About Us
VentureCapital.Org is owned and operated by the Wayne Brown Institute (WBI) 501 (c)(3) non-profit, the premier venture capital accelerator in the US.
For close to three decades, the Wayne Brown Institute (WBI), a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, has been a premier resource for both entrepreneurs seeking funding and for investors who want to help promising young companies achieve their potential. WBI has become the most efficient, cost effective, economic development organization in the country.
The Wayne Brown Institute’s mission is to improve the human condition through entrepreneurship for the purpose of creating new wealth, jobs, and tax base. WBI was the first organization of its kind to accomplish this by transferring knowledge, experience, contacts and capital from the world’s leading business and financial organizations to promising companies, the essence of commercialization.
Leadership Teams
Board of Trustees
*Debra Guerin Beresini, Wayne Brown Institute Chair-women, and CEO, International Venture Fund/invencor, inc. Her prior positions include technology funding and a senior vice president at Silicon Valley Bank. Guerin Beresini is past chair of the Arizona Venture Capital Conference. Her firm, invencor/International Venture Fund, inc. is a new, early-stage venture fund.
*Bradley B. Bertoch, President & CEO, Wayne Brown Institute. He is a leader in equity backed business development, and entrepreneurship. Under his direction, companies participating in WBI programs have raised over $5 billion in private and public equity and created or retained over 100,000 high tech jobs throughout the United States. Brad is a member of the SLC Angels, the Salt Lake Life Sciences Angels, the Park City Angels and the WBI Angels and was a venture partner with Hamilton Bio-Ventures Fund II. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
*Bob Gottdener, Senior Vice President, Merrill Lynch. Gottdener has over 40 years of investment experience. He graduated from the University of Illinois, and earned a certificate from the Securities Industry Association at the Wharton Business School. Gottdener specializes in working with high growth companies that have high potential to go public. While at Alex Brown he brought to fruition 16 IPO's. He is a member of Wayne Brown Institute's Cooperative Venturing Network and acts as a mentor for early stage companies.
*David Rudd, is a partner in the Business and Finance Department at Ballard Spahr LLP, partner-in-charge of the International Group, and a member of the Life Sciences/Technology, Energy and Project Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions/Private Equity, P3/Infrastructure, and Securities Groups. Mr. Rudd practices exclusively in the area of complex domestic and international business transactions in a wide variety of legal fields and industrial sectors. 
Richard Shanaman, Eagle Bay Advisors, Shanaman was vice chairman and CFO of American Stores, the second largest retailer in America. He, along with Wayne Brown, founded Utah Ventures. He is a director of Ceramatec, a high tech ceramics company, and of Lombard Investments, a large late-stage venture fund.
Ted Stanley, Dr. Stanley has been a Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Utah for the past 30 years. He graduated from Columbia College and then Columbia University Medical School. In 1985, he co-founded Anesta, a drug delivery company with two FDA-approved products: fentanyl Oralet and Actiq.
Kent Thomas is the founder and managing member of Advanced CFO Solutions. Since founding Advanced CFO Solutions in 1996, Kent has lead the Company to successfully serve over 300 companies ranging from start-up to $70 million in annual revenues. During this time Advanced CFO Solutions clients have raised over $470 Million in equity, debt and lease financing. Kent is a frequent speaker on finance, entrepreneurism, accounting and related topics. In addition, he has served in numerous volunteer capacities including executive or advisory roles for the UACPA, Utah World Trade Center, Grow Utah Ventures, The Wayne Brown Institute, various universities and the Mountain West Capital Network. Kent served as chief executive or chief financial officer/controller of seven companies between 1984 and 1996. Kent started his career in the Salt Lake City office of Ernst & Whinney (currently Ernst & Young) in 1979. Kent has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University, an MBA from the University of Utah, and is a licensed, Certified Public Accountant.
Ron Bell, Vice President, Communications Products, Micro Linear. Bell spent 25 years at Unysis and was its chief technology officer and a Unysis Fellow. From there, he joined LSI Logic as its vice president of Advanced Architecture. Most recently, he was CEO of Equator Technologies. Bell was instrumental in the commercialization of the microprocessor.
Elliot Parks is managing director of Hamilton BioVentures, a life science venture firm in San Diego. He is widely known in the Biotechnology industry and brings his broad experiences as a life science investor, an entrepreneur, a pharmaceutical executive, and a distinguished researcher. He has overseen the development of several biomedical products from inception through development and clinical trials to approval and market entry. Prior to joining Hamilton, Dr. Parks was responsible for life science investments at Ventana Capital Management for five years. Before entering institutional venture capital, he was President and CEO of Myelos Neurosciences and Director of the Johnson & Johnson Biotechnology Center, both in San Diego. Dr. Parks was also a member of the Scripps Research Institute, in La Jolla, for over a decade and the Director of Operations there before joining J&J. 
Lynn Butterfield represents Coldwell Banker with the Economic Development Corporation of Utah & MountainWest Capital Network, he mentors early stage companies with other professionals at the Wayne Brown Institute and is a member of the Utah Association of Realtors Legislative Committee. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Utah.