Maria Malavenda
Maria Malavenda is co-founder and Managing Director of KOL Ventures, where she leads revenue operations, go-to-market transformation, exit strategy, post-acquisition integration, AI-enabled commercial workflows, and corporate development for PE-backed portfolio companies. She focuses on translating the investment thesis into an operational and commercial blueprint that holds from acquisition through exit. Her career is built on exits and acquisitions across B2B technology, healthcare, and financial services in North America, Europe, and Asia. As SVP of Strategy and Corporate Development at Monster Worldwide, she led multiple global acquisitions across a publicly traded platform. At ZoomInfo, she architected the $240M sale to Great Hill Partners and the path to a Nasdaq IPO. Four founder-led companies of her own, acquired by Microsoft, Bosch, IMG, and a top-tier global strategy consultancy. Partner-level work at Deloitte and EY. Board service across investment, healthcare innovation, and emerging technology. HBS EMBA. Brown AB in Economics.
Evan Silberhorn
As Managing Director of KOL Ventures, Evan helps private equity firms and portfolio companies translate value creation priorities into product strategy, AI-enabled workflows, and execution systems that drive measurable growth. He leads the firm’s work across product strategy, AI transformation, workflow redesign, and product and technology operating models, connecting customer reality, product direction, and go-to-market execution. Evan brings a blend of private equity portfolio operations, hands-on product leadership, startup execution, and boardroom strategy. Previously, he served as a Principal in Portfolio Operations at Five Arrows, Rothschild & Co’s private equity platform, where he partnered with portfolio leadership to deliver EBITDA growth and product innovation. Prior to that, he was a Principal at Boston Consulting Group, where he led enterprise transformations, new product incubation, and technology-enabled business building for Fortune 500 clients. Earlier, he co-founded EVVEMI, a digital health and wellness platform, where he served as COO and CPO. Evan holds a Bachelor of Science and MBA from Northeastern University and studied Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Dr. Steven Lundin
As Managing Director of KOL Ventures, Dr. Steven Lundin leads the firm’s sales evaluation work, helping private equity firms and portfolio companies assess sales motion, go-to-market execution, commercialization readiness, and exit preparedness. He partners closely with Maria on marketing positioning and revenue architecture, connecting what customers need, how the market is framed, and how sales teams convert demand into growth. Steve brings board-level strategy and hands-on operator execution, with experience across firms including Accel-KKR, Five Arrows, Willis Stein & Partners, Roper Technologies, and Terminus Capital Partners. He has contributed to more than $4 billion in transaction and liquidity value and has held executive leadership roles across venture-backed and private equity-backed software and technology companies, leading growth, product innovation, digital transformation, and commercialization initiatives. A published author, professional journalist, and frequent speaker at SXSW, PRSA, AMA, and AdFed, Steve has received numerous industry honors including Telly Awards, PRSA Best of Show, the BMA Tower Award, and recognition as one of iStreet Magazine’s Top 100 Technologists in Chicago. He holds a Doctorate from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree from Purdue University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Jessica Sanford
Jessica Sanford, Ph.D., helps private equity firms and portfolio companies evaluate the AI, engineering, security, and governance foundations required to scale safely in data-rich and regulated environments. A former CISO and VP of Engineering, she has built high-performing teams and architected secure, compliant systems across complex enterprise settings. At Amazon and BCG, Jessica led initiatives applying machine learning and AI to improve customer value while strengthening trust, compliance, and operational resilience. Her background spans data governance, platform engineering, enterprise security, and risk management, positioning her as a strategic partner for organizations navigating complex digital and AI transformations. Jessica combines boardroom fluency with technical rigor to help companies operationalize AI safely, effectively, and at scale.
Chris Maresca
Chris helps private equity firms and portfolio companies evaluate the technology architecture, data foundation, and engineering execution required to support revenue growth, AI acceleration, and exit readiness. He has served as CEO, COO, and CTO across technology businesses and brings hands-on technical depth with cross-functional operating experience across engineering, finance, go-to-market, and organizational design. Chris has supported private equity firms, corporate M&A teams, and venture-backed companies across SaaS, data analytics, healthcare technology, IoT, and AI/ML platforms. He has been involved in nine successful exits totaling more than $1.5 billion, including the $1 billion sale of Nokia’s firewall division to Check Point, and has led more than 50 enterprise transformations generating over $500 million in investor value. Previously, Chris co-founded Olliance Group, an open-source IP and technology strategy consultancy, and co-authored the CDDL license while contributing to GPLv3 development. He has served in executive and board roles across SaaS, IoT, fintech, and geospatial analytics companies and currently sits on the advisory board of Autobound.ai.
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