Anderson Venture Accelerator

Mark Robinson is a seasoned Silicon Valley entrepreneur and executive with over two decades of experience in mobile applications, security, artificial intelligence, analytics and risk management. He was responsible for the successful product launches of the 1st GUI Browser, MMS client, FOTA system and WAP advertisement platform in the mobile space. Products have been adopted by 1000s of companies, used by over 2 billion people worldwide and earned over $5 billion in cumulative revenue. 

Mark currently holds numerous board positions, is a guest lecturer at several universities and associations, an author and a business advisor for companies throughout the world. 

Kristen Sager, IndieGoGo  

Kristen Sager is the first ever Chief Marketing Officer for IndieGoGo. She is an award-winning, senior-level, and innovative technology growth marketing leader. Kristen has a proven track record that includes creating, leading, and executing strategic, data-driven campaigns and overall marketing performance for fast-growth startups.  

Kristen was the ninth employee and head of marketing at Wonderschool, where she helped to grow the company to upwards of 85+ employees. Wonderschool was recognized as a “Most Innovative Company by Fast Company;” listed in A16z’s list of “Top 100 Marketplace companies;” and noted by IAB as a “Top 100 Direct Brand Service to Watch.” 

Kristen is a double Bruin, having earned her BA from UCLA and her MBA at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. 

Jarrod Barnes, Emerson Collective 

Jarrod Barnes currently serves as an Investor with Emerson Collective. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Jarrod began his career as a college football coach at the Ohio State University and Clemson University and would go on to work in an NFL Front Office with the Los Angeles Rams. Prior to joining Emerson Collective, Jarrod was a Venture Fellow at Unshackled Ventures, Investment Partner with the Dorm Room Fund, and the first hire for the Minority Entrepreneurship Institute, a non-profit incubator founded by NFL Athlete, Jaylon Smith. 

Jarrod is passionate about all things ed tech and future of work and previously founded Prime U, a learning and development platform for sports teams, and the Athlete Development Lab, an athlete venture studio and community for sports tech professionals. Jarrod is a proud alum of Ohio State University and the University of Louisville and is currently completing his Doctorate in Learning Design at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. 

Sanjay Reddy (FEMBA ’97) 

Sanjay Reddy is a co-founding partner of Unlock Venture Partners, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology investments in Seattle and Los Angeles. He has over two decades of corporate leadership, investment and advisory experience and a deep expertise in the areas of media, tech, and finance. He has demonstrated successes and advises clients in diverse arenas, including venture capital, technology, corporate development, entertainment, and digital media.  

Sanjay is an early-stage investor in technology companies. His diverse background includes having served as a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences National Primetime Emmy Awards Committee and on its interactive media peer group’s executive committee, as well as having produced a Top 20 Billboard Rap Single. 

Sanjay holds a B.A. in economics from Cornell University and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He is a member of the advisory board at the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at UCLA Anderson, as well as a board member of the organization Swipe Out Hunger, a leading nonprofit addressing hunger among college students. 

Saujin Yi (’07) 

Saujin Yi is the founder and CEO of Liquid, a venture-backed fintech and future of work startup building the operating system for agile businesses and their global contractor-vendor networks. She is also a founding partner of 79 Studios, an agency providing operational support and capital to underrepresented entrepreneurs. 

 A strategic, results-oriented, hands-on early-stage company executive, Saujin has advised numerous startups in the tech, media and retail industries. She has more than 13 years of experience and expertise in e-commerce (subscription, digital distribution), strategic planning, corporate development, finance, business intelligence, product management (Web, mobile, PC client) and marketing. Previously, Saujin was SVP of strategy and product and GM of digital at GameFly Inc., the leading online video game rental subscription service in the U.S., where she ran strategy, business development, analytics, product, digital and media teams.  

Saujin holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT and an MBA from UCLA Anderson, where she was a Venture Fellow, working at ZelnickMedia and Redpoint Ventures.