PRINCIPALS

STRATEGIC ARCHITECT | Turning Ambition Into Action

Carolyn Yarina

As PRINCIPAL AND CO-FOUNDER, Carolyn has supported 16+ successful client fund raises in 2 years and enabled catalytic technical and business milestones. She has taken interim leadership roles to win a $100M+ federal grant, co-found and launch a startup accelerator, and build infrastructure for her clients to scale.

Carolyn is an experienced operator with >10 years experienced as a VC-backed co-founder and CEO. In her most recent startup, she raised $5M+ and led growth of a novel surgical device from idea through the first $1M in revenue.

She is now applying this track record of startup leadership and investor management experience as a management consultant to early-stage companies and the organizations that support them.

    • CEO Advisory

    • Fundraising

    • Commercialization Planning

    • Embedding Executive

    • Medical Device Advisory

    • Medical Device

    • Critical Minerals

    • Venture Capital

    Hardware startups in highly regulated industries

FINANCIAL NAVIGATOR | Guiding Start-Ups Toward Growth

Frank Blackman, MBA

As PRINCIPAL AND CO-FOUNDER, Frank brings his perspective as a two-time startup founder with deep sector expertise in manufacturing and financial operations. Frank has an established track records in (A) Startups: in just 6 months after launching his most recent startup, he secured contracts with the top two industry leaders. (B) Fortune 500: at Diageo, he oversaw $100M of AUM and was promoted 3 times. (C) Small Business: Frank started his career within small businesses: environmental remediation and small-scale manufacturing/CPG. Frank has an MBA from Johns Hopkins University with a concentration in Entrepreneurship.

    • Small Business Advisory

    • Financial Evaluation

    • Financial Strategy

    • Pre-seed/Seed Business Documents

    • Critical Minerals

    • CPG

    • BevAlc

    • Small Business

CORE TEAM

PROCESS PROMOTER | Establishing Systems that Scale

Shelby Oja

An INTERNAL OPERATIONS MANAGER that knows the value of streamlined, systematic processes to ensure company scalability. She has a background in big companies, small business, and economic development organizations. Shelby handles the internal operations within the Verdigris Group and helps clients with their operational efficiency by creating policies and documents to help them thrive. Good internal process frees up the time, space, and surety within your organization so you stay focused on what matters.

    • HR

    • Finance

    • Internal Process Management

    • Internal Process Development

    • Financial Management

    • Non-profit Boards

    • Small Business

INNOVATION TRAILBLAZER | Advancing Engineering Excellence

Dr. Joe Licavoli

A SENIOR CONSULTANT AND ADVANCED MATERIALS S.M.E who delivers results based on his background as an innovative researcher, entrepreneur, and educator. Joe has deep technical expertise: from being a Manufacturing Professor to developing over 21 novel material applications for both fortune 500 companies and early startups. More than that, Joe is an ecosystem builder that is continuously building communities, programs, and driving change.

Joe has founded a metallurgical consulting firm, a STEM education Foundation and run community events (ranging from entrepreneurship to comedy). Whether you are developing a novel technology, running an industrial-scale manufacturing/materials operation, or building new programs to support your ecosystem - you are in good hands with Joe.

    • Technical Storytelling

    • Grant Writing

    • Advanced Materials Development

    • Computational Analysis

    • Student & Startup Education

    • Advanced Materials

    • Metallurgy

    • Technical Education

    • Economic Development

MARKETING EXECUTOR | Brand Storyteller

Carson Potter

A SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER who specializes in building up startup social media launches and managing new brands. In the last year alone at Verdigris, Carson has overseen the launch of new brands for diverse set of companies: an advanced materials accelerator, an early-stage VC fund, and supporting early-stage startups. Carson built social media calendars, new social media accounts and templates, and managed team members to ensure high quality, consistent content. Carson has a great visual eye and her strength is distilling and simplifying content and design.

A consistent brand and cohesive communication is required to build a business and convince funders and customers that your business can be trusted.

    • Social Media Management

    • Marketing Strategy

    • Graphic Design

    • Simplified Brand Outlines

    • Sector-Agnostic Social Media

      • Venture Capital

      • Economic Development

      • Startups

SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS (S.M.E.s)

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER | Building Businesses and Shaping Minds.

Jorge Sanz-Guerrero

A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT in medical device development and commercialization, instructional design, and entrepreneurship education. In addition to Jorge’s 10+ years of medical device expertise, he has founded 3 companies and is a lecturer in entrepreneurship and globalization. Jorge has developed more than 80 different courses, with more than 1,500 students enrolled and a 97% participant satisfaction score.

    • Medical Device Planning

    • Commercialization Plans

    • Course and Curriculum Development

    • Instructional Design

    • Medical Device

    • Economic Development/ Entrepreneurship

    • ED Tech

HEALTH INNOVATOR & INVESTOR | Building Impactful Ventures

Katherine (Katie) Kirsch

A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT in healthcare ventures and venture capital. For Verdigris Group, Katie co-founded and ran first year operations for an advanced materials and manufacturing accelerator. Katie is an operator turned Venture Capitalist that thrives on joining diverse communities to build health and wealth. As a startup founder, she supported a raise of $6 million in venture and non-dilutive investment while developing market strategy for a WHO-approved medical device. Her other work has spanned across public and private sectors to drive innovative partnerships for value-based care and marginalized entrepreneurs, including raising additional funding for startups and academic programs. She thrives in dynamic, diverse work environments ensuring double and triple bottom lines.

    • Accelerator Advising and Execution

    • Medical Device

    • Venture Capital

    • Health Technology

    • Ecosystem Building & Entrepreneur Education

OPERATIONS STRATEGIST | Powering Medical Innovations

Kevin Lee

A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT in new product development, design for manufacturing, medical device, and operations planning.

Kevin is focused on instilling good process in early businesses across design, production, and business operations. Good process is like a seat belt: it should be simple and easy to use, but keep you from harm. Process should be simple, transparent, focus on continuous improvement, and align with business strategy.

Kevin Lee and Jack Kent often work as a team and collectively have helped launch 100 medical devices.

    • Early Product Development

    • Operations, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain

    • Startup Advisory

    • Medical Device Business Strategy, Product Development, and Regulatory

    • Medical Device

    • Hardware Products

COMPLIANCE & COMMERCIALIZATION PRO | Scaling Medical Breakthroughs

Jack Kent, MBA

A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT in medical device regulatory, quality systems, and commercialization. Jack is an experienced medical device executive with significant prior work leading companies in efforts to deliver novel technology and positively impact patient care. He has focused his career on assisting start-up companies to navigate the complex environment surrounding medical devices.

Jack Kent and Kevin Lee often work as a team and collectively have helped launch 100 medical devices. Jack has successfully navigated FDA reviews, CE Mark reviews, FDA inspections, and ISO 13485 Notified Body audits – among other activities. He has worked with diverse product types, ranging in a specialty (e.g., IR, GI, ORTH), use (therapeutic/diagnostic), and other characteristics (e.g., electrical, single-use vs. reusable, sterile/nonsterile, software).

  • Medical Device

    • Quality Systems

    • Regulatory

    • Commercialization

    • Medical Device

START-UP STRATEGIST | Turning Ideas Into Thriving Businesses

Jordan Birnholtz

A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT in building early-stage startups, Jordan’s strength is sales and marketing, helping companies build inbound and outbound enterprise and consumer sales pipelines from scratch. Jordan is also experienced in software product management, public relations, raising venture capital, and negotiating strategic and financial acquisitions.

Jordan founded 5 companies and has built the core strengths for startup success: (A) Fundraising - $15M Investment raised and VC experience, (B) Marketing & Sales - Jordan’s software companies acquired millions of users and thousands of clients in retail finance, political software, and digital entertainment. At Verdigris, he’s applied his knowledge to create a roadmap for early-stage startup companies.

    • Startup Guides

    • Startup Operations Consulting

    • Startup Systems

    • Fundraising

    • Inbound & outbound enterprise & consumer sales process

    • Tech Companies

    • Software and Infrastructure

    • Consumer Product Companies

RESEARCH AND STORYTELLING | Translating Complex Topics into Clear Communication

Matt Mossman

Matt helps organizations communicate their messages and values and to understand opportunities and risks in the global economy, with a focus on resources, infrastructure, and supply chains in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. He'll turn complex information into clear articles and communications strategies, and help build strong relationships. Matt has worked with organizations from five-person startups to Fortune 500 companies and international organizations. He has advised organizations including Ernst & Young, the United Nations International Renewable Energy Agency, the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative, and the National Democratic Institute.

    • Research

    • Economics

    • Articles

    • Communication Strategies

    • Journalism

    • Hardware Companies

    • Economics

    • Startup

HUMAN-CENTERED ENTREPRENEUR | Transforming Concepts Into Clinical Impact

Gillian Henker

A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT in medical device design, regulatory, and global scale. If you can only talk to one person about turning a clinical need into a physical product, Gillian is that person. She knows how to turn a penny into a dollar; she took a medical device through regulatory approval/import in 5 countries on less than 15% of the average cost to take a medical device to market in the US. Gillian has gone through, understands, and can clearly explain, consult, and recommend best-in-class partners for each stage: the device development waterfall, understanding and engaging clinicians in each stage of design through impact, developing IFUs, testing plans, and navigating US FDA and international regulatory. Gillian’s business she co-founded and scaled has enabled clinicians to save thousands of lives.

    • Medical Device Design

    • US FDA and International Regulatory

    • Startup Advisory

    • Medical Device

    • Health Technology

BRAND BUILDER | Telling Your Brand Story

Oliver Gray, MA

A versatile marketing professional with deep experience in PR, Creative Strategy, and Brand Messaging. Oliver is a seasoned generalist marketer with experience working for large CPG brands and small start-up brands alike. He has led national media campaigns, directed spots for broadcast and social media, and built multi-faceted CRM journeys from the ground up, with a focus on brand consistency across multiple platforms. He has built his career around the importance of specialized storytelling and finding the unique differentiators that help a brand stand out from its competition.

Oliver's strengths lie in the diversity of his background; he has managed teams for global brands, helped rebuild internal communications plans for medium-sized organizations, and blue-skyed creative launches for solopreneur projects. He is also a professional writer and editor, with 2 major copyediting credits, and 100+ bylines across beverage and lifestyle media. He also provides media training and expertise, having acted as both a direct spokesperson for major brands and a strategist for media outreach.

    • 10+ Years in Creative Marketing

    • Public Relations and Media Expert

    • Campaigns Resulting in 2M+ Direct Consumer Conversions

    • BevAlc

    • Government Contracting PR

    • Enterprise IT

    • Writing and Publication

SOLUTIONS SPECIALIST | Bridging Plans and Execution

Uziel Mendez

An ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT who bridges in-the-lab, business, and trades experience. Uziel has a background in biotechnology research ranging from ultrasound to tissue engineering. He also has 5 years construction management experience. Uziel’s career has focused on building from tissue scaffolds, to construction scaffolds, to building the foundations for our client’s businesses. Uziel supports on technical medical technology projects. He also supports the business document creation and project deliverance for grants, executive summaries, and business plans. Uziel also performs research project for Verdigris.

    • Startup Support

    • Medical Device

    • Small Business

    • Medical Device

    • Small Business

    • Health Technology

    • Sector-Agnostic Project Support

GRANT CONSULTANT | specializing in biotechnology, medical technology, and life sciences.

Nao Gamo, PhD

Helping entrepreneurs, researchers, and clinicians navigate funding at the earliest stages of their companies. Following 15 years as an academic researcher in neuroscience and psychiatry, she is now highly active in the entrepreneurial community in the Mid-Atlantic region, with experience as a MedTech founder, business development consultant, and investment associate guiding startups in a range of fields. With nearly two decades of experience as a grant recipient, consultant, and reviewer, Dr. Gamo assists clients navigate the often complex, detailed, and time-consuming landscape of non-dilutive funding from federal and state governments, research institutions, and foundations.

    • Non-dilutive funding strategy

    • Commercialization plans

    • Technology transfer

    • Biotechnology

    • Medical technology

    • Life sciences