OUR TEAM
PHILIP LOEW, FOUNDER & CEO
Philip Loew has been known throughout his professional career as a champion for change, willing to challenge the status quo, and a super connector.
Having achieved rising success while also navigating his non-linear career path, Philip has experiences in multiple disciplines and environments.
Most recently, Philip was Senior Director and Head of Expansion for Activate, an entrepreneurial fellowship helping scientists to become leaders and in commercializing their groundbreaking research to market. During his tenure, he has secured over $20MM dollars and his expansion efforts have been recognized as smart investment opportunities, demonstrating that innovation clusters exist throughout the United States, not solely in richly-developed ecosystems.
In his earlier roles, Philip served as one of the youngest Associate Directors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he sourced, recruited, trained, and directly supported 500+ early-stage, deep-technology startups.
Prior to MIT, he served and led a team as the Senior Business and Program Manager for the New York City Regional Innovation Node (NYCRIN), a multi-institutional Node in the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) network.
Philip began his professional career as a banker within J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank.
Philip holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, with double minors in Interdisciplinary Arts of NYC and Sociology, magna cum laude, from the Macaulay Honors College and Baruch College of The City University of New York with a full scholarship.
KARRIGAN TURNER, PROGRAM OPERATIONS & DEVELOPMENT LEAD
Karrigan is a dynamic professional from Marion, Alabama with a background in Marketing and Public Relations from the University of Alabama.
She blends her passion for entrepreneurship, sustainability, and community-building to create robust systems and strategies that help businesses bring bold ideas to life.
Based in Alabama and Mississippi, Karrigan supports mission-driven ventures through both her professional role and consulting, where she partners with early-stage entrepreneurs to build scalable operations, marketing frameworks, and outreach strategies.
Whether building infrastructure behind the scenes or amplifying the voices of visionary changemakers, Karrigan is committed to shaping ecosystems where innovation and equity thrive.
Board of Advisors
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Alex Stepick
Vice President, Legal & General Counsel at Rocket Money
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Bijon Mehta
Chief Operating Officer, Jumptuit Group, Inc.
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David Lefer
Director of the Innovation and Technology Forum, Industry Associate Professor, NYU Tandon School of Engineering
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Fay Cobb Payton
CEO, Payton Services LLC
Special Advisor to the Chancellor on Inclusive Innovation and Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science - Rutgers University Newark
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Gilda Barbabino
President and Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Olin College of Engineering
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Lisa Burton
Vice President & Investor, HearstLab
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Luke Heywood
Director of Enrollment Management, The Stony Brook School
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Wellington Chen
Executive Director of the Chinatown Partnership
College Advocates
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Benjamin Botnik
HS attended: Stuyvesant High School
College attending: Macaulay Honors College at The City University of New York at Hunter CollegeFun fact: In addition to studying Neuroscience and being on the pre-med track, Benjamin loves chess and is wicked good at it!
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Fares Al-lahabi
HS attended: Ibn AlQayem Educational Complex in Saudi Arabia
College attending: Manhattan UniversityFun fact: Fares has a deep passion for tinkering with technology. He is a full-time student, works a full-time job, runs a company, and works a part-time job. Learn how he manages it all!
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Zoe Sperduto
HS attended: The Nightingale-Bamford School
College attending: Swarthmore CollegeFun fact: In addition to being a superstar, Zoe also has a radio show on Swarthmore's station (WSRN).
Ambassadors
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Charusmita Madan
Founder & CEO, Emerald Events
Senior Software Project Manager, Defense Contractor
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Luiggy Vidal
WIN’s amazing volunteer!
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Michelle Cadore
Founder & CEO, Da Spot NYC
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Sidney White
WIN Alum (Fall 2024)