PEOPLE

DOUG SMITH - MANAGING PARTNER

An accomplished business strategist, company advisor, and investor, Doug has worked with a wide portfolio of companies in eCommerce, cloud technology, biotechnology, consumer health, education, and pharmaceutical industries.

He has significant experience taking data-oriented projects from ideation to deployment. This ranges from developing predictive models to creating generative AI and Large Language Model (LLM) powered applications. Doug aligns this skill with his venture capital and private equity expeirence to help ensure that projects are efficiently tracked from a financial lens.

Doug was formerly the Director of Operational Improvement and Strategy with UMA Education. While working with UMA, he led cross-functional business improvement initiatives in portfolio companies, including launching several new academic programs, developing predictive models, streamlining employer-partner relationships, and developing innovative graduate placement solutions. He also took part in merger and acquisition efforts.

He assisted MLB's Tampa Bay Ray's ownership group with the ideation of potential events and community engagement initiatives alongside other members of Synapse.

He was invited to the invitation-only Startupbus leaving Florida in 2012. His team was awarded 2nd overall, with BumperCrop beating out 50+ teams and 10 cities in the national competition judged at SxSW.

Doug has experience with business analysis and investment analysis from his time at Ballast Point Ventures. Ballast Point Ventures is a growth equity venture capital fund based in the Tampa Bay region in Florida with $550 million under management. While at Ballast Point he reviewed over 2,000 companies for potential investment by the fund.

Doug has his Master's in Entrepreneurship from the University of South Florida, ranked the #5 best Entrepreneurship Program by Princeton Review in 2008. Doug received his bachelor’s degree from Eckerd College with a major in Economics and minors in Finance and International Business. He also is an alumnus of the Woodberry Forest School.Active investments in technology companies operating in the Augmented Reality, Predictive Medical AI, Insurtech, Cloud Communications, On-Demand Services, Automated Marketing, and Legaltech space.