Richard Bennett
Dynamic entrepreneur who co- founded Epicured in 2016 to translate scientific research into high-quality, accessible nutrition interventions. Previously created and led venture investments for Northwell Health to nurture health and wellness companies and widen the system’s ability to manage the health fo the community. Former COO of Latin America Corporate & Investment Banking for MUFG.
Saba Khan
Dr. Saba Khan, MD, MSCE, FAAP, is a renowned pediatrician and Assistant Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. She serves as the Director of The Food Pharmacy at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, an initiative she launched to combat food insecurity among children. Dr. Khan has more than 20 years of experience in pediatric care, specializing in childhood obesity, food is medicine solutions and social determinants of health. Her pioneering efforts in creating community-driven, patient-centric healthcare solutions have been recognized nationally.
Dani Chavez-Bello
A seasoned culinary expert with 28 years of experience in kitchens across Europe and the US. Former Executive Chef at Bouley. Nominated German “Chef of the Year” in 2011. Leads menu development in collaboration with Epicured’s Partners in Health to further our mission to heal through food.
David Gruppo
An investor and advisor of early-stage technology companies, David previously led the Latin American corporate and investment banking business for Japan’s largest financial institution where he built a team of over 100 finance professionals and a fixed income portfolio of over $20 billion invested across nine countries. Previous tenures include IBM, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley.
Justin Barry
A veteran in the start-up space, with experience building scalable processes that unlock growth. Previous company, Bond, acquired by Newell Rubbermaid in 2016. Optimizes internal operations and human capital strategies to set the stage for continued expansion. Leading $1.5M renovation of Epicured’s Healing Foods facility to support future growth.
Jon Cepeda
Brings years of expertise in culinary operations management, including 14 years at Michelin-starred Bouley. Manages all aspects of operations at Epicured’s Healing Foods facility, including personnel management, inventory and ingredient provisioning, and logistics. Led efforts to scale the Healing Foods team by 5x in the past five years.
Rob Mansfield
Marketing and advertising executive with a passion for client relations. Founder of Grassroots, a health food retail store at the heart of his Long Island community for 17 years, later acquired by Epicured. Leads Epicured’s wholesale division, nurturing relationships with key partners, including Amazon and Mount Sinai.
Kathleen Lavin
An accounting professional with over two decades of experience, serving at both large companies (Ogden Services Corporation) and small businesses in need of financial oversight and support. Oversees all financial reporting, general accounting, and cost accounting while building proper financial controls and process to mature operations.
Larry Clark
Previously served as CEO of Accordant Energy, with primary responsibility for establishing Accordant's long term strategic plan and overseeing the commercial, financial, legal, technical and regulatory efforts. Partners with institutional investors to provide consulting, executive management, and fiduciary services to companies in transition.
Governing Board
Devon George
As far back as he can remember, he has been passionate about the opportunity and impact of fringe ideas, the edge of complexity, and biological metaphors in information technology. He looks for under-appreciated or misunderstood tech-enabled companies across e-commerce, healthcare, logistics, media, SaaS—purpose-driven companies that will transform massive industries.
Bette Jacobs
Bette Jacobs is Professor, Health Systems Administration; Distinguished Scholar and co-founder at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law; and a Fellow and Visiting Professor at Campion Hall University of Oxford. A Native American whose body of work spans community, academic, service, and corporate leadership, she is recognized for contributions in successful start-ups, financial integrity, and interdisciplinary innovations.
Michael Ferrie
Michael Ferrie has 33 years of healthcare technology experience. Michael began his career at Shared Medical System (SMS) in May 1984 after graduating from St Joseph’s University with a degree in Finance and Information Systems. He spent his first eight years in development working on a data entry system for the SMS Patient Accounting System.
Advisors
Our Team
John Gorman
Chairman of Nightingale Partners, the nation’s first VC fund dedicated to Social Determinants of Health, which he founded in 2019 and sold in 2022. His work focuses on Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act strategy, governance, and health equity. Currently on the Board of Directors of Henry Ford Health System’s Health Alliance Plan.
Jessica Federer
One of the first Chief Digital Officers for the life sciences industry, leading the global digital transformation for Bayer A.G. across the Pharmaceutical, Consumer Care, Crop Science and Animal Health verticals. She was previously a Partner at Boston Millennia Partners. She currently serves on the board of Sage Therapeutics, Pluto Health, and Angelini Ventures.