can propel you into a life and career you've always wanted. That’s why I’m here—to offer you the insights I’ve gathered on my own journey and hopefully make your path a little easier to navigate. I'd like to give back to others what my mentor gave to me and help those who are facing the same challenges or questions I had.
Sohan M.
Heylo! I’m Sohan Mone. My mission is to deliver infrastructure that expands access and unlocks society’s potential - let’s just say, we have a lot of work that needs doing! I’m a structural engineer by trade and I specialize in rail bridges (high-speed rail, monorail, LRT, and metro-rail). 🚆My background is in seismic engineering and structural dynamics, but I’ve since joined a design-build contractor that focuses on big infrastructure.Today, I can say that I’m a key player in winning lucrative government contracts valued in the billions! I also dabble in scripting and data science as it relates to my role, and have done some freelance work as well.I LOVE what I do… but it wasn’t always this way! Getting to this mindset was a struggle.I believe the 20’s are a time where it’s okay to fail. These years are about exploration, discovery and taking measured risks! It’s about finding out what’s meaningful to you!If you’re not sure what you want to do, or are just feeling unfulfilled - I’ve been there, and I’m all ears!!
