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Founder Institute Mentors

South Carolina 2025

Founder Institute Mentors join weekly feedback sessions, host office hours, and in general provide you feedback every step of the way. In addition, through our Equity Collective, Mentors are invested in the success of your company both during and after the program.

See the list of current and past mentors for the South Carolina program below.

Mentors

Adrian Pelkus

Artificer, Inventing with Adrian, LLC

Allen Amsler

CEO, McCrory Construction Company

Angela Coxe

Program Manager, Beaufort Digital Corridor

Ben Rex

CEO, CyberWoven

Bobby Cone

IT Strategy and Solutions, MPC, LLC

Brandon Noel

Entrpreneur, Data Droplets Inc.

Brandon Gantt

Founder & CEO, SAPi

Carrie Turner

Director of Marketing, Central South Carolina Alliance

Chad Hardaway

Deputy Director, Office of Economic Engagement, University of South Carolina

Chandler Kellogg

Director of Growth Marketing, hotbutton.io

Chase Heatherley

FI Mentor

Chris Praet

President, Progress Carolina

Chris Heivly

Managing Director, Build The Fort

Chuck Bland

VP Enterprise Accounts, VitalConnect Inc

Chuck Hannon

Startup Mentor, Don Ryan Center for Innovation

Daniel Andrews

FI Mentor

Daniel Andrews

Networking concierge, Network In Action

David Campbell

COO, Chernoff Newman

Dean Schuster

Co Founder, truematter

Dirk Brown

Director, McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise, University of South Carolina

Dwayne Sutton

FI Mentor

Ed Jopeck

President, Next Third Ventures

Emma Morris

CEO, The Morris Group

Eric Siano

Managing Director, Fractional CMO, Blue Leopard LLC

Eric Thome

Director, Venture South

Gary Baldwin

Co-Founder, Medical Access Partners

Grace Belangia

CEO and Co Founder, Make Startups

Jamie Dement

Director of Technology & Cybersecurity Initiatives, SC Competes

Jason Williamson

Business Unit Leader, Thorlabs

Jason Loia

Chief Growth Officer, Webscale Networks

Jay Vierling

CEO and Founder, AEV Capital

Jennifer Randall Collins

CEO, Liquorum Holdings

Jess O'brien

Executive Director, Beaufort Digital Corridor

Jim Stritzinger

CEO, Revolution D, Inc

Joe Floyd

Co-Founder & CEO, Swaggy

John Denise

CEO, Advanced Automation Consulting Inc

John Busch

CEO, Blue Heron INternational

John Saleeby

Growth Advisor, University of South Carolina

John DaWalt

Senior Vice President, Merrill Lynch

Katherine Butkevich

Founder | CEO, Realign Advisors

KEVIN WILLIAMS

CEO, Cognizant Leadership

Lasenta Lewis Ellis

CEO, LLE Construction

Laura Boccanfuso

CEO, Van Robotics

Lee Macilwinen

Investment Manager, SCRA

Lila Anna Sauls

FI Mentor

Lorraine Wiseman

Vistage Chair/ President and CEO , Vistage Worldwide, Inc./ Leading the Wise Way Inc.

Marlon Walters

FI Mentor

Matt D'angelo

Client Services Partner, IFS North America

Peter Schwartz

CEO Chair, Vistage

Ram Reddy

CEO, MyTecSoft

Raquel Padgett

Executive Director, EforAll Lowcountry

Rick Case

Founder, CaseFactor

Russell Cook

Managing Director, Comporium Ventures

Rusty Farrell

Partner, President, True Matter, LLC

Sam Johnson

Advisor, Greengate Strategy

Sam Hancock

President, American Stainless

Satish Cherukumalli

CEO/Founder, TrakItNow, Inc.

Serephina Ha

Managing Director, Founder Institute - Los Angeles

Sergio Aparico

FI Mentor

Tamika Washington

Owner, The Converspace

Thaddeus Jones

FI Mentor

Tia Williams Nelson

FI Mentor

Tim Johnson

Co-Founder, CEO, Longship Legal, LLC

Tommy Crutchfield

Director, Imedion, Inc.

Wade Caughman

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, JAMS+STARK

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