About us

 

SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR,

DATA SCIENTIST, & INVESTOR

 
 
 

KEVIN NOVAK

  • Founder of Rackhouse VC

  • Uber's first head of Data Science

  • Inventor of Uber's dynamic pricing product

  • Chief Data Officer for Tala Financial

He served as Uber’s first Head of Data Science, its first Head of Data Science Platform, and was one of the early members of a Uber Freight (Uber’s innovative freight marketplace). Kevin was the inventor of Uber’s dynamic pricing product, and holds several patents around GPS points processing, marketplace optimization products, and using data science to improve the mobile experience. He has also served as Chief Data Officer for Tala Financial, an alternative underwriting lender, helping the world recognize the creditworthiness of those without traditional financial identities. Kevin has invested in firms like Standard Cognition, Volley Automation, and several dozen others. He was one of the founders of the Greylock Data Science Community and regularly advises universities around the US on data science curricula.

 

jan crisostomo

Operating Partner

Jan was previously a partner at Neo where she advised portfolio companies on recruiting/people ops and oversaw strategic recruiting & community programs, including the Neo Scholars program. She proudly spent the last 15 years as an operator, building world-class recruiting functions for Sentry, Google, Dropbox, and Bessemer Venture Partners. When she's not crafting awkward third-person bios, she enjoys reading, coaching, and mindfulness. She is experienced in toddler negotiation, and is a certified Tantrum Whisperer. 

Emma Michaelson

CHIEF EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Emma is a driving force behind Rackhouse’s exceptional efficiency. Drawing from a wealth of experience at Ernst & Young and Google, Emma is known for her exceptional organizational finesse and innovative problem-solving skills. Her meticulous orchestration of operations contributes daily to the seamless functioning and continued success of Rackhouse. Emma is also a certified health coach passionate about promoting holistic modalities to wellness. A writer at her core, she has aspirations to someday publish a children’s book. She stays informed on the forefront of psychedelic therapy, and as an avid traveler, yoga enthusiast, and culinary maestro, her diverse interests embody the energetic spirit she brings to every endeavor.

TONI ALEJANDRIA

Community

Toni is a leading community builder and experience designer with a background in marketing bringing years of experience with organizations including Summit Series, REALITY, and startups like Zenreach and Tilt. Her skills have brought her around the world working with partners and companies in countries including the United States, Costa Rica, Mexico, Israel, and more. She brings a unique approach to the Rackhouse team cultivating the LP and portfolio company communities and managing fund operations.

 

MOLLY NASKY

FRACTIONAL CFO

Molly is a fractional CFO and she advises firms ranging in size from $10M AUM to $800M AUM on matters related to accounting, tax, compliance and back office management.  She has worked in the venture industry for 25 years including 6 years as the original CFO at Techstars where she led the creation of the back office and finance function to support the growth of the global accelerator programs and related funds.  

 

JAI RANGANATHAN

VENTURE PARTNER

Jai Ranganathan is the Chief Product Officer of Motive, a high growth company focused on solutions for companies in the physical infrastructure space where he builds solutions in areas ranging from AI based cameras to financial services. Prior to that, Jai served variously at Uber, Cloudera and VMware. Jai's areas of focus include data / AI products, marketplaces and SaaS businesses and has functional expertise in product management, pricing, performance / product marketing and business strategy.

KOFI ASANTE

VENTURE PARTNER

Kofi is the VP of Strategy and Business Development at Elroy air, an aerospace startup building an autonomous vertical take-off and landing system that can deliver 300 lbs of cargo over a 300-mile range. Prior to Elroy Air, Kofi was at Uber on the team that launched Uber freight. Kofi also serves as a board member at the Tufts Entrepreneurship Center.

 

Pepper

Chief Barketing Officer

Pepper is the spirit behind Rackhouse making sure everyone takes their breaks and remembers to play. She loves treats, visitors, and playing in the backyard.

GAURAV BHARGAVA

VENTURE PARTNER

Gaurav works as the Chief Risk Officer at Earnin. Prior to Earnin Gaurav has worked/ advised at multiple start ups and bigger financial institutions. He has worked in consumer financial industry over 15 years with portfolios spanning in 4 continents and products ranging from credit cards, personal loans, mortgages to deposit accounts. Gaurav holds a Bachelor’s of Technology from IIT- India, Masters in operations research from NCSU and MBA from Wharton School of Business.