Peter Rosenblum - Partner, Foley Hoag

Peter Rosenblum counsels a broad range of clients in diverse industries concerning business and regulatory matters, financing strategies and structuring of corporate transactions. Peter is actively involved in the firmâ??s corporate and corporate finance practices, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, private equity and other public and private offerings of securities.

Theodore Lund - Corporate and Transactional Lawyer, Rich May

Ted works with entrepreneurs and startups  engaged in a variety of activities – including medical device, data cleansing and mining, energy and other high and low technology businesses.  His involvement with clients typically begins at business inception advising on formation, capital structure and structuring of founder relationships and continues as the business matures, advising on critical contracts and strategic partnerships, acceptance of third party debt and equity funding, and mergers and acquisitions.  As a former litigator turned business and transactional attorney, Ted takes a practical and legal approach to working with his clients and seeks to identify and address issues that otherwise might lead to disputes.

David Gammel - Partner, Gunderson Dettmer

Mr. Gammell advises technology driven companies throughout their lifecyle. He advises such companies on formation and founders issues, equity structure and incentives, intellectual property protection, licensing and strategic alliances, angel and venture capital financing transactions and mergers and acquisitions. Some of Mr. Gammell's recent venture-backed clients include: Abine, Andela, Cannonball, Foro Energy, HubSpot, peerTransfer, Stackdriver, SevenOaks, Soft Robotics, and Work Market. Mr. Gammell also has significant experience in representing clients in complex licensing, technology transfer and strategic alliance transactions.  Mr. Gammell counsels publicly and privately held companies in a variety of industries including information technology, clean technology, medical device, life sciences and other high technology sectors and social entrepreneurial businesses.  In addition, Mr. Gammell represents venture capital funds, private equity funds and angel investors in a range of transactions. Mr. Gammell also maintains an active practice representing pro bono and social entreprenuerial clients.  Prior to beginning his legal career, Mr. Gammell was a nuclear engineer and officer in the United States Navy.

Advice provided during these office hours does not serve as legal advice.  The purpose of the office hours is to provide advice on general legal matters. 

Note: Participating in office hours does not commit a VMS entrepreneur to use Foley Hoag, Rich May, Gunder or Mintz as its law firm.  This time is being donated to VMS entrepreneurs by the attorneys listed above and their commitment is greatly appreciated.

Aliki Collins - Owner, AKC Patents, LLC

AKC Patents is a leading provider of patent services for corporations, educational institutions, research organizations and private inventors.  AKC Patents offers a unique combination of patent development and patent prosecution services.  They take inventory of your patentable ideas, prepare a comprehensive report, review your ideas and help you develop a patent strategy in view of your business, technical and financial goals. They then help you execute your patent strategy by preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  They also offer international patenting services at the European Patent Office (EPO).

Dr. Collins has expertise in intellectual property law, magnetic materials and devices, optical materials and devices, semiconductors, ceramic materials, chemical vapor deposition process and equipment, rapid solidification of metals, business quantitative methods, statistical process improvement methods and radiation oncology physics. She has extensive experience in patent prosecution, new product development, team leadership, project and program management and teaching.  Dr. Collins holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT and a M.S. in Physics (Diplom Physiker) from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany.  She is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  She has published several scientific papers, co- edited a book and authored several theses.  She is an inventor and holds two issued and several pending patent applications.  She is fluent in German and Greek.

Bruce Sunstein - Partner, Merchant & Gould

Bruce Sunstein is a patent attorney at Merchant & Gould's Boston office with decades of experience building and enforcing high-value patent portfolios for startups, market leaders, and research institutions across artificial intelligence, software, electronics, life sciences, and medical devices. His patent work has contributed to enforcement outcomes resulting in eight- and nine-figure recoveries and has helped clients secure dominant IP positions in competitive markets.

Bruce advises on the development, enforcement, and monetization of intellectual property, with deep expertise in inter partes review proceedings, reexaminations, and appeals before the PTAB and Federal Circuit. His background spans neuromedical devices, gene expression assays, data compression software, financial systems, and x-ray inspection technologies, and he counsels clients on technology-based transactions and federally funded research compliance.

A recognized thought leader in IP law, Bruce frequently serves as an expert witness and arbitrator in complex intellectual property disputes, providing analysis in patent litigation, trade secret matters, antitrust disputes, and malpractice claims. He is a longtime mentor with the MIT Venture Mentoring Service and an active member of professional organizations including AIPLA, LES, and IEEE. Bruce has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, IAM Patent 1000, IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders, Massachusetts Super Lawyers, and the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame. He was a founding partner at Sunstein LLP for more than four decades before joining Merchant & Gould.

Rory Phieffer - Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Rory is a partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP in the Intellectual Property Department and a founding member of the Boston office for the firm. Rory works with clients to develop patent portfolios, domestically and abroad, that align with their business goals.  He also counsels clients on patent opinion and clearance matters, IP due diligence issues on the buyer and seller side, license negotiations, and trademark portfolio growth and enforcement in conjunction with building a brand.  A Course 2 grad, he has extensive experience protecting inventions related to 3D printing, aircraft, biotechnology, cleantech, consumer products, digital cameras, electric vehicles, electronics and lighting, fluid dynamic applications, medical devices, robotics, software and mobile applications, thermovoltaics, and a variety of other mechanical and electrical-mechanical systems.  He works with clients of all sizes, from Fortune 100 companies to start-up companies.

Steven Saunders - Patent Attorney/Chair of the Intellectual Property Department, Nutter, McClennen & Fish LLP

Steven Saunders is an angel investor, entrepreneur, engineer, university lecturer, and a mentor to other entrepreneurs. In his day job as a patent attorney, he co-chairs Nutter’s Intellectual Property Department where clients of all sizes rely on Steven’s counsel for managing their IP needs, including portfolio development, strategy and evaluation, patent preparation and prosecution, freedom to operate, IP litigation, and licensing. Steven also conducts extensive due diligence analysis for angel and VC investments, mergers, and acquisitions.

Drawing on his engineering and scientific background, Steven works with a wide range of technologies, including medical technologies, electronics, computer software and hardware, cloud computing, routing, IoT, alternative energy, high performance computing (HPC), integrated circuit design, MEMS, semiconductor fabrication, and materials processing.

Steven is a member of Hub Angels and Launchpad Ventures and has advised numerous startups on growth strategy and raising capital. A leader in the legal industry, Steven has been involved in a wide variety of educational support activities, including as adjunct faculty at Boston University, a mentor for teams in MIT’s $100K Business Plan Competition, and MIT’s delta v program.

Advice provided during these office hours does not serve as legal advice.  The purpose of the office hours is to provide advice on general legal matters. 

Note: Participating in office hours does not commit a VMS entrepreneur to use AKC Pattents, LLC, Sunstein Kann Murphy & Timbers LLP, or Barnes & Thornburg LLP as its law firm.  This time is being donated to VMS entrepreneurs by the attorneys listed above and their commitment is greatly appreciated.

Bill Coffman - Immigration Counsel, Mintz Levin

Bill Coffman is Special Counsel at the Boston firm of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. where his legal work focuses on U.S. immigration and nationality law and related international law. Bill regularly represents clients in immigration matters before the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Labor, as well as before US and foreign consulates.  He is a frequent presenter at CLE immigration conferences including the AILA Annual Conference, Massachusetts CLE, and local AILA events.  He earned his JD from the University of Houston Law Center where he served on the editorial board of the Houston Journal of International Law.  He is recognized in Best Lawyers in America: Immigration Law (2013 – 2022), Boston Magazine Top Lawyers – Immigration (2021), and International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers since 2016.

Angel Feng - Special Counsel, Mintz Levin

Angel specializes in business immigration matters and compliance, advising employers on corporate immigration programs, visa strategies, and employment eligibility verification including I-9 and E-verify compliance. She has extensive experience obtaining non-immigrant and employment-based immigrant visas across multiple visa categories and developing visa strategies during M&A transactions. Her expertise spans employment-related litigation prevention, ICE audit defense, and counseling on employment matters for visa-sponsored employees.

As a regular contributor to immigration industry publications, Angel provides employers with insights on immigration-related developments and government agency activities. Her background includes senior counsel roles at national law firms, an Assistant Vice President & Counsel position at a Fortune 100 financial company, and experience in immigration and employment law at non-profits. Recognized by The Legal 500 United States as a "Next Generation Lawyer" in Employment: Immigration, she is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She is fluent in Mandarin, Spanish, and Taiwanese.

Elizabeth Goss - CEO, Goss Associates

Elizabeth Goss is the CEO of The Law Office of Goss and Associates, LLC. She is admitted to practice in the state bars of Massachusetts and New York and in Federal Court.

An experienced immigration attorney with nearly three decades working in the field of immigration, Elizabeth is nationally and internationally recognized for her legal representation to multinational corporations, entrepreneurial ventures, universities, and research institutions.

Elizabeth specializes in securing temporary and permanent visas for physicians, researchers, professors, and artists under the extraordinary ability, outstanding researcher, and national interest waiver categories. She is one of only a few attorneys nationwide that has obtained an international entrepreneur parole visa for start-ups as noted by Forbes

Advice provided during these office hours does not serve as legal advice.  The purpose of the office hours is to provide advice on general legal matters. 

Note: Participating in office hours does not commit a VMS entrepreneur to use any of the firms listed above as its law firm.  This time is being donated to VMS entrepreneurs by the attorneys listed above and their commitment is greatly appreciated.

George Moker - Managing Director, Ambrosi Donahue Congdon; Moker CPA 

George is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 25 years of experience in public accounting, focusing in the area of startup and small organizations. George earned his MBA from Suffolk University in Boston, where he currently serves as Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, as well as being a member of the entrepreneurship faculty. Through his firm, George has been engaged at various levels, including helping Phase 0 and Phase 1 awardees understand and use government-required adequate accounting systems. In addition, George has participated in the due diligence process of several intellectual property commercialization strategies for startup organizations with client acquisitions ranging from less than $10 million to $100 million. Clients were acquired by companies including Merck, Analog Devices, Quidel, and Finisar. George has held similar workshops at other locations including UPENN, Penn State, Forefront Conference Center, University City Science Center, etc. Professionally, George served in senior management positions in a privately-held, aerospace support government contractor firm (having administered contracts with NASA and the U.S. Air Force), specializing in metrology systems used in the aircraft engine design, manufacture, and overhaul processes, as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Operations. George's entire professional career has been spent in the realm of starting and growing small organizations, with a focus on entrepreneurial attitudes of the management team towards commercialization. George served nearly a decade as a public official in his community, as well as serving on other community boards.

Note: Participating in office hours does not commit a VMS entrepreneur to engage Ambrosi Donahue Congdon or Moker CPA.  This time is being donated to VMS entrepreneurs by the CPAs listed above and their commitment is greatly appreciated. VMS mentoring services are educational only. All business decisions remain under the full control of the participating entrepreneurs.

John Jeanson - Director of Business Development & CFO, Accountalent

John brings over a decade of professional experience as Director of Business Development and CFO at Accountalent, where he drives strategic partnerships, corporate finance, and sales growth. Committed to enabling sustainable business development and advancing the organization's mission to empower client success, he leverages his finance expertise and strategic initiatives to deliver measurable results.

Note: Participating in office hours does not commit a VMS entrepreneur to engage Accountalent. This time is being donated to VMS entrepreneurs by the CPAs listed above and their commitment is greatly appreciated. VMS mentoring services are educational only. All business decisions remain under the full control of the participating entrepreneurs.

Carlton Aird - Senior Vice President, Director of Human Resources, TJX Companies, Inc.

Carlton is a strategic, results-driven leader with over 38 years of experience in Human Resources and Operations for a global Fortune 100 Retail company. He has a proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams to deliver consistent results, while driving change. He has a passion for giving back and has served on several non-profit boards, including as President and Chair of Bunker Hill Community College's Foundation Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Additionally, Carlton is an involved angel investor with a strong interest in building successful businesses while providing guidance to early-stage startups CEOs.

Joy Harju - Head of People, The Robo Hub 

A strategic and business-focused Human Resources leader, Joy brings deep experience building high-performing HR teams, strengthening people operations, and partnering with executive leadership to solve complex business challenges. Known for a supportive, collaborative leadership style, she has led HR functions across talent acquisition, benefits, HRIS and operations, payroll, employee engagement, immigration, compensation, employee relations, leadership coaching, and learning and development. With a strong belief that HR must deliver measurable value to the business, she aligns people strategies with organizational priorities to improve manager effectiveness, employee experience, operational efficiency, and long-term workforce capability.

She brings a strong track record of advancing HR as a measurable driver of business performance, culture, and sustainable organizational success.

Julie Quinne - Founder, Uncommon Consulting 

Julie helps executives and their teams prioritize what matters most and execute with uncommon confidence. Through her unique and proven 6-step Life Aligned Leadership™ framework, one-on-one executive coaching, team development, and group cohort programs, she combines her seasoned expertise with clients' passion for results to transform their work and life.

Note: This time is being donated to VMS entrepreneurs by the mentors listed above, and their commitment is greatly appreciated. VMS mentoring services are educational only. All business decisions remain under the full control of the participating entrepreneurs.

Karen Donoghue - Interaction Architect, Principal at HumanLogic

Karen solves challenging interaction design issues for enterprise clients including Google, VMware, T-Mobile, and SecurityScorecard, specializing in product design for IT, cybersecurity, and device management. She has designed impactful MVPs, including the UX for Resilient Systems (acquired by IBM Security) and Equip Health. With deep expertise in platform product design for connected devices, Karen has led user experience design for globally released mobile platforms including SavaJe OS, Motorola Razr2, and Google Chrome OS. She currently advises companies including aiberry, Turivius, and SecurityScorecard, and has released her own products, most notably Local Haze, an iPhone app for air quality monitoring.

Karen holds over a dozen software patents, co-authored "Envision Product: User Experience for Founders" (2021), and authored the first book linking business strategy to online user experience (2002). She earned an MS from the MIT Media Laboratory and a BS in Computer Science from Tufts University.