2025 GEA Alumni Pitch Competition

James Azar is the Founder & CEO of Reservoir. Before launching the company, he built a career in enterprise software sales, working with some of the world’s most innovative software companies. He holds an engineering degree and an MBA from Georgetown.

About Reservoir:
Reservoir is a platform that helps organizations quickly check if someone’s education, work experience, or certifications are real. Instead of relying on slow, expensive background checks, Reservoir makes it easy to verify credentials while giving people full ownership of their achievements. By ensuring credentials are real from the start, Reservoir helps organizations make hiring decisions they can trust.

Sam Bernstein (C’18) is the co-founder and CEO of Loper, which he founded with one of his best friends Eric Menna (SFS’18), who he met while living on the same floor of Darnall Hall. Sam grew up outside of San Francisco and attended St. Ignatius College Prep prior to Georgetown. Between graduation and moving to Chicago to start Loper, Sam learned under two different Georgetown grads while working on the trading desk at Maverick Capital in New York City. Since founding Loper, Sam has spoken at nearly a dozen industry conferences and presented as a finalist at four different pitch competitions.

Eric Menna (SFS’18) is the co-founder and COO of Loper. Growing up in a family full of educators, Eric was always told that the most valuable gift he'd be given in life was his education. At Georgetown, he made sure to take advantage of that gift as a STIA major in the School of Foreign Service and one of four students in his class selected as an Undergraduate Research Fellow in the Mortara Center. After graduating from Georgetown, Eric moved to Chicago to keep learning as a consultant at Bain & Company in Chicago. After multiple cases with organizations like the KIPP Charter in St. Louis and The People's Music School in Chicago during his time at Bain, Eric joined Sam in 2021 to start Loper. Since founding Loper, Eric has built partnerships with nearly 40 different colleges and universities (including, unfortunately, Syracuse University) to support their work in enrolling the next generation of college-bound students.

About Loper:
Loper is your guide to the right next step after high school. Our app matches students to best-fit colleges, training providers, gap-year programs and more while reimagining higher ed and early career recruitment through a growing partner network focused on quality connections and student outcomes. Loper’s student-facing mobile app is the first step in a broader companion platform supporting families with two of the most consequential investments in your life: post-secondary education and early career development. Since launching 200,000 high school students have created accounts, and Loper now partners with nearly 50 colleges and post-secondary pathways.

Marina Paul is the author of Becoming a Superhero and the founder of SPRHRA, a women’s sports apparel brand launched in January 2024. A former Georgetown University soccer player, she overcame personal struggles, including depression, eating disorders, and ACL injuries, to become the team’s first-ever 3-time captain and lead them to a Final Four appearance, earning All-American honors.

Inspired by her experiences, she created SPRHRA (Superhera) to give female athletes the Freedom to Perform, filling a gap in sportswear with high-performance, precision, swagger, and freedom. The brand is sustainably made in Los Angeles and designed by female athletes for female athletes.

She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Georgetown.

About SPRHRA:
SPRHRA creates elite performance sportswear for female athletes, specializing in undergarments, team uniforms and practice gear. Our gear is designed for optimal fit, function, and recovery. Built on the mission of giving female athletes the freedom to perform, we combine data-driven sizing and advanced fabric technology to enhance female athletes' performance and health at every level.

Devon George advises, finances, builds & operates tech enabled companies. Having sold his last business in 2019 he now focuses on public and venture investing through his family fund DMV Capital.

Fascination with technology’s impact on business and people started early for Devon, as one the final members of generation-X and coming from a family of entrepreneurs turned financiers, he grew up in a world quickly adopting more powerful informational tools. As far back as he can remember, he has been passionate about the opportunity and impact of fringe ideas, the edge of complexity, and biological metaphors in information technology.

Devon earned a BS degree in Marketing and Management from Georgetown University (Class of 2001) then went on to be an operational and strategic executive at small businesses helping them grow and develop paths to exit. 

He is from Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY and lives in Bronxville, Westchester, NY with his Hoya wife and two young sons.

Kate Jacoby is a CMS Certified Sommelier and James Beard-nominated Pastry Chef who has pioneered the American Plant Based culinary movement through her work at the helm of Vedge Restaurant Group. A Georgetown 2001 Alumni with majors in French and Sociology, Jacoby spent time working at the French Ministry of Education and HUD's Fair Housing Program before quickly pivoting to the restaurant industry. She now has more than two decades of culinary and hospitality experience overseeing 5 successful restaurant brands, including flagship Vedge which was named one of the most important restaurants of the last 40 years by Food & Wine. Jacoby has co-authored 5 cookbooks and won numerous awards, including a Michelin Bib Gourmand for DC outlet Fancy Radish. Jacoby has shared her culinary vision in broad strokes through participation in SOBE Wine and Food, Disney's EPCOT Food and Wine, Plant Based World Conference & Expo, and cooking classes through Temple University and De Gustibus. More intimately, she enjoys mentoring countless young chefs and bartenders in her restaurants and engaging with local elementary school students. Career highlights include cooking the first vegan dinner at the James Beard House, launching product lines with Williams Sonoma and Whole Foods, watching her partner and husband Rich Landau win Food Network's Chopped, being acknowledged in Philadelphia Mayor's proclamation for Philly Vegan Day, and receiving the Philly Vegan Award for Lifetime Achievement. Outside the restaurant, when not traveling with her husband and their son Rio, you'll find her composting in her organic garden Lost Glove, studying Mandarin, working on a collection of social science fiction shorts, and volunteering at Lucky Dawg Animal Rescue.

Athena Karp is the CEO and founder of HiredScore, a leading artificial intelligence technology company that was acquired by Workday (NASDAQ: WDAY) in 2024. She led HiredScore’s acquisition by Workday and is currently GM, HiredScore at Workday. For over 10 years, Athena has been an entrepreneur, leading her company and creating responsible AI products that enable organizations to adapt to the future of work, improve how they prepare and upskill employees for new jobs, and progress diversity and inclusion. Under her leadership, HiredScore won best-in-class recognition and honors, including Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas, Deloitte Technology Fast 500, and global HR innovation awards. Athena is a member of the 2018 Class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute and currently serves on the Board of Trustees at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service.

John is an innovator, operator and investor with over 30 years of leadership, management, and entrepreneurial experience. John is class of SFS 97 and after Georgetown, served as a US Army Captain deploying to two combat zones.

Called to Be has always been the guiding light for John. Before his time at Georgetown, John founded a 250-volunteer, non-profit serving the severely impoverished and homeless. Years later, he co-founded the nation’s first Veteran Shark Tank, and most recently, John completed his first book 98 Octane – We Pay More Attention to What We Put in our Cars than our own Bodies and the launch of the 98 Octane Foundation on a mission to help 1 million fellow veterans and first responders live healthier lives – astonishingly 78% of whom are obese or overweight .

In business, John cofounded The Hub with a fellow Hoya 20 years ago, an innovative “3rd Space” meeting space platform serving over a million guests, disrupting the workplace and hospitality sectors with on-demand and all-inclusive meeting space.  They exited in 2016 selling to two Villanova alum ironically. Shortly after, John founded and still runs WorkMerk, an AI-powered vertical SaaS company, with several national commercial and federal contracts.

Our host venue for the 2025 GEA Alumni Pitch Competition is his former Hub Cira Center (opened 20 years ago), which he bought back in 2022 and renamed CYTO PHL.

He currently resides in Valley Forge, PA and is the proud father of two amazing children Payton and Gavin.

Tammee Thompson is a seasoned operations executive with over 30 years of leadership experience spanning manufacturing, supply chain, security technology, waste management, financial services, and management consulting. She has held senior roles at General Electric, Johnson Controls, Waste Management, and Dover Corporation, leading large-scale business transformations and driving operational excellence.

Tammee began her career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley and consulting at Ernst & Young before transitioning into operational leadership at General Electric. She held key roles in GE Energy’s Global Supply Chain, GE Capital Intermodal Leasing, and later GE Security Asia Pacific, where she oversaw operations across 14 countries.

She later served as Vice President & General Manager of Johnson Controls Global Security & Fire, overseeing a $650M global division across North America, Latin America, and the Middle East. Tammee then transitioned into executive roles at Waste Management, leading a $1.6B regional business, and at Dover Corporation, where she was Chief Operating Officer of Environmental Solutions Group (ESG), managing 1,200 associates across engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain functions.

Beyond corporate leadership, she founded Chandelier Holdings LLC, a real estate development firm specializing in revitalizing distressed properties. A passionate advocate for leadership development, she has served on the boards of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Philadelphia County and Georgetown University’s Board of Regents, where she co-founded the Black Alumni Summit.

Tammee holds a B.A. in Economics from Georgetown University and an MBA from Stanford University, as well as a Grand Diplôme from the French Culinary Institute. Recognized as a business transformation leader, she has been featured in Essence Magazine’s “New Power Generation,” The Network Journal’s “40 Under 40,” and Black MBA Magazine’s “Top 50 Under 50.”

She now focuses on interim executive and advisory roles, embedding within organizations to drive operational efficiency, growth, and long-term value creation.

Participating in the GEA Pitch Competition offers Georgetown entrepreneurs a unique set of opportunities to gain financial backing, recognition, and valuable connections within the Georgetown community:

1. Opportunity to Win/Accept the $100,000 GAIN Investment Prize: The winner of the pitch competition can accept a $100,000 investment prize consisting of individual contributions from GAIN members.

2. Recognition as a Finalist or Winner: Finalists and winners earn the distinction of being selected from among Georgetown’s entrepreneurial community.

3. Subsidized Accommodations at John Carroll Weekend: Finalists receive subsidized hotel accommodations to attend John Carroll Weekend for one night.

4. Becoming a GAIN portfolio company: GAIN portfolio companies are promoted through GAIN’s online channels and receive other opportunities for networking and promotion.

5. Exclusive Access to Top Alumni and Investors: Finalists present their business to Georgetown’s most influential alumni and investors, opening doors to partnerships, investments, and mentorship. Finalists also receive invitations to attend all John Carroll Weekend events, including an exclusive dinner for entrepreneurs and investors, creating additional opportunities to build valuable connections.

6. Guidance from Expert Mentors: Finalists and semi-finalists get the opportunity to work with hand-selected mentors who provide feedback to refine pitches and support business growth.

7. Guaranteed Opportunity to Present to GAIN Investors: All finalists, including the winner, receive a guaranteed spot in a GAIN virtual pitch cycle a few weeks after the competition. Typically, only a select few companies from a large applicant pool are given this opportunity. This allows finalists to present their business to the entire GAIN network, giving investors the chance to consider additional investments beyond the prize amount.

8. GUAA Social Media Promotion: GUAA will promote your company through its social media channels, creating visibility within Georgetown’s extensive alumni network.

These benefits provide financial support, exposure, mentorship, and connections that can aid your entrepreneurial journey beyond the competition.

We are sector agnostic, but do bear in mind that we will consider industry dynamics when evaluating the return potential of any particular investment. However, we are not a sector specialist network, so it can be more difficult for us to evaluate companies that require expert knowledge.

While it isn’t necessary to excel in each one of the criteria listed below, the closer that your company aligns with these categories, the better chance of being selected to present as a finalist.   We are always open to explanations as to how we should think about your application – more information always helps us to make a better evaluation.  

• Traction: Generally, companies that have revenue will be favored, especially recurring revenue that demonstrates there is product/market fit. However, we will certainly consider companies that have an MVP with significant customer data showing a willingness to pay. In addition, we are open to pre-revenue companies that can demonstrate enormous potential in one of our other criteria.

• Market Size & Business Model: Significant market size (minimum c. $100 million for SOM - serviceable obtainable market); attractive unit economics and a credible ability to scale the business are all desirable.

  • Please make sure to include plausible projections that demonstrate an attractive potential return to investors.

• Common Good: Companies that have an impact on, or are solving a problem for the common good will be given special consideration. 

• Georgetown Connection: To be eligible a Georgetown alumnus/a must be a founder, senior executive, board member, or significant investor who must be willing to be the pitch presenter during the competition in Philadelphia.

In 2019, GAIN pooled their capital for the first time to contribute to an investment prize for the winner of the Alumni Pitch Competition. This year’s competition marks the sixth year the competition will include a GAIN prize opportunity. Previous pitch competition winners received cash prizes from sponsors.