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!
James E.
I’m an Arizona native with roots from Mexico. I currently live in San Francisco and have been here for the last 5 years. Moved to the bay to work with startups and never seemed to leave.
I attended the University of Arizona where I ran track and field collegiately. After graduating, I had the opportunity to pursue running after college and competed for the Mexican National team. After falling short of making the Olympic team, I decided to hang up the spikes and moved to San Francisco.
Since I’ve been in the bay, I’ve worked for 3 companies, Rubrik, Databricks and now Lacework. I specialize in enterprise software sales, which has been equally rewarding as it’s been challenging. But my experience working for some of the fastest growing startups has been amazing.
Outside of work, I enjoy cooking and traveling. Love to try new recipes that inspire my creativity. The one thing I do focus on is having a work-life balance. Figuring out what I like to do outside of work has helped me become a more well rounded professional.
I’m very excited to become a mentor because I believe success is a culmination of the people you surround yourself with and if I can have can impact even just one person in a meaningful way, I’ll feel like I’ve done my job.
Will C.
Hey there! I’m a Raleigh, NC native who’s spent my career in the Talent space at multiple startups and scaleups. I graduated from William Peace University in Raleigh, but am a die-hard NC State sports fan (Go Pack!). I’m a new home-owner alongside my Fiancée and our cat, Poppy, and am getting married in September 2023!
I started my career in 2017 in the contract recruiting space. I learned the basics of corporate life, and also found that my passion was to work in-house for startups and build high-performing teams in the SaaS space. This led me to my first Startup role….
I joined Pendo in early 2020 (What a time!) and was responsible for growing our Product, Engineering, Design, and UX Research orgs alongside our Chief Product Officer and CEO. This is where I learned to navigate the politics that come with working in a high growth org, as well as how to partner with executive stakeholders on a regular basis. I was lucky enough to meet my first mentor (My direct manager at the time), and see firsthand the impact they can have on your career trajectory.
After Pendo I was recruited to join Twilio and lead a global team of recruiters focused on hiring Principal level product IC’s and product leadership. Here is where I learned what working at scale looked like. With over 10k employees, it take an entirely different skillset to navigate an organization of this size. Being able to influence decision makers, as well as ensuring your work has visibility across multiple levels is essential.
Early this year (2023), I joined OnFrontiers as our Head of Talent Acquisition. We’re a small org with around 30 employees around the globe, and this comes with an entirely new set of challenges and objectives. Organizing your day, setting clear productivity benchmarks, and holding yourself accountable is key.
I’m passionate about making sure everyone who’s in the early stages of their career has access to mentorship. In the age of remote work, this has become even more of a challenge day-to-day. I aim on building long lasting relationships with Mentees and providing transparent feedback on your topics of choice.
Linus L.
I’m Linus, and I work in startups! I grew up in the Bay Area, and was a History major at Yale. I started my career in the public policy space before pivoting into startups. I’ve worked in BizOps, product management, Chief of Staff, and more, across consumer, B2B SaaS, and health tech companies. I’m currently a Talent Investor at Entrepreneur First, helping to find and nuture exceptional individuals they begin their journey as startup founders. Outside of work, I host a podcast and online salons with the Interintellect, and I love reading, classical music, and cooking.
Luis G.
I've been a design mentor for Out in Tech for the past 6 years, helping young queer folks break into the world of design. Currently working at Indeed as a design manager.
I switched my career focus from engineering to UX about 12 years ago. I took the scenic but this path has taught me so much. Moved to the US about 10 years ago to pursue my career in UX
I also collect a lot of music, I've curated a list of my favorite 500 songs, hopefully you'll find something you like: spoti.fi/3E9ZdWY
Paige L.
Ciao Twenty Mentees,
With an academic background in Sociology and a career in developing people and teams, my personal and professional journey can best be described as non-traditional and required me to be observant, scrappy, vulnerable, and creative. I’ve worked across various industries such as professional sports (San Francisco Giants, MLB and NHL) to a career pivot into software and VC (Hired, MasterClass, Motive, AngelList, Atomic, Tandem Capital) to becoming my own business woman (co_foundry) helping founders and creatives focus on their core product while providing resources that help the business run. In the last decade I have experienced 4 layoffs and I know first hand the stress and struggles you’re feeling. I understand the hustle and internal struggle that comes with losing your job overnight - let me guide you and support you in this trying time.
My spiritual journey has been developed through years of traditional therapy, reiki and shamanistic guidance, yogic practice, and learning how to cultivate a community that serves my highest good.
I’d be a great mentor for those who are willing to discus the “crispy bits” of life. My mantra is “practice mode” because everyday is a practice towards self improvement and realizing our fullest potential. Obstacles are the threads that make us who we are if we have the clarity to see the potential it has to shape us.
Before joining twenty I mentored in the work-place and professionally in my 1:1 sessions through co_foundry. I’ve helped junior colleagues get promoted, interview, and pivot careers. I have also helped women do product sprints to tease out business ideas through a 3-day program to identify their product/service offering along with a 1-minute pitch. I’m embedded in female founder circles such as The Female Founder Collective, The Weekend, and Brydge Club. My passion is in supporting women and POC to birth creativity and connect them with the resources they need. This is a lot of the work I do at co_foundry!
Marissa D.
I’m an identical twin, mom to 3 kids under 4, I like to write poetry about my kids and pre-covid times kept juggling balls and legos on my desk at work to have as connection starters. I take the work I do seriously but never myself. I work to live and spend time with my family and have learned what happens when you don’t set boundaries the hard way. I lead a brand new function at a tech company and our team is building out some really cool People experiences and People products.
When I entered the workforce, I was lucky to have leaders who believed in me and mentored me and some of the best life and career advice that sticks with me to this day is from them. I have two people I've mentored over the past 4+ years and it's been a joy to see them grow! I'm excited to continue to pay that forward with an awesome company like twenty.
Kelly C.
Hi there! Here comes the fun part. My story starts in Alexandria Virginia (east coast born and bred) until I took a scholarship to play Division 1 Lacrosse at Stanford University. Fast forward a few years, I moved up to San Francisco to start my career at Twitter as a Strategic Partnerships Manager. Life post college is wild (to say the very least) and frankly, for the past 6+ years it’s been a crazy ride of trial and error to figure out what fits. From Twitter I pivoted to scrappy startup life, then transitioned into formal consulting and finally landed on building my own coaching platform for integrative health (the club). I specialize in supporting women with hormonal and gut issues, to repair their relationship with their well-being (physically, mentally and emotionally). I'm currently a certified nutritionist, pilates instructor and crazy passionate about what I do in San Francisco. Great reminder that life and success is anything but a linear path up. When people asked that big question to me: “what do you want to do with your life?” I used to freak out. Now, when people pose the “what do you want to do” question, I smile and respond “does anyone really know?”
Morgan M.
Hi! I am a MBA and MS Biotech graduate student from Harvard. I have a background in VC investing, therapeutics development, bioengineering, fundraising, product management, and operations. I am currently working on a digital health startup tackling stress management and a bioelectricity startup tackling cancer prevention and tissue regeneration.