Capital Call with Catherine Mott and Sreekar Gadde of Blue Tree Venture Fund

Meet the presenter

Catherine Mott, Co-founder and Managing Partner of the BTVC Fund I, is also the founder of BlueTree Capital Group, BlueTree Allied Angels, and the BlueTree Venture Fund located in Pittsburgh, PA. Ms. Mott is the past Chairman of the Angel Capital Association (ACA) and the Angel Resource Institute and serves as a member of the ACA Public Policy Committee. Mott also is serving her fourth term as one of 21 individuals selected for the US SEC Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies (renamed Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee). Catherine currently sits on the board of C360 Technologies, Cytoagents, Innovation Works (BFTP), Thiel College, NextAct Fund, Pittsburgh Tech Council and previously occupied board seats with RedPath Integrated Pathology, ShoeFitr, ApartmentJet, Safest Seats, Figure 8, Anglr, Imprint, Peptilogics

Catherine has been a contributor to the Smart Business Magazine (Pittsburgh edition), plus she has been quoted or featured in many professional industry publications as one of the few women who represent the industry of venture capital – The New York Times, Wall St Journal, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Tribune Review, the Erie Times, PA KeyNotes, The Angel Journal, TEQ, Pop City, The Scientist. Prior to forming her own business, Catherine worked 17 years in corporate banking management where she served in senior management roles for investment sales/wealth management, commercial lending, business development, and retail expansion. Today, Ms. Mott uses these experiences and her education to bring together capital and prime investment opportunities. Catherine holds an MBA in Finance, a BS in Education, and a Masters’ Degree in Education.

Meet the presenter

Sreekar Gadde, a Managing Partner of BlueTreeVC, leverages his background in engineering, law, and business to identify, analyze, and mentor early-stage companies. In addition, he assists management teams of early- and mid-stage companies in developing an IP strategy that complements the company’s core business strategy. Sree’s work experience spans various fields including artificial intelligence (Edge Case Research, Aspinity, TalkMeUp, and Ariel Precision Medicine), medicine (Lindy BioSciences and CytoAgents), data analytics (BlastPoint), and consumer goods (Aeronics, Anglr, and Crafty Counter). Independent of industry, Sree works with companies to identify what differentiates them from their competition and leverage those aspects to create outsized growth opportunities.

Prior to joining BlueTree, Sree worked as an IP litigator and an IP prosecutor at two top law firms, Ropes and Gray and Sterne Kessler, as well as Assistance Chief IP Counsel for Dynamics, Inc. In addition, he was a validation engineer and team lead for Intel’s microprocessor design business unit. Sree holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, a JD from The George Washington University Law School, a Master’s and Bachelor’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering from CMU, as well as a Bachelor’s in Cognitive Science. John Sider is the Vice President of Business Development at 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.

Meet the presenter

John Sider is the Vice President of Business Development at 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.