Bessemer, Playground, Root and Seraphim VCs Review the TC Sessions: Space Pitch-off • businessroundups.org

Not only is it an essential part of businessroundups.org conferences, but it’s also a favorite of the attendees to see outstanding early-stage founders compete in a pitching contest. Seriously, who doesn’t love a pitch-off? And the Space Pitch-off is just one more reason to head to TC Sessions: Space on December 6 in Los Angeles. Let’s take a look at the judges who will have to impress our intrepid startups.

But if you haven’t done the deed yet, buy your pass first before December 1 at 11:59 PM PST. When the clock strikes midnight, prices rise.

eLet’s go back to the pitch-off. Be in the room when three of the brightest early stage startups take the stage in front of a live audience – for glory, media attention, investor interest and, drum roll please, an automatic spot in the Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt 2023. businessroundups.org picks a cohort of 200 early-stage startups to receive a VIP experience that, to begin with, includes exhibiting all three days of the show — for free — and a chance to win $100,000.

Without further delay, here are the investors the pitch-off contenders need to impress: George Bellgeneral partner at Playground Global; Mark Boggettco-founder and CEO of Seraphim Space; Tess Hatch, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP); and Emily Henrikssondirector at Root Ventures.

George Bell purchased some of Playground Global’s early investments, including Nervana Systems (acquired by Intel). His first three investments with the company are now unicorns and one, Velo3D, went public last year.

Bell leads the company’s investment efforts in deep tech areas, including advanced manufacturing, aerospace, computational therapies, energy, genomics, materials, next-gen computing, and quantum and synthetic biology. His investment portfolio includes Mangata Networks, Relativity Space and Strand Therapeutics, to name a few.

Mark Boggett, a pioneer of space technology investing, co-founded the Seraphim Space Fund and invested in a portfolio that includes three companies that have achieved multibillion-dollar valuations. Previously, Boggett was a director at YFM Equity Partners, the firm behind the high-profile UK Smaller Companies VCT 1 and 2.

Boggett also worked at Brewin Dolphin and Williams de Broë. He completed his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance and a master’s degree in economics and finance from the University of Leeds.

Tess Hatch, a BVP partner based in Silicon Valley, promotes entrepreneurship in cutting-edge technology, especially the commercialization of space, drones, autonomous vehicles, and agricultural and food technology. She currently serves as board director for DroneDeploy, Iris Automation, Phantom Auto and Spire Global, and board observer for Black Sheep Foods, Forever Oceans, Rocket Lab and Velo3D.

Hatch was included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Venture Capital. She speaks and publishes regularly on Bloomberg, businessroundups.org and other publications on aerospace and cutting-edge technology. Earlier in her career, she worked for Boeing and then SpaceX, working with the government to integrate the payloads with the Falcon 9 rocket.

Hatch earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Stanford.

Emily Henriksson is a director at Root Ventures, a firm focused on investments in three areas: tools and infrastructure, low-cost robotics and hardware, and data science. Prior to joining Root, she worked as a propulsion engineer designing flight hardware for the SpaceX Falcon and supervising the construction of vehicles for missions of critical importance.

Henriksson also worked on the Model 3 battery module team at Tesla. She holds an MS and BS degrees in mechanical engineering from Stanford and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

TC Sessions: Space takes place December 6 in Los Angeles. Buy your pass today, then join us to see and learn about the latest space technology and trends, meet rising star founders and network for opportunities to build a stronger startup.

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