We’re a passionate team of global citizens on a mission to make socioeconomic mobility borderless.

Sam Alcoff

Founding partner of Tilden Park Capital Management LP

Sam Alcoff is a founding partner of Tilden Park Capital Management LP and has served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer since the firm’s inception in 2008, overseeing key corporate functions and the strategic implementation of technology and information systems. Alcoff previously was a Director in the Technology and Risk Management group at Drake Management, where he led the team responsible for generating security level analytics; worked with Distributed Capital Group to develop an innovative FX hedging product; and led the software engineering group at BlackRock Solutions.. He earned a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and is a member of the bar in both New York and New Jersey. Additionally, Alcoff holds a B.S. in Engineering with a concentration in Computer Science and a B.A. in History and Sociology of Science, both from the University of Pennsylvania.

Chris Gamaitoni

Managing Director at Tilden Park Capital Management LP

Chris Gamaitoni is currently a Managing Director at Tilden Park Capital Management LP. Previously, Gamaitoni served as both Assistant Director and Director of Research at Compass Point Research & Trading, LLC. Prior to his time there, Gamaitoni was a Partner at Autonomous Research, where he focused on sell-side equity research on mortgage finance, consumer finance, and property and casualty insurance. He has also held various positions with Millennium Partners, Fannie Mae, Potomac Research Group, and B. Riley FBR. Gamaitoni received a Bachelor of Science degree in Quantitative Finance from James Madison University.

Scott Wede

President and CFO of Conventus Lending

Scott Wede holds extensive investment banking experience across a wide range of products and geographies. He was the Head of Securitized Products Trading and Banking at Barclays PLC and was additionally responsible for leading their CMBS effort and Municipal Finance Department. Wede also was a key leader in the formation of the Securitized Products platform in 2004, and during his tenure the department became an industry leader. Prior to his time at Barclays, Wede spent ten years at Citigroup, which he joined through its acquisition of Salomon Brothers. Wede was named one of Citigroup’s youngest Managing Directors at the age of 30, and spent the majority of his time there trading agency mortgages in the Securitized Products department. Wede graduated Summa Cum Laude from Creighton University and he is currently the President and CFO of Conventus Lending.

Manolo Sánchez

Founder of Adelante Ventures LLC

Manolo Sánchez is an adjunct professor at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, the Founder of Adelante Ventures LLC, and a Founder Advisor to Spring Labs Inc. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Federal National Mortgage Association (commonly known as Fannie Mae) since September 2018, serving as the Chair of the Risk Policy and Capital Committee, and a member of the Strategic Initiatives and Technology Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Previously, Sánchez was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Compass Bank, Inc. , a U.S. subsidiary of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (BBVA). Sánchez also served as a member of BBVA’s worldwide Executive Committee and was its Country Manager for U.S. operations. In addition, Sánchez was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Compass Bank and its holding company, BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc. Sánchez currently serves as a trustee or member of the Board of Directors of a number of civic, cultural, and educational institutions, including the Houston Symphony, KIPP Texas Public Schools, and the Center for Houston’s Future.

Marla Blow

President and COO of the Skoll Foundation

Marla Blow is the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Skoll Foundation, a private foundation that makes grants to, and investments in, social entrepreneurs. Previously, she was Senior Vice President of Social Impact at Mastercard’s Center for Inclusive Growth; was the Founder and CEO of FS Card Inc., a credit card venture focused on offering traditional credit to underserved consumers; and a Partner in Fenway Summer LLC, a consumer finance investment company that incubated FS Card. Prior to FS Card and Fenway Summer, she served as the Assistant Director for Card and Payment Markets at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and was a Director at Capital One in its Credit Risk Management and Corporate Development divisions. Blow is a member of the Boars of Directors of Square Financial Services and FinRegLab, and previously served on the Boards of Directors of Care.com and FactorTrust. Blow won the EY Mid Atlantic Emerging Company Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2018 and has been listed as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business.

Phillip Riese

President of Riese & Others

Phillip Riese is President of Riese & Others, an advisory company and private investment vehicle that invests alongside a variety of venture capital and private equity firms with a focus on emerging and disruptive companies primarily in global financial services. Prior to forming Riese & Others, Riese spent nearly two decades at American Express, ultimately serving as the President of the Consumer Card Group and Chairman of American Express Centurion Bank. Riese has served on a number of public and private company boards. He is presently a board member of public companies Flywire and Remitly, and a number of private companies  including  Betterment, Cross River, and Monzo Bank.  He also serves on the board of Accion, a not-for-profit dedicated to financial inclusion globally.

JATIN RAJPUT

Founder of Ad-In Ventures

Jatin Rajput is the founder of Ad-In Ventures based in New York investing in
diverse founders supporting economic mobility and sustainable
development. Jatin has over two decades of operating and investing
experience in financial services in both developed and emerging markets.

Prior to setting up Ad-In Ventures, Jatin was a Managing Director at Deutsche
Bank leading corporate M&A, group strategy & planning and transformation
for the Americas and Asia Pacific. Jatin started his career with Arthur
Andersen, followed by management consulting with Marakon Associates in
London and also served on a World Bank project in Afghanistan. He has lived
and worked in New York, London, Singapore and Mumbai.
Jatin has an MBA from INSEAD and is a qualified Chartered Accountant with
a graduate degree in Physics. He is a Board Advisor and Co-head of the New
York chapter of WGI, a not for profit focused on eliminating global illiteracy.

Fun Fact: In his free time, Jatin is either trying to make sense of Fortnite,
which his two boys are obsessed with, walking his cocker spaniel or hitting on
the tennis court.

MUKUL GULATI

Managing Partner of Zephyr Peacock

Mukul is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Zephyr Peacock Indiaand is responsible for the overall leadership of the Zephyr Peacock Funds. Mukul has over 20 years of experience in the investment business including private equity, investment research and general management. Previously, Mukul worked at Multex where he was involved in setting up and managing the firm’s quantitative equity research business. Mukul is a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and serves on the Asia Council of Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA). Mukul has an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business and is a cum laude graduate from University of Maryland with a degree in economics.

Amr Abdallah

Amr Abdallah has over 27 years of experience working in the MENA region in senior roles in non-for-profit and private sector. He advises business and government leaders on best practices and benchmarking against international standards. Before moving to the US, he taught Public Administration, Principles of Business Administration, Strategic Management and Business Policy at Egyptian and Arab Universities. He held several Senior Executive level
positions in projects funded by international donor organizations like USAID, EU and UNDP, where is used to negotiating, mediating and facilitating at the highest levels of national and international institutions. He has significant professional experience in designing, directing, implementing and evaluating public and private programs in addition to performing management consulting services to government, public and private companies and institutions
in the MENA region. Growing up in the Middle East and living in Egypt, Saudi and the US,
Mr. Abdallah completed his studies at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University where he received his degree and is a Mason Fellow of Public Policy. He participates regularly at World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) workshops where he presents papers and discusses new trends related to government, private sector and development in the MENA region.

Fun Fact: Amr is an amateur tennis player who loves his family and likes to play tennis with his daughter. He enjoys swimming and photography.

Dr. Sameer Meralli

Sameer Meralli, the CEO of Qatar-headquartered Investment Bank, Alchemy Capital, brings over 15 years of experience in investment banking, private equity and venture capital from top-tier firms Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, the World Bank and hedge fund Paradigm Capital.

He has contributed his expertise in the area of food security to the United Nations (FaO), the World Bank and various governments in both the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and has been featured as a guest expert in Commodity Derivatives and Food Price Inflation Volatility on CNBC, CNBC Arabia and Bloomberg. He holds specific interest in venture capital and technology furthered in his capacity as Chairman of the International Advisory Board for fintech Finergy, as a Joint Venture principal with Venture Capital firm FFA and as the Chief Investment Officer of TechHub Indonesia. He is a seasoned Angel Investor in numerous technology startups with a specific focus on Deep Tech, AI and Biotech and retains his involvement as a Board Advisor for Infinite Studios, Cashew, Bubbleology, Bamboo, R34 and Focus Media. He holds a Masters degree from Harvard University, a Masters degree in Finance from London Business School, a Bachelor of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and an undergraduate degree in Mathematics (Joint Honours Mathematics and Economics) from the University of Waterloo.

Fun Fact: Sameer is a licensed pilot and enjoys flying on the weekend. He recently completed his PhD and was awarded a Doctorate in Economics; his published dissertation is entitled “Algorithmic Game Theory as Applied to the Political Economy of Food Security.”

LUTZ BRAUM

Lutz has more than 25 years of experience in marketing financial services, with deep expertise in digital marketing, consumer engagement, and product development. Before joining MPOWER, he was the CMO of Higher One, a FinTech company that was the country’s largest digital-only banking provider, with more than 2 million accounts. His previous roles include CMO at an e-retailer, Head of Consumer Marketing at PayPal, and various senior marketing roles at Wells Fargo Bank, Washington Mutual, and both domestically and internationally at Citibank. Lutz is fluent in German and French and holds a B.S. in Finance from Arizona State University and an M.B.A from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Fun fact: Lutz is an avid amateur photographer whose works have graced album covers, billboards, office buildings, and magazines. He loves tennis, photography, and his family (not necessarily in that order).