Meet the team

We are experts at building new ventures. Our team can dream big with you and dive into the gritty details of making those visions real.

Who we are

We are also family founders, marathon runners, martial art champions, behavioral science nerds, pundit makers, and world explorers.

We believe, together, we can create magic. Join us in solving hard problems and reimagining the built world.

90+
Years of industry expertise

Adam Pase

Co-Founder & General Partner

Chris Kelly

Co-Founder & General Partner

Matt Zisow

Partner & Head of Platform

Celine Ta

Product Lead

Cristina Jain

VP, Product

Kyle Shank

VP, Engineering

James Wyman

VP, Finance

Petr Kaplunovich

Product Design Lead

Rene Chen

VP, Venture Development

Robert McDonald

Venture Development Lead

View opportunities

Work with us

Explore open roles

Our vision

Is to build a Studio of Studios that produces top decile returns for investors by supercharging founders with focus, funding and unfair strategic and operational advantage. Beyond the Studio, we support innovators and entrepreneurs everywhere by generously sharing industry best practices, processes and resources.

Our values

Bold

We are builders who share optimism and confidence in our ability to solve big problems in unprecedented ways. We are motivated by the pursuit of the impossible and have unreasonable expectations for how quickly we can realize our ambitions.
“The best way to predict the future
is to create it.”

Intentional

We are deliberate about everything we do - how we navigate ambiguity, allocate our time, collaborate with partners, identify areas of improvement, recognize moments of celebration, and optimize our model for repeated success.
“Success by design,
not by chance.”

Creative

We are inventive and rebellious to our core. We question the status quo, pursue out-of-the-box solutions, and work through or around obstacles that might otherwise impede our progress.
“See what others can see and think what no one else ever thought”

Humble

We are proud of our collective experience but continually strive to be better, both individually and professionally. We understand we cannot build great things without constantly learning and knowing when to ask for help.
“If you want to run fast, run alone. If you want to run far, run together.”

Genuine

We care about the people we work with, not just as professionals, but as fellow humans. We strive to be grounded, honest, kind, and supportive, even during the most challenging stages of the founding journey.
“Authenticity is the highest
form of being.”

Join us

If you are interested in joining our team, please contact us.

Explore open roles

Matt Zisow

Partner & Head of Platform

As Partner and Head of Platform, I work with our studio team to identify, assess and launch startups while assisting our founders in developing their teams and products. My career began in the business world, with 3.5 years at McKinsey and 5 years at Berkshire Partners, where I helped launch Stockbridge (now a multi-billion-dollar public equity fund). From there I moved into the startup world, serving as COO of one venture-backed startup (CustomMade) and founder/CEO of another (HelloShopper). These experiences led me to Wayfair, where I spent 7 years leading consumer Product, Design, Analytics and Merchandising for a 600-person technology org delivering digital experiences to millions of customers around the world, supporting the company’s growth from $3B to $13B. At Gemini, I draw on my experience and network to help us bring great companies to life, and help them thrive.

FAVORITE THINGS IN LIFE

My wife and three kids, our two adorable (if at times unruly) dogs, skiing, chess, world travel and continual learning.

MOST NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Keeping a large, globally distributed team motivated, aligned and connected through COVID – by far the most difficult and fulfilling challenge I’ve had as a leader.

Adam Pase

Co-Founder & General Partner

As General Partner and Co-Founder of Gemini, I deploy my experience and network to help our founders and portfolio companies move faster and scale more ambitiously. I’ve started and led multiple ventures across the public and private sectors, including Notarize the first online notarization platform.  Through these experiences, I employed hundreds of people on high-performing teams, raised over $300M in capital from top investors, built long-term partnerships with leading global brands, and created more than $1B in equity value while transforming how people experience life’s most important moments - such as buying or selling a home. In my role, I drive the Studio’s strategic vision and work alongside world-class founders to navigate the complexity of going from zero to scale.

FAVORITE THINGS IN LIFE

My wife and six-year-old daughter, tennis/golf/running/skiing, exploring new foods and cultures, sci-fi movies (when I get to choose), serving as an amateur tour guide for my hometown of Kansas City

MOST NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Enabled first-ever online real estate closing and will execution; “40 under 40” award recipient for political entrepreneurship; named 1 of 9 “blue chip” staffers on Capitol Hill by Roll Call Magazine

Chris Kelly

Co-Founder & General Partner

As General Partner and Co-Founder of Gemini, I leverage my deep network and in-the-trenches experience to supercharge founders and portfolio companies. I've started dozens of ventures, most notably Convene and Evojets, employed thousands of employees, received hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, and helped drive $1B+ of revenue.  In my role, I support founders as they navigate high consequence decisions and provide them with access to critical resources, clients, and partnerships.

FAVORITE THINGS IN LIFE

My wife and two young children, competitive endurance racing, mountain sports, YPO, drumming, cooking, amateur photography, backpacking around the world (in a former life)

MOST NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2x nominee for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year®, CoreNet Global Young Leader of the Year, Top Entrepreneur by Crain’s New York Business, 2x Inc. Magazine “30 Under 30” list of Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs

Celine Ta

Product Lead

I help ventures quickly home in on product-market fit through iterative product discovery research and prototyping. I pride myself on connecting the big picture to implementation details and being an easy collaborator. Over the past 5 years, I've helped spark and shape strategic transformations at a wide range of startups and institutions, including Harvard Business Review and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. At Gemini, I'm excited to tackle complex problems at the intersection of infrastructure and socioeconomics.

FAVORITE THINGS IN LIFE

Food experiments with friends, travel, musical theater and live shows, dance, behavioral economics, crafts

MOST NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENT

Co-launched a systems innovation hub for New York / New England as part of a global network

Cristina Jain

VP, Product

As VP, Product at Gemini I help identify our next big ideas and transform them into market-ready products that serve both customer needs and business growth exceptionally well. I work in lockstep with our studio team, our founders, and our target users.

I started my career as an early employee at RueLaLa where I played a crucial role in building operations and systems that led to 25x revenue growth. I then drove Customer Experience transformation for Fortune 500 companies at Forrester Research before relocating to San Francisco where I worked on two series A IoT products (Olio Devices and Juicero). I merged my passion for tech and fine wine at Vinfolio, transforming the entire company from a pen-and-paper orientation into one that could scale growth through intelligent systems and data, resulting in 4x revenue growth in 3 years. I returned to Boston in 2020 as a Product Director at Wayfair overseeing fintech, payments, and loyalty. I completed my MBA at Harvard Business School and have a bachelor's degree in Psychology from The George Washington University.

FAVORITE THINGS IN LIFE

My husband and two kids, trail running and Ashtanga yoga, solving hard problems, and booking a flight into one country and out of another with no itinerary

MOST NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENT

Building the first direct-to-consumer global fine wine exchange, creating a complex workflow management system in Excel that was systematized and now manages more than $1B in revenue, leading a large team through cultural and process change as we evolved from a single location to 10 cities across 3 countries.

James Wyman

CFA, MBA

VP, Finance

I am an experienced finance professional and entrepreneur with over a decade of startup, corporate finance, and fundraising experience. Prior to joining Gemini Ventures, I was the CFO of 1Health, an end-to-end software platform designed to optimize the workflows and capabilities of clinical laboratories in the diagnostic testing industry. In 2015, I cofounded Pillo Health, a healthcare technology company that I sold to Stanley Black & Decker in 2020.

In a previous life I worked at Morgan Stanley Investment Bank and was the VP of Partnerships and a board member of InSITE, a competitive fellowship program focused on strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem in New York City. I completed my MBA at Columbia Business School and have a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Brown University.

FAVORITE THINGS IN LIFE

My wife and daughter, traveling to “hard-to-reach” destinations around the world, wildlife conservation, hosting BBQ’s (in South Africa we call them Braai’s) and singing... mainly when nobody’s listening.

MOST NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Building & selling Pillo Health, patenting the Pillo Healthcare Services solution, winning the CFO Leadership Council’s 2019 “Emerging CFO Leader” award, and becoming a founding member of the F-suite.

Petr Kaplunovich

Product Design Lead

I focus on helping ventures crystalize product vision and design their first end-to-end customer experience to achieve product-market fit. Before Gemini, I spent four years at Google where I helped the News team create its design vision and launch products used by millions of users and thousands of publishers. In addition to designing at scale, I’ve been an early employee at several high-growth Boston startups such as Catalant and Lola, where I collaborated closely with founders to design, prototype, and iterate on digital product experiences that users love.

Favorite things in life

Music, chess, travel, video games, art

Most notable accomplishment

Core contributor to Google News redesign in 2018 - my work was presented on the main event stage of Google IO

Rene Chen

VP, Venture Development

I drive activities and strategies to transform raw ideas into well-loved products in the real world. My goals are to both help the studio team master and execute this transformation process and to serve as the best possible partner to our founders. Prior to Gemini, I helped many Fortune 500 companies (such as Coca-Cola and Fidelity) future-proof their teams and businesses through strategic innovation projects using design-thinking and rapid experimentation. I have also been an active member of the vibrant Boston startup scene and a design leader and team builder at multiple high-growth technology startups such as Catalant and Ecovent. At Gemini, I am excited to combine my startup agility and innovation rigor to help founders solve complex problems, avoid costly mistakes, and achieve product-market fit faster.

Favorite things in life

Exploring new places with family and friends, martial and visual arts, maker projects (glassblowing, pottery, woodworking, graffiti), and street food

Most notable accomplishments

U.S. Taekwondo champion (2011, 2012) and represented the U.S. at several world championships; 20 Women in Tech (Boston, 2016)

Robert McDonald

Venture Development Lead

At Gemini, I focus on sourcing and qualifying new opportunities and helping validate early-stage studio ventures. Prior to joining the studio, I spent my entire career-to-date in real estate at both the asset and investment-vehicle level. Identifying inefficiencies in real estate market structures and creating innovative and accretive data/technology-driven solutions is my passion.

At Gemini, I am most excited to be surrounded by such a passionate and high-caliber team. Bringing frontier business design concepts (and validation methodologies) to the real estate world is a dream for me - and at Gemini, a reality.

Favorite things in life

Playing and listening to music, photography, art (pretty much all kinds), running/snowboarding, the sticks and bricks of real estate, and spending time with friends and family.

Most notable accomplishments

Successfully launched a consulting business catering specifically to the proptech and real estate investment management industries where I advised a range of real estate investors and advisors on portfolio company diligence.

Kyle Shank

VP, Engineering

As the VP of Engineering at Gemini, I help our companies develop and launch their products. I work closely with product, design and founding teams to build great experiences. I have founded two startups and joined two others (Drizly and Lola) as an engineering lead. As a consultant, I helped venture backed founders architect and implement their initial products, raise funding and recruit their engineering teams. At Gemini, I’m excited to collaborate with and have an impact on companies in the earliest stages of development.

Personal life and hobbies

Travel, running, soccer fan, dachshunds, podcasting

Most notable accomplishment

Launched the first Ruby on Rails IDE (RadRails) as an open source project used by over 150,000 developers within 6 months which was later acquired by Aptana.