Judges

Kaushika Patel (ROSS MBA ’92) is Chief Catalyst of KP Consulting and Coaching as an entrepreneur and is also a Certified Executive Coach and Leadership Coach. She began her career in Brand Management with Pepsi, Eagle Family Foods, and Procter & Gamble, she also managed hotel properties, helped launch an internet portal in India and later moved into start-ups across a variety of industries (Advertising/CRM, SAAS, professional services and more). She has been in the shoes of the founders in this competition and has written numerous pitch decks. With her team of co-founders, she raised $2M in Series A, and advised several CEOs of early-stage companies when she lived in Metro DC. As a member of a private Angel Fund, she’s reviewed numerous business plans for investment. She later launched her healthy living brand for which she won national recognition with a “Best of Press” award from the Natural Products Industry.  

She recently returned to her hometown of Troy, MI and is the Director of Communications and Social Media for the Ross Alumni Association of Ann Arbor and Southeast Michigan. She volunteers extensively in education and community building. Her son, Anand Bhogal, who is a Senior at International Academy East (an IB School) also loves business but couldn’t find programs at IAE due to no business curriculum at the school. So, he researched and launched The Conrad Challenge at IAE, a global innovation competition. She stepped in as the Coach to help teach students over 4 months how to evaluate ideas, build an elevator pitch, prototype, test, create a USP and other strategic skills, leading all 6 teams to win the prestigious status of Conrad Innovators for the last 2 years. As a past Global Fellow when she was at ROSS and winner of numerous leadership and women’s awards in her youth, she loves inspiring the next generation of student leaders in her community. She’s an active advocate for STEM and has been a mentor and past Judge for FIRST Robotics Teams for 8 years and currently mentors the Benzene Bots FRC Team at IAE. She’s a natural leader and has been appointed or elected PTIA/PTA President at all 3 of her son’s schools and made a lasting impact wherever she has volunteered. Giving back is part of her DNA, whether it’s helping with Eagle Scout project reviews or simply guiding start-ups, executives, or students on how to achieve their vision. When she’s not empowering others, she loves cooking, exploring the lakes in MI and spending time with family.

Since retiring from P&G, Jeff launched Weedman Ventures, LLC, to consult with Business Professionals & Start-ups Jeff is currently the CEO/ Co-Founder of Sus Clinicals (www.susclinicals.com). A biotech company with the expertise to help healthcare partners significantly reduce the time and expense of qualifying new cancer-fighting drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics for human clinical trials, via an FDA-cleared innovative pre-clinical model.

At P&G, Jeff held senior executive roles in Marketing, Sales, Finance, and General Management running consumer and institutional businesses in the U.S. and Canada. Jeff then founded and led P&G's Global Business Development--responsible for worldwide Acquisitions/Divestitures/ Joint Ventures, in/out bound Trademark/Patent Licensing, and leading P&G's Open Innovation Platform (Connect & Develop). Jeff negotiated and led the signing of deals (every 2.5 days for a decade) with companies, individuals, Universities, and Governments across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.  Jeff retired as Vice President of Global Business Development.   

As Co-Founder/CEO of Cintrifuse ( www.cintrifuse.com ), Jeff led the development/creation of Cintrifuse, a Cincinnati-based innovation network designed to make the region a global destination for high-potential start-ups. Cintrifuse provides start-ups with preferred access to capital, space, and, most importantly, connections. Supported by the business, academic, and start-up communities, Cintrifuse initially raised a $55MM+ Fund of Funds, which invested in top-tier Venture firms with over $600MM in investable capital. He also secured a $16MM permanent mortgage-free urban campus (circa 1880s) in Cincinnati's urban renewal Over-The-Rhine core. Cintrifuse continues to proactively connect Start-ups with companies that could be beta customers, investors, or acquirers, with V.C.s with early-stage capital and mentors/services. 

Dhruv is Co-founder and CEO  of BschoolTravel LLC, and Immersity Education.He has experience in financial accounting through his early career as an auditor at KPMG. He also has experience in the travel industry through his work on PointsMachine, and LoungeBuddy (acquiredbyAmex), which have allowed him to learn about the nuances of the industry and provided a great network in the space. Dhruv has spent time working on his family business, HealthPlusInc., which helped him develop an entrepreneurial mindset. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from UC Irvine and an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Dhruv is an avid traveler with the goal of visiting  every country in the world!

Will Foss is a Venture Investor, Advisor, and Operator in AI, Robotics, DeepTech, Mobility, and CleanTech companies. Currently, Will is an Advisor to the Boston Dynamics AI Institute Leadership team, where he advises some of the world’s leading AI researchers and roboticists. He is also a Venture Partner with Chakra Growth Fund, an Advisor to autonomous vehicle operator, Goggo Network, and is in the process of launching a venture fund. Will previously worked as an Investor and Operating Partner at SoftBank Group, where he invested in and served as a Board Director or Observer to Boston Dynamics, Fetch Robotics, Goggo Network, 1nce, and more. Before moving to Venture Capital, Will led Business Development and Commercialization for Derq, an AI software company born out of MIT, and worked as an Innovation and Strategy Consultant at Monitor Deloitte, focused on the Future of Mobility and Go-to-Market Strategy for Tech companies. Will holds an MBA and BA from the University of Michigan.