A network of entrepreneurs with ties to the Pittsburgh region, we have started, funded, grown, and exited multiple companies. We founded 412 Venture Fund to help reshape the venture capital ecosystem in our region and beyond, and we’re paving the way for the best startups to bring economic success, social change, employment, and rapid growth to our region. We know firsthand the untapped potential of underrepresented founders, which is why diversity, inclusion, mentoring, and community development aren’t just in our core values; they’re part of our investment strategy.
We’re entrepreneurs with ties to the Pittsburgh region, who have started, grown, and exited multiple companies. We founded 412 Venture Fund to reshape the venture capital ecosystem in our region and provide founders across the nation with value beyond just cash.
I grew up with a family business — hanging out after school in the warehouse until I was old enough to help out, and later jumping in wherever I was needed, from answering phones to IT support. After working at a large tech company, getting an MBA, and spending a few years in strategy consulting, I took over the business. I grew it through new product development and acquisitions and eventually led the company to a successful exit.
My first introduction to Venture Capital was when I had to raise it. I quickly learned the ROI on a Y chromosome: Before meetings with a new Venture Fund, our CFO and I would take bets on how long it would take them to ask him, “Who really runs the company?” Although we joked about it, the frustration of that experience drove my passion for supporting women and other underrepresented founders.
Today, as Managing Partner of 412 Venture Fund, l split my time between leading investments in technology companies and helping entrepreneurs make rapid progress through the early stages of product and customer development. Our companies know that if they need help, I’ll drop everything to make time — whether it’s late at night, during a vacation, or even with a house full of guests on Thanksgiving Day.
Advising early-stage companies is the perfect fit for me since I’ve personally made many of the Top 10 Startup Mistakes. I love helping founders sidestep the potholes that I fell into. My startup superpowers are making valuable intros and giving candid actionable feedback, so founders can learn from my mistakes, instead of their own.
Andrew is a successful entrepreneur, early stage investor, and philanthropist in the Pittsburgh area.
In addition to mentoring and advising his portfolio companies, Andrew holds an Entrepreneur In Residence role at the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University and is very active in the overall innovation ecosystem in Pittsburgh. He has relationships with many other angel investors and early stage funds all focused on advancing deal flow and the overall success of startups in Pittsburgh.
Andrew also chairs the advisory board for the 412×972 Pittsburgh Israel Innovation initiative, which connects Pittsburgh and Israeli businesses for mutual economic benefit.
Prior to his current role as an investor in the Pittsburgh area, Andrew was the CTO of Premier, Inc., a publicly traded healthcare improvement company. Andrew joined Premier through the acquisition of CECity in 2015, a company he helped build as CTO from 1998 to 2015. CECity was the leading provider of cloud-based quality reporting, performance improvement and lifelong learning platforms.
Andrew is a member of several non-profit boards, including the Friendship Circle and a JFNA related entity. He is also co-chair of multiple committees associated with the PEACE Initiative.
Andrew received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from CMU and is a graduate of Katz’s MBA program at Pitt.
In 2011, Andrew was awarded CIO of the Year by the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
Evan is a business leader, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, public speaker, former senior government official and mentor.
Evan currently serves as the Co-Chair of the NYU Stern Leadership Fellows. He previously served as an Executive-In-Residence at the CMU Tepper School of Business.
Evan is an active investor and advisor in early stage companies and funds in both Pittsburgh and New York. He has also invested in (and mentored) early stage start-ups through Segal Ventures LP. He is also the author of “From Local To Global: Smart Management Lessons To Grow Your Business”.
Prior to his current roles, Evan was the President/Owner of Dormont Manufacturing Company, the inventor and leading manufacturer of flexible stainless steel gas appliance connectors.
Evan served as the Chief Financial Officer at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) during the Obama Administration.
He also serves as the Chairman of The Segal Family Foundation, which supports innovative approaches to human kindness and social justice.
Evan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business with both a Bachelors and MBA degree. He has been a long time member of the Young Presidents Organization.
As a native Pittsburgher, I’ve always appreciated the tenacity, innovation, and teamwork that’s part of our community. My first exposure to entrepreneurship was through my grandfather; after a brief time working for H.J. Heinz Company, my grandfather opened his own business in his 20s. He started from the ground up, pouring concrete. Over time, he evolved into a general contractor, building residential homes in the North Hills. Nearly 60 years later, my dad continued our family lineage of entrepreneurship, opening a manufacturing business in Ohio – showing that it’s never too late to be a founder. My grandfather and my dad have continuously served as inspirations throughout my career, demonstrating the importance of perseverance and hard work.
Due to its important role in my family, entrepreneurship intrigued me from a young age, but I sought exposure to a variety of business models and industries early in my career. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon, I completed a JD/MBA from Pitt Law and CMU’s Tepper School of Business. After graduate school, I worked for PNC Bank’s Private Equity group, PNC Riverarch Capital, where I was the first female private equity investment professional since the firm’s founding. I evaluated hundreds of companies, worked on a highly successful exit and multiple acquisitions, and was a board observer of three portfolio companies.
When I received the opportunity to work at 412 Venture Fund in July of 2021, I was excited to join a new, passionate team that is investing in cutting-edge technology companies. I currently lead the fund’s diligence processes and assist with new investment screenings. I’m also always available to advise our portfolio companies with general legal and financial strategies. I never cease to be inspired by the talent and determination of the founders we work with, and I love being in a role where I learn something new each day.
I immigrated to the States at age 10 from Bulgaria, a country that was recently post-communist and where everyone needed a side hustle to stay afloat. Economic necessity made Bulgaria one of the most entrepreneurial nations in the world, and not the Forbes 30 Under 30 version of entrepreneurship but rather the ring-the-cash-register or go hungry version.
This imprinted on me and in college I passed on internships at established companies and instead helped build businesses from scratch. After college, I joined a local hardware tech startup as their first hire and the only non-engineer. I performed a wide variety of responsibilities while taking on many roles such as COO, CFO, CMO, manufacturing expert, and lead tester.
After five years of the startup way of learning through trial and error, I decided to join a more established company where I could learn from experienced managers. I became a product manager at a software company and almost made it six months before starting to explore ways to spin out the products I managed into a standalone business. Once again gravitating towards the hustle of building a new business.
Today, being on the VC side of the startup equation allows me to assist multiple entrepreneurial founders. I want to create value rather than just capture it, so I ask founders atypical investor questions and I send them emails at weird hours with potential solutions to problems they shared with me. My goal is to help founders build a business they’re proud of – that creates economic value for them, their team and their investors, and that makes them and their teams feel fulfilled instead of burnt out.
Our team has a wide network of longstanding and strong connections to universities, incubators, accelerators, startup studios, and angel investors within the Pittsburgh region. We are trusted mentors and advisors for dozens of founders, and our limited partners are leaders within the Pittsburgh startup community. All of this helps us gain early access to startups with the latest and greatest technologies being developed in the Pittsburgh region.
Our team has a diverse network of universities, angels, accelerators, VC firms, corporates, and service providers that help our portfolio companies hit milestones, make sales, connect to experts, find top talent, and position for a successful exit.
If interested in joining our network of collaborators, please email us at network@412venturefund.
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Join our network of collaborators.
If interested in joining our network of collaborators, please email us at collaborators@412venturefund.
Stop going it alone—or being treated like a number by a large firm—and start receiving the funding, networks, and support you need to grow as a founder and as a business.
