John has been CEO of 7 companies, including 4 of his own venture‑backed startups, and he has been a senior executive or board member of several others. He has led these companies through multiple rounds and types of financings, through buy and sell side M&A events large and small, and through difficult restructurings and turnarounds. He has been a corporate venture capitalist (at Samsung and Fortive), where he invested in and incubated startups across a range of industries, and he taught venture transactions and startup mechanics in law school for nine years at Stanford and the University of Chicago.
In 2022, John synthesized his experience across law, finance, technology, and investing, and formed what became Hyalite Ridge Advisors. We are a reliable team of experts who can roll up our sleeves to accelerate growth, build the teams and processes necessary to get companies to their next level, guide and execute transactions, or diagnose and fix wobbly companies.
Some of John's relevant experiences include Hydrolix, Swiftly, Userflow, flyswat, Fortive, Samsung Next, and Stanford Directors College for Venture Capitalists. John has JD and MBA degrees from the University of Chicago and B.S. and M.Eng. degrees in electrical engineering from MIT.
As CEO of Big Edition and Livingly Media, she transformed digital media brands by launching new initiatives and leading M&A efforts that culminated in successful sales to corporate buyers. Earlier senior leadership roles at One Kings Lane and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. established her deep experience in operational efficiencies, financial discipline, and business intelligence initiatives. She began her career at Ernst & Young, building a solid foundation in compliance and M&A due diligence. Erica earned a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. Erica deeply empathizes with the emotional transition to a CEO role, and regularly advises others on the “intangibles” required of the position - both professionally and personally. She currently serves on the executive board of a large public high school education foundation.
Josh is a Go-to-Market and strategic operations expert with deep experience helping growth-stage and enterprise SaaS companies scale efficiently. As a senior leader and advisor to C-level executives, he has driven key initiatives across M&A due diligence, acquisition integration, product launches, and GTM transformations. With a broad background leading marketing, product, partnerships, and customer success teams, Josh brings a unique cross-functional perspective and excels at navigating complex initiatives. His past roles include positions at Ernst & Young, Intuit, AtHoc, and EZ Texting.
Brian is a healthcare executive, entrepreneur, and investor with expertise in launching, scaling, financing, and leading growing businesses. He draws from his multi-faceted background as founder CEO, private equity investor, board member, and lawyer for strategic perspective, organizational insights, and technical expertise across core business functions. Brian co-founded Aligned Modern Health, a pioneering business he conceived, led as CEO, and grew at a compound annual growth rate of 40%+ for more than a decade. Aligned Modern Health broke new ground in defining and growing the integrative health category, attracting tens of thousands of new patients, more than half of whom had never tried any of its services anywhere. Patients consistently award the company a net promoter score of 80+ due to its unique combination of outstanding clinical care and pragmatic support between visits for patients making difficult dietary or lifestyle changes needed to alleviate acute symptoms, address underlying root causes, and avoid more expensive and invasive interventions.
Prior to Aligned Modern Health, Brian was a Managing Director at LaSalle Capital Group where he made control private equity investments and served on the boards of multiple portfolio companies with EBITDA less than $10 million. Earlier in his career, he co-founded a sound identity business that sold to private equity and was an Associate at Wind Point Partners, a Chicago-based private equity group, where he had his first exposure to healthcare investing via acquisition of a 30-clinic physical therapy business. He began his career as an analyst in the investment banking division of Lehman Brothers.
Brian holds a BA in Economics from Northwestern University and a JD with High Honors from The Law School at the University of Chicago where he was a member of the Law Review and the Order of the Coif and a student fellow in the Olin Program in Law & Economics. He is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and lives in Evanston with his wife, two daughters, and an energetic standard poodle.
Marquis is a strategic operator and investor focused on early‑ to mid-stage growth, performance improvement, and transformation. He advises companies from startups to larger entities on strategy, go‑to‑market, and operational scaling while also actively investing in early-stage ventures. Previously at Indeed, he led teams across product commercialization, strategy, and transformation, guiding global product launches, product strategy, pricing, and business operations. His earlier leadership at Relativity, Aon, Management Recruiters International, and McKinsey & Company gives him a broad toolkit for complex change.
