About

Allison is an investor and entrepreneur passionate about supporting leaders who strive to positively impact society. Allison’s approach to investing is built on respect, collaboration, and partnership. Because Allison began her career as one of the first employees of a medical device start-up, her perspective on investing goes beyond simply financial risk and return. Allison brings over 15 years of venture capital experience to each new venture, taking an active role in her investments, from co-founder to serving on boards. In 2018, Allison co-founded Ad Astra Ventures, a fund specifically focused on investing in female founders, to address the massive gender imbalances in our society. She takes great joy in the mutual benefit she derives as a mentor for both Praxis and TechStars and in her most important role as wife and mother.

Maria is an investor, start-up advisor, and operator who has worked in senior roles in sales, strategy, and operations. Maria is on a mission to partner with entrepreneurs and other fund managers to generate strong social and financial returns, ultimately positively impacting many people’s lives. Maria has a diverse background, starting her career as an international strategy consultant at Bain & Company and then heading up portfolio operations at Altamont Capital, a private equity firm based in Palo Alto. Maria further refined her expertise building brands in-house during her time at Red Bull, where she led the sales operations team and oversaw the new consumer products department. Maria is an engineer by training and holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.