Feb. 20, 2024 | ACG NJ Breakfast Meeting

Yelena is an SVP & Partner at Woodruff Sawyer, one of the largest independent insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the US. She advises clients on M&A- and IPO-related insurance solutions, including representations and warranties insurance (RWI) and directors and officers (D&O) insurance.

Yelena is a frequent speaker and author and has been featured in many publications including S&P Global, Yahoo Finance, Reuters, Investment News Today, Business Law Today, Law360, CFO.com, Business Journal, Deal Flow and Bloomberg. She serves as the M&A managing editor of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Today and is the executive editor of the SPAC Notebook.

In 2022, Yelena was named in Insurance Business America's "Hot 100," which lists top professionals whose contributions have helped shape the insurance industry.

Prior to Woodruff Sawyer, Yelena led a legal analysis team at Bloomberg Law and practiced as a senior capital markets associate at Clifford Chance and a corporate associate at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae (later Dewey & LeBoeuf). Yelena earned her BS in Economics from Cornell University and her JD from Fordham University School of Law. 

Mario Casabona is an entrepreneur and active angel investor. In 2007, he founded Casabona Ventures, investing in over 40 seed and early-stage companies. In 2012, he founded TechLaunch, New Jersey’s first ever business accelerator, whose mission was to identify and nurture early-stage tech ventures through mentoring, coaching, and providing access to resources and capital. To date, TechLaunch has supported over 200 tech companies, mentored over 300 budding entrepreneurs and has over 150 mentors in its network.

Mario is Chairman Emeritus and active Board member of both the JumpStart NJ Angel Network and the R&D Council of New Jersey. In 1982, he founded and was Chairman & CEO of Electro-Radiation Inc. (ERI), which was acquired by Honeywell Aerospace in 2004. ERI was a developer of Radar, Navigation and Communications equipment for the National and International Defense industry. He received the Small Business Administration National Tibbett’s Award for his contributions in technology and was listed as one of the top five most influential persons in New Jersey technology by The Star-Ledger and featured in ROI-NJ’s Influencers Power List 2020: Technology.

In 2017 Mario was awarded the Rutgers University Business School, Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CUEED) Impact Award. In 2014 he was named NJ’s Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year. He was twice recognized by the NJ Tech Council, now TechUnited, in 2013 as the recipient of their Legend of Technology Award and prior, in 2010 as the recipient of their Financier of the Year Award. He currently serves on the Boards of various for-profit and non-for-profit organizations. He is often quoted in mainstream media and trade outlets, and enjoys being a frequent guest speaker and panelist at University and Professional events.

Mario is an Electrical Engineer and is named in 11 national and international patents in the field of satellite-based navigation and communications. He lives in Essex County, enjoys mentoring, and launching new ventures.  

Laura Cicirelli provides legal counsel on an array of corporate transactions for tech startups and VCs. Her representations span the startup ecosystem, including consumer goods, technology, and Web3 spaces. 

For almost 10 years, Laura has advised innovators and established organizations on such diverse business matters as capital raising, strategic financing and acquisitions, licensing, and joint ventures. She is also involved in deal structuring and drafting services for investment funds and other entities that supply critical financing for organizations at various stages of the business lifecycle.  Prior to joining Lowenstein, Laura was corporate counsel at an Am Law 10 firm in New York City.  Laura is also highly involved in Lowenstein’s Women’s’ Initiative Network. 

Lexie Demirali has an extensive financial background. Her expertise includes institutional fixed income sales, managing venture products to build and encourage investments in NJ and female entrepreneurs as well as working with angel investors and venture funds. Lexie provides products and introductions to help entrepreneurs with funding, and consulting.

Previously, Ms. Demirali provided business development strategies for five practice groups at an international law firm. In addition, Ms. Demirali sold technology to financial and pharmaceutical industries.  Finally, she also has a degree in Economics from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from Northeastern University. 

As a Partner in the Food & Beverage Group, Arnold provides advisory, assurance, accounting and tax services to help clients overcome the unique challenges presented by the industry. He works closely with both emerging and mature businesses and specializes in assisting with issues related to financial reporting, tax planning, mergers and acquisitions, cash flow management, and operational efficiency. His clients include manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and supermarkets. When working with his clients, Arnold focuses on identifying and providing guidance on business, accounting and tax issues, having proactive discussions regarding the future of their business, and assisting in making mutually beneficial connections with others in the industry. Additionally, Arnold plays an active role in the Wiss Advisory Department, provides educational presentations for both external and internal purposes, and makes it a priority to build strong client relationships while providing excellent client service. 

Boz Vitanova is Founder and CEO of TeamLift, a venture-backed AI startup that automates the manual work needed to do workforce management during transformation. 

Boz has served as an NSF I-Corps Instructor at Brandeis University, helping commercialize academic research. She has previously started two organizations, EML Solutions and Yunus&Youth. EML Solutions was a consulting company that used skills data for effective project-based teaming. Yunus&Youth is a global social enterprise, supported by Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus, that has helped scale 260+ impact-driven businesses in 65 countries.

Boz is a Fulbright scholar, WEF Global Shaper and One Young World Ambassador. Having spent time working with people across different cultures and countries, she speaks Macedonian, English, Spanish, German, Bulgarian and Croatian/Serbian.