Join TiE and PACT for this collaborative series of competitive pitch events.

6:00 PM - Registration and Networking

6:30 PM - Program

8:30 PM - Event Close

This series will bring together leading entrepreneurs and investors from the region, building upon the success of the last event in February.

Presenting companies will be pre-selected from among PACT and TiE members. We hope you can join us to network with fellow entrepreneurs and investors, and to support the selected companies as they pitch to our panel of angel investors.

Our judges for the event are:

Robert J. Ciaruffoli (Bob) is the President of the World Meeting of Families and was instrumental is the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia. He retired from his position as a member of the Office of the CEO of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP on December 31, 2015. Bob previously served as Chairman and CEO of ParenteBeard LLC from 2000 until 2014 during which time he and his team grew the firm from approximately $32M to $175M through organic growth, acquisitions, and expansion of services. In 2014, Bob and his team completed a merger of ParenteBeard LLC, the 23rd largest US CPA firm, with Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, the 17th largest US CPA firm, to form the 12th largest US CPA firm. Prior to beginning his career in accounting, Bob proudly served in the United States Marine Corps.

Michael Derosa has been investing in growth equity transactions in energy and industrial technology for over 17 years. His primary sectors of focus include energy technology, transportation and mobility, logistics and supply chain software, the industrial internet, and predictive analytics. From a strategic perspective, Michael focuses on working with established companies that are developing new products or business models designed to capitalize on market needs for more resource efficient solutions. Prior to Element, Michael was a partner in Cordova Ventures' Industrial Technology Fund. At Cordova, Michael worked on all aspects of fund operations and served on the Fund's investment committee. Prior to Cordova, Michael was a principal at EnerTech Capital Partners and a Senior Associate at the Safeguard International Fund. Before starting his private equity career, Michael was a management consultant at Booz-Allen & Hamilton focusing on the aerospace, building controls, and consumer products industries. Michael has also worked in the finance area at Ford Motor Company and in operations management at Weirton Steel.

Gail Gilbert Ball is a fintech executive who has had a long career leading tech teams at global financial services firms. Building and overseeing a broad swath of entrepreneurial groups, she has held decision-making posts at nearly every seat around the financial services table—banking executive, regulator, service provider, and board member—in both for-profit and social-impact markets. Among her many areas of expertise: financial services, portfolio development, financial analysis, and information tech.

Gail most recently served as a C-suite member of The Bancorp Bank. She also filled other executive roles at PNC Bank, Chase and Capital One, and NCO Financial Systems. In addition, Gail headed the Payments Studies Group at the Richmond Fed and served as Board Member and Risk Committee Chair at Kompanion, one of Central Asia’s largest microfinance institutions.