Dan Barnes, Executive Chair, Barnes Family Foundation Dan is an entrepreneur, innovator, and Executive Chair of the Barnes Family Foundation, which he and his wife Susan established to help create a world where everyone thrives and flourishes. After beginning his career in international banking, Dan spent the next 30 years creating and building innovative enterprises that delivered products and services that improved every-day quality of life for tens of millions of people. Today, Dan brings this same innovative, multi-sector partnership approach to create new, innovative philanthropic initiatives, such as Sunny.
Walter “Buck” Buckley III, Co-Founder, Seminal Capital Holdings Buck Buckley is the co-Founder and co-CIO of SEMCAP; a growth impact manager investing in companies at the forefront of seminal trends in sectors that have the greatest impact on humanity. A serial entrepreneur and eminent technology investor, Buck has built and sold many transformative companies. He began his career as a technology investor in 1988, at Safeguard Scientifics. There he served as VP of Acquisitions until 1996. Upon leaving Safeguard, Buck co- founded Internet Capital Group, a venture capital firm, later called ICG. There he served as the CEO and president of the company from 1996 to 2001, at which time he became the company’s Chairman. In 2014, the company changed its name to Actua Corporation, and in 2018, Buck announced his decision to sell the company to maximize shareholder value. In addition, he is a director of several startups including, Diagnostic Bio Chips, Dropps and Margaux and is Lead Director on FS Investments Global Debt Fund. He is on the advisory boards of the Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative, the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, and a member of the board of directors of the Vetri Community Partnership. Buck graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a Bachelor of Arts.
Rita DiPalma, President, MiCa Marketing, Inc. Rita has spent her career in the consumer, membership and loyalty sectors, working with many of the most prestigious and highly regarded U.S. and international brands in the development, marketing, and execution of top-tier solutions. With a highly disciplined focus on identifying new business, driving organizational growth, developing marketing strategies, and managing key corporate progression initiatives, she has led key operating divisions including Sales, Business Development, Marketing, Client Management, Product and Operations for organizations of all sizes, including helping startups scale to over $1 billion in sales.
Todd Sandler, Co-Founder and COO of CRED Technologies Todd Sandler is a nationally recognized leader in building brands through world-class customer experiences. He brings over 25 years of consumer marketing, eCommerce, media and advertising experience in many industries including financial services, technology and consumer packaged goods. Todd is currently the Co-Founder and COO of CRED Technologies (cred.ai), a new FinTech company that has launched the first credit card product that guarantees consumers to never pay fees or interest, never overspend, build credit automatically, and spend your paycheck early. Todd served as an Executive Advisor to the multi-billion-dollar e-commerce holding company Kynetic where he focused on building ShopRunner (Acquired by FedEx in 2020), an innovative members-only service that aggregates shopping benefits from top retailers and brands. members. From 2002 to 2015, Todd served in senior executive positions at ING Direct/Capital One (INGD Acquired by COF 2012). Todd received his undergraduate degree in Journalism from the University of North Carolina