Justin Mandel, Chairperson, Alleghenies Angel Fund – Justin leads the Fund’s activities on a day-to-day basis and focuses on generating investment opportunities for the Fund. He believes strongly in the investment thesis of early-stage entrepreneurial opportunity in the Allegheny region. Justin is also the President of the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Investors Alliance (AIA)and an experienced, commercial real estate developer with active projects across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and Virginia. Prior to moving to the Alleghenies region, he spent 10 years working with tech and telecom companies around the world to develop and execute growth and business strategies. Justin holds an AB in Government from Dartmouth College and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Columbia Business School. Justin lives in Hollidaysburg with his wife and three young children.

John Sider is the Director of Second Stage Capital for Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern Pennsylvania. In this role, Sider is responsible for assisting the Center’s portfolio companies in attracting additional investment capital from sources such as angel investors, institutional venture capital, banks and government sources. Previously, he was Managing Director of Statewide Initiatives for Pennsylvania’s four Ben Franklin Centers, where he played a central role in the conception, development, and passage of Pennsylvania’s 2013 “Innovate in PA” legislation which will provide $100 million in tax credits to fund a continuum of capital formation activities in the state. From 2005-2010 Sider worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development where he managed more than $400 million of venture capital and angel investor initiatives and was ultimately appointed Deputy Secretary for Technology Investment by Governor Rendell in 2009. Sider has also been Lending Group Leader at Community First Fund and a Branch Manager for two Fulton Bank branches in the City of Harrisburg. Sider is a graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois and earned his MBA from the Fox School of Business at Temple University. Sider lives in the City of Harrisburg with his wife and two children.