Robert Brevelle and Benji Gershon Appointed to Sta

Dallas, April 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Startup Evo announces the addition of several new executives to its leadership team.

Startup Evo is a leading accelerator and manages a venture capital seed fund for early stage companies at the pre-seed through series A.   The company leads a global network of investors, mentors, entrepreneurs, corporate partners, and financial institutions all focused on accelerating startup companies and developing entrepreneurs.

Robert Brevelle joins as Managing Director, Benji Gershon as Director of Sales & Marketing, and Doug Lunn as an Associate.

Mr. Brevelle has over 20 years of experience in building and leading technology companies, M&A, engineering, and venture capital. Mr. Brevelle has held C-level and board positions at various private and public companies to include Fortune 500 companies, and his experience includes multiple exits and M&A transactions in the USA, Canada, and UK. Mr. Brevelle serves on several boards and advisory groups of public and private companies, and he is a partner in multiple investment groups. Mr. Brevelle is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program at Cornell University, and he has a BS and MS from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Mr. Gershon has over 10 years of experience in business development, marketing, sales, and venture capital. Mr. Gershon has held executive level positions at various companies and startups, and most recently, was Partnership Director at Tech Wildcatters. He also co-founded a beverage startup that was acquired in 2012, and later worked at financial institutions such as United Texas Bank and 720 Investor LLC, which worked with hedge fund managers and private equity firms. Mr. Gershon attended California State University-Northridge.

Mr. Lunn has over 5 years of experience in venture capital, geology, and materials science. Mr. Lunn has held positions at venture capital firms to include Catalina Ventures. He currently serves as a mentor and corporate advisor to several companies. Mr. Lunn has a BA in Geology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and is a MBA candidate at Southern Methodist University.

“We are excited about these additions to our leadership team,” said Steven Gehfed, Founder of Startup Evo. “We believe the best way to accomplish our mission of accelerating startups and helping entrepreneurs is to hire exceptional candidates directly from the investor and startup communities. These candidates must be seasoned entrepreneurs and angel investors…those that have worked in startups, experienced successful exits, as well as, leaders from Fortune 500 companies that understand infrastructure, scale, risk management, and of course, M&A.”

Startup Evo tailors its accelerator program based on the needs of the startup. Focused mentoring with experienced subject matter experts on diverse topics from innovation and operations through sales and customer support, as well as, investor introductions and presentation skills.

“It is important to understand the investor community, what investors are looking for, and to help entrepreneurs to prepare and work with investors. This is why our team consists of active angel investors and experienced entrepreneurs,” said Mr. Gehfeld. “These trusted investor relationships and knowledge only comes with experience.”

Startup Evo’s accelerator program also includes instruction and mentorship on scaling, operational excellence, and corporate partnerships.

“There are various methods and channels that help startups accelerate,” said Mr. Gehfeld. “It is important to have staff and mentors with experience in rapid scale and growth, operations, and establishing partnerships with other companies to include Fortune 500 companies. Their experiences, lessons learned, and networks will benefit entrepreneurs in the program.”

The program includes a section on exit strategy. This is the planning, development, and eventual execution of the startup’s exit, whether through an initial public offering (IPO), merger, or acquisition.

“Later in the startup’s life cycle comes the exit event. For most startups, their exit event will be an acquisition by a larger company, typically a publicly traded company. These are the buyers,” said Mr. Gehfeld. “It is paramount that we have experts that come from the buyer community with direct public and M&A experience on our team to assist the startups on exit planning, strategy, and eventually, the well-deserved exit.”

About Startup Evo

Startup Evo is a leading accelerator that develops entrepreneurs and startup companies to achieve growth and success. The company manages a venture capital seed fund and invests at the pre-seed, seed, and series A.  We lead a global network of investors, mentors, entrepreneurs, corporate partners, and financial institutions to accelerate startups.  Our diverse experiences and perspectives allow us to see the critical intersections between talent, ideas, and teams.  Together, we unlock potential. Innovation. Acceleration. Wealth Generation.  Learn more at startupevo.com.  

For more information, contact info@startupevo.com or visit http://www.startupevo.com