Mike Edelhart
Managing Partner
Mike has been active in tech journalism, product testing, startups, and VC for over four decades. In the 1980s, Mike helped found PC Magazine and other Ziff-Davis computer magazines, oversaw the Ziff product testing labs, and later was Ziff's Executive Vice President. At SoftBank, he directed content for the Seybold, Interop, and Comdex conferences. Mike has been CEO at many startups, including Olive Software, Inman News, and Zinio. In the early 2000s, Mike was a partner at Redleaf, a corporately-backed multi-stage VC fund. Mike has consulted for Bloomberg, Reuters, and AARP, authored more than 20 books, and currently hosts Inception, a podcast about how startups are created, funded, and ultimately, win. He is located in San Francisco and is also the Managing Partner of Joyance Partners.
Patrick Nicoll
General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer
Patrick has a broad transactional legal background and has worked on various types of deals including project finance, capital markets, bankruptcy, and restructuring. Patrick was an attorney at the New York office of Latham & Watkins and studied law at the University of Notre Dame Law School. Patrick is an avid sports fan, supporting most NYC teams and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He is located in New York City. Patrick is also COO of Joyance Partners.
JUN DENG
INVESTMENT PARTNER
Jun is a Ph.D. by training with over a decade of VC experience. This versatile background gives her deep expertise in MedTech, Healthcare, Consumer, and Biotech investment, with a global perspective and a diverse portfolio across North America, Europe, and Asia. Jun has led multiple successful exits, including Volumetric (acquired by 3D System), Osmosis (acquired by Reed Elsevier), and Loop Genomics (acquired by Element Biosciences). Jun has supported some of the most visionary and transformative companies in the biotech industry, sits on the board of various healthcare companies, and shares her insights with aspiring entrepreneurs at Singularity University, NYU’s Endless Frontier Labs, and BioDesign of Stanford. Jun enjoys exploring nature around the Bay Area, cooking, and gardening. She is also an Investment Partner at Joyance Partners.
bradley welch
INVESTMENT PARTNER
Bradley has been a venture investor and operator for over a decade. He was a Partner at Tusk Ventures in NY and an Investment Partner at Morpheus Ventures. Bradley holds a BA in Economics from Duke University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He wrote his master’s thesis on how startups can leverage Artificial Intelligence to find product market fit. As an operator, Bradley built AI product roadmaps for Argus until the startup was acquired by Continental AG. Prior, he was a Principal at BMW iVentures in Silicon Valley, leading VC and growth equity investments. He spent his early career on the Equity Capital Markets desk at Morgan Stanley, where he was the bank’s Technology Sector Specialist. He is located in New York City. When he’s not working, he can be found backcountry skiing or waiting in line for Trader Joe’s chocolate peanut butter cups. He is also an Investment Partner at Joyance Partners.
Andrew Nealon
Chief Analyst, PARTNER
Andrew has been managing technology development in New York City for over a decade. Before Joyance, he was the principal of operations for the New York development firm Insert Culture, which he founded to serve the brand’s growing API and data development needs. He oversees special projects, data analysis, and portfolio companies' technical needs. He holds an MS in Media Management and Theory from the New School, and a BA in Speech and Rhetoric from Oregon State University, and splits his time between New York City and a home overlooking the Hudson Valley in Westchester. He is also the Chief Analyst and Partner at Joyance Partners.
CHARLES C. SMITH
VENTURE PARTNER
Charles has been an active NY angel investor since the mid-2000s who has invested in more than a dozen companies, and has worked for and sat on the boards of ten more. He founded Extension Entertainment, a social music discovery platform. He is the owner of The Ineo Group LLC. Charles spent three years as the Vice President of Etsy Inc., was Vice President of Sales at Tacoda, and Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Planning at RealMedia. He is also a Venture Partner at Joyance Partners.
yang chen
VENTURE partner
Yang began her career as a researcher in Neuroscience, Sensory Science, and Public Health. Due to her lifelong passion for food, her interest eventually shifted from neurovascular coupling to multisensory flavour perception. Yang holds a PhD from the University of Copenhagen, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a BSc from the University College London. Yang focuses on companies in healthcare, bioscience, and foodtech. She is passionate about technology transfer and helping entrepreneurs pioneer new frontiers. Outside of work, Yang is a trained chef and enjoys exploring the world of fermentation and foraging. She is also a Venture Partner at Joyance Partners.
Jenna Jung
Investment PRINCIPAL
Jenna is a consumer health investor interested in startups innovating in beauty, CPG, wellness, sustainable materials, and femtech. Prior to Joyance, Jenna graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Management Science & Engineering. While at Stanford, she worked for retail and skincare-focused startups, Bosch's corporate venture capital fund in Sunnyvale, and Stanford Hospital's research department of otolaryngology. She is passionate about gender equity and reproductive rights, and she believes that venture success can come without sacrificing making the world a better place. Jenna is also a photographer, artist, manicurist, and proud native New Yorker, and an Investment Principal at Joyance Partners.
Nicole Staudinger
Chief Communications officer
Nicole has more than a decade of experience helping companies refine, streamline, and optimize their communications systems. Most recently, she served as the Marketing and Communications Ambassador between care providers and patients at the Oregon Patient Safety Commission. Prior, she consulted with the Journalism Accelerator, where she facilitated community networking to encourage sustainability practices for journalists. Nicole implements change through innovative media strategy by contributing her time and expertise to a variety of social justice and environmental nonprofits. She is located in Burlington, Vermont. Nicole is also the Chief Communications Officer for Joyance Partners.
ETHAN EDELHART
DATA ASSISTANT
Ethan is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Prior to joining the team, Ethan helped design middle school curriculum for Summit Public Schools. At Social Starts, he helps build tools for investor coordination and outreach. In his free time, Ethan enjoys going for hikes, playing KenKen, and taking drives along the Pacific coast. Ethan is also a Data Assistant for Joyance Partners.
SONIA DEWAR
investment partner
Sonia received her bachelor's degree from Victoria University in New Zealand and UC Berkeley, where she studied cognitive sciences, psychology, and legal studies. She also holds a master’s degree in neuroscience from the University of St. Andrews, where she conducted dementia research. While working in neuroscience labs she engaged in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation studies, behavioral interventions, clinical research, and cell culture experiments. Two co-authored dementia research publications are currently under peer review. Before her degrees, Sonia worked in project coordination and process automation at Downer Engineering. In her free time, Sonia is a Pilates enthusiast and an avid hiker, enjoying multi-day camping trips. Sonia is fluent in English, Italian, and German. She is also an Investment Partner at Joyance Partners.
William Lohse
Founder Emeritus
William is an industry pioneer, having begun his career in the days of pre-Apple hobbyist computers. After founding and selling TimeLine software company to Symantec, he became the turn-around publisher of PC Magazine and president of Ziff Davis Publishing. Lohse founded Ziff/SOFTBANK Forums. In 1990, he began Software Venture Partners, an angel fund which, among other unicorns, invested in the first round of Pinterest. Bill started venture investing in 2010, which led to the founding of the Social Starts fund in 2012, and Joyance Partners in 2017.