2025 Hall of Fame Inductees
Presented By: Unison Risk Advisors/RCM&D
Phil Bronner
Managing Partner
Ardent Venture Partners
Phil Bronner is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ardent Venture Partners, with more than two decades of experience in venture capital, entrepreneurship, and management consulting. He has backed category-defining companies in B2B fintech, marketplaces, and vertical SaaS, always with a focus on helping founders build enduring, impactful businesses.
He currently serves on the boards of Verituity, Incentivio, ExecOnline, and OneMain Financial, and has invested in companies including Crux Climate, Givebutter, and Method Financial. Earlier in his career, Phil led successful investments in 2U, Infoblox, SolidFire, and AddThis. He also founded and sold Quad Learning, bringing an operator’s perspective to his work as an investor.
A proud graduate of Carnegie Mellon, Penn Law, and Wharton, Phil combines technical expertise, legal and business acumen, and a passion for innovation. He’s recognized not only for his track record of results, but for his commitment to partnering with diverse entrepreneurs to shape the next generation of industry leaders.
Alain Chetrit
Chairman Emeritus
LabConnect Inc.
Alain Chetrit is a seasoned entrepreneur and global impact leader with more than three decades of experience launching and scaling ventures across for-profit and nonprofit sectors. He is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of the Knowledge Impact Network (KIN), a nonprofit that empowers business leaders to repurpose their expertise for the greater good. KIN partners with mission-aligned communities, including YPO, to address pressing global challenges.
Alain’s entrepreneurial journey spans industries. He co-founded LabConnect, a global clinical trial services company accelerating drug development, and Brochet Capital Partners, a hedge fund focused on public equities. He also helped launch the first freestanding Hugo Boss retail stores and created one of the earliest ISPs for apartment communities.
A long-standing YPO leader, Alain founded the YPO Global Impact initiative and continues to serve internationally. Today, he is spearheading the YPO Knowledge Pledge Community, mobilizing knowledge, capital, and data for high-impact global projects.
Jeff Grass
CEO
HUNGRY Marketplace, Inc.
Jeff is an entrepreneur and engaged leader driven by big, game-changing ideas that can make the world a better place. He believes purpose-driven, people-centered, and goal-oriented organizations are best positioned to succeed, and he pursues bold visions with courage, conviction, and positivity. Beyond business, he is a husband and father of two remarkable children whose character, independence, and fearlessness inspire him daily to keep perspective and stay focused on what matters most.
Over the past two and half decades, he has co-founded and led four VC backed ventures, including HUNGRY Marketplace, LiveSafe, buySAFE, and PayMyBills.com. Over this time, he has raised approximately $200 million in venture funding and has had three successful exits. At HUNGRY, he has been driving a lot of acquisition deals, having recently acquired major competitors NatureBox, Garten and Foodee. HUNGRY is now positioned as both a fast growth B2B Food Tech platform for workplace food solutions and a major consolidator in the office food space. He actively serves on boards and advisory groups for James Madison University, the INOVA Health Foundation, MeaningfulGigs and other organizations, while maintaining a long-standing membership in YPO. His expertise spans entrepreneurship, leadership, strategy, venture capital, innovation and dealmaking.
James Quigley
Founder and CEO
GoCanvas
James Quigley is the Founder and CEO of GoCanvas, with a distinguished career in building successful wireless and technology companies. Before launching GoCanvas, he served as Vice President and Managing Director at inCode Wireless, later acquired by VeriSign, and contributed to the growth of startups including Aether Systems, Orbcomm, and Peak Technologies. Over his career, James has been recognized among the “Top 50 CEOs” by the Center for Innovative Technology, named one of the top 20 global executives in his field by CLO Magazine & World Supply Chain Forum, and honored with InformationWeek’s Business Innovation “IT Hero” award. He also led a team that developed a mobile solution used to track global pandemics, which earned Motorola’s Wireless Solution of the Year Award.
In addition to his entrepreneurial work, James serves on several boards, co-founded Refraction, and contributes to economic development in Northern Virginia. A former U.S. Naval Reserve Officer, he holds a B.S. in Marine Engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
Nneka Ukpai
Venture Partner, Founder, Harvard Law Lecturer
Springboard | My Founder’s Keeper
Nneka Ukpai is an investor, advisor, and entrepreneur whose career spans law, finance, and technology. She serves as a Co-founding Venture Partner at Springboard Enterprises with 28 IPOs, Board Member at Laxxon Medical with over 230 patents, Advisor at Kevin Durant's Passbook Ventures, and Shareholder at 1/0 Capital. A two-time tech founder and angel investor, she has supported startups and accelerators across industries while also helping create My Founder's Keeper and Better Opportunity Fund, both dedicated to closing racial and gender wealth gaps.
Previously, Nneka was Head of Financial Innovation at Better, the fastest fintech to surpass $100 Billion in funded volume, where she led cross-functional teams to reduce barriers to homeownership and improve borrower experiences. Earlier, she practiced law as a senior associate at a global firm, specializing in high-stakes, multi-jurisdictional enforcement actions.
A proud Howard University and Harvard Law School alumna, Nneka now serves as teaching faculty on Harvard’s Trial Advocacy Workshop. Since 2015, she has advised on transactions totaling more than $1Bn.