OUR TEAM
Executive Director
Jeff Wesley
Jeff Wesley leverages deep operational and investment expertise to support technology entrepreneurs in Michigan.
Prior to joining MSU Research Foundation as part of its senior leadership team, Jeff was the CEO of Two Men And A Truck – the nation's largest local moving company. Wesley received national recognition as a top franchise executive at Two Men And A Truck. He also served as the President of Accu Bite Dental Supply, an Inc. 100 company that was acquired by a Fortune 500 company.
Jeff began his career as an Audit Manager at Deloitte. He gained significant experience in leading and scaling private companies to record success. He served on various economic and community boards including, Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) and is a member of the Lansing CEO Network.
Education
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY: B.S., Accounting
Activities & Affiliations
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Michigan Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Director, Portfolio Management
Pete Martin
Pete Martin works closely with the Michigan Rise portfolio companies, leveraging his entrepreneurial expertise to help startups scale, navigate growth challenges, and achieve successful exits. A former venture-backed founder, Pete is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and fostering innovation.
Previously, he served as Head of Connection at Michigan Founders Fund, where he played a pivotal role in cultivating a founders-first culture and accelerating the growth of Michigan’s startup ecosystem. Known for his hands-on approach, positive attitude, and deep understanding of the urgency founders face, Pete is committed to building meaningful connections and delivering impactful results to help entrepreneurs bring their visions to life.
Director, Venture Investments
Matt Okoneski
Matt Okoneski brings broad life science industry experience to Michigan Rise and is a strong proponent of elevating the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Michigan across all industries through early-stage investment and company building.
Matt comes from the Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund, where he worked as an analyst and supported several investments in seed stage life science spinouts from the University of Michigan. Other experience includes project management at the U-M Coulter Translational Research Program and regulatory affairs at Medtronic.
Education
University of Michigan: M.S., Medical Chemistry
University of North Carolina Wilmington: B.A., Chemistry / B.S., Marine Biology
Director, Venture Investments
Tommy Skinner
Tommy Skinner brings a founder-focused perspective to the Michigan Rise team. He has worked as a founder and alongside founders at scaling companies of varying sizes, from Pre-Seed through Series B. His core expertise is in software and e-commerce.
Tommy started his career as a CPA at Plante Moran. He went on to start a technology-enabled logistics company as the primary operator. He then found his way into early stage technology companies in the Midwest, primarily leading finance, operations, and strategy. Most recently, he cofounded an e-commerce integrations platform which continues to operate today (aloi.io).
EDUCATION
Bentley University: M.S., Accounting
Michigan State University: B.A., Accounting
Data Analyst
Abdel Diab
Abdel brings several years of experience in finance, investment analysis, and accounting to the Red Cedar Ventures and Michigan Rise team.
Abdel started his career at KPMG where he worked as senior auditor, working on a broad spectrum of industries, such as oil and gas, industrial manufacturing, hotels and lodging, automotive, and NGOs. During his time at KPMG, he also received his Certified Management Accountant, CMA designation. After that, he moved on to work as accounting manager for Scania for over three years.
Abdel moved to the US after he got a scholarship at Central Michigan University (CMU) where he graduates with a Masters of Economics in 2018. While studying at CMU, he worked as a management accountant for a small business and worked as a treasury analyst at Dart Container Corporation for over three years. At Dart, he managed a portfolio of investments and worked on variety of corporate finance/capital fund management projects; including cash management reporting. Abdel passed Level I CFA exam and continues to pursue the certification in the upcoming years.
EDUCATION
Damascus University: B.A., Accounting
Central Michigan University: M.A., Economics
Venture Associate
Katie Kirsch
Katie is a seasoned entrepreneur with a focus in medical devices and public health innovation. She is driven by a passion for creating value-based technology solutions that improve health outcomes and expand access to care for diverse populations.
With a background in consulting, Katie has advised both startups and large organizations on market strategy, partnership development, technology transfer, and early-stage operations. Her work includes collaborations with international and domestic organizations such as McGill University, UNICEF, and Michigan economic development groups to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems. She also co-founded a venture-backed startup in emergency medicine and a Web3 startup aimed at accelerating women's research.
EDUCATION
McGill University: Master of Management in International Health Leadership
Albion College: B.A., French and English
Venture Associate
Vikram Mohan
Vikram focuses on sourcing and conducting due diligence for investments in Michigan's startup ecosystem for the Red Cedar Ventures and Michigan Rise investment funds. Prior to joining the MSU Research Foundation, he worked as a Data Scientist for Ford's NASCAR team and as a Strategy and Operations Analyst at Ford Next, the company's new ventures division. Vikram also held a position as a Student Board Member at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Data Science. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics from the University of Michigan in 2021.
Venture Associate
John Tran
John Tran, Ph.D., is an experienced scientist with a background in early-stage startups and pre-seed investing. As a venture capital professional, he is driven by innovation that scales and takes pride in identifying founders building flywheels. His goals include understanding the current business traction that produces the catalyst for startups to reach their next inflection point and make them a great investment today. John has been recognized for his extraordinary commitment to excellence, equity, diversity, and inclusion in research and higher education by Michigan State University as a University Distinguished Fellow and Bouchet Honor Society Inaugural Inductee. For his Ph.D., he used CRISPR-Cas9 technologies to identify a potential gene target for enhancing the bioenergy trait of plants. A University of California, Davis, alum, John was a McNair Scholar before becoming a Spartan to build his venture career in life sciences and biotechnology. John’s experience throughout the venture ecosystem stack includes managing a startup accelerator program, assisting faculty technology spin-outs, and working for a Series A startup building a marketplace for open innovation. John is currently a venture analyst for the Red Cedar Ventures and Michigan Rise fund.
EDUCATION
University of California, Davis: B.S., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Michigan State University: Ph.D., Plant Biology
Venture Associate
Calvin VanderWal
Before joining Michigan Rise, Calvin served as a Tax Manager at Plante Moran assisting companies with tax compliance and transaction reporting in the private equity and commercial space. Calvin received his bachelor’s in accounting and Master’s in Business Administration from Central Michigan University, and is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of Michigan.
Education
Central Michigan University: B.A., Accounting; M.A., Economics