Leadership Team

Aparna Pujar is the Founder and CEO of Zemplee as well as an entrepreneur and product leader. She has diversified experience in product strategy, product management, technology, and general management. She specializes in conceptualizing and building internet and mobile technology products and platforms. At Zemplee, Aparna spearheads product, technology, and business functions, leveraging her in-depth experience in big data and AI. A well-timed sabbatical from eBay, where she previously worked as a Product Head and led several strategic initiatives in big data and AI, led her to take up entrepreneurship as her next adventure.

Prior to eBay, she was the Director of Media and Front Doors at Yahoo! and launched Yahoo!’s Sports and Entertainment Media verticals which were ranked Top 3 in their respective categories. Prior to Yahoo!, Aparna was Director of Ecommerce at Omnicell, where she started as an engineer and quickly rose to own general management responsibilities for their ecommerce platform. Aparna is an alumna of the Stanford Business School and has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Bangalore University and a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from Santa Clara University.

Gary is an award-winning senior-level executive with 28+ years of success in global strategic innovation, leadership, sales, marketing, operations, and investment management. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of the award-winning AI startup Yva.ai as well as the investment firm DY Investments. He raised $9.5 million to position his firm as the leading employee engagement company. Gary is a recognized expert in entrepreneurship, including entrepreneurial education, lean startup methods, innovation management, and technology development. He serves as a consultant to numerous international companies and startups and has extensive experience with fundraising through a successful IPO (CKSW). Gary has held numerous executive-level positions in top tier companies like ClickSoftware, Mirantis, Siemens, and HP. He is the founder of Fowler International, Tecra, Yva.ai, Findo, GSD Venture Studios, GVA LaunchGurus (Co-Founder), Fowler Development, Broadiant, DY Investments, and more.

Gary is also the founder of one of the top startup accelerator programs in Eastern Europe and a global speaker on topics such as bringing a company to Silicon Valley and what it takes to launch a successful startup.

He has won several awards for excellence in the region, is Co-Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce Technology Committee, is a TEDx speaker, and has conducted numerous international speaking engagements. Recently named one of the “Top Ten Most Influential AI Executives for 2019” as well as one of the “Top 30 Technology Executives to Watch,” Gary is a recognized industry expert on AI and a writer for Forbes magazine.

He is a venture-backed serial entrepreneur and has led several startups from concept to capital raising to IPO.

He has worked on technology commercialization initiatives and industry partnerships for a 40-nation, $1B+ fund, employing 26,000 scientists and engineers across 500 research institutions as a sales and marketing executive consultant.

Gary has extensive experience helping international companies enter the US market by developing business plans and sales strategies and assisting with C-level sales calls.

Derek is known for bringing revolutionary new ideas to organizations that deliver explosive growth and for being efficient with limited resources, as well as for his high tolerance for ambiguity and complexity.

He co-founded GSD Venture Studios in April 2019.

For over 15 years, Derek has blazed a high-impact career that has spanned startups, corporate, and non-profit organizations. Most recently, he served as the Chief Operating Officer for 360 Payments, driving the people, processes, technology, marketing, and finance for a $2 billion payments company.

As the growth strategist behind Bunker Labs USA, Derek transformed this non-profit, serving veteran entrepreneurs, into a premier national brand.

Prior to his time at Bunker Labs, Derek ignited immediate growth in a highly regulated industry as CEO of NextGenJustice, a social enterprise startup that served as an alternative to traditional legal venues. As a founding visionary and chief evangelist, he developed a product that grew its consumer base 50% for 17 of its 18 months in business.

Derek is passionate about breaking barriers, leading innovation, and inspiring people to believe they can achieve.

He has been a keynote speaker at the Military Defense and Veterans Opportunities Summit, One Spark Innovation Conference, and the International Conference on Business Incubation.

Beyond public speaking, Derek is also a mentor and startup business advisor.