The AMF is designed to help Ohio manufacturing startups bridge the early gap in their funding needs. We are a group of experienced investors who, with our strong partners, are looking to help find and develop the next great manufacturing company.
Our Partners
Josh Borstein
JumpStart Ventures
Josh connects early-stage technology companies with entrepreneurial resources in Northeast Ohio and performs due diligence on companies seeking capital from funds managed by JumpStart Ventures. Prior to joining JumpStart Ventures, Josh was a Senior Analyst at equity research firm Longbow Research where he analyzed publicly traded consumer and retail companies to evaluate drivers of revenue growth and margin expansion and identify catalysts. Josh began his career as an archaeologist, studying the variables that allowed for state-level societies to flourish in what is present-day Mexico. Josh holds a bachelor’s in anthropology from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the Pennsylvania State University.
Felix Brueck
Investor
Felix has spent the majority of his career with McKinsey & Co. as a Senior Partner. In that role, he started and led the Lean Manufacturing Practice and then co-founded and led their Transformation Practice. For the past eight years, Felix served as the Chairman of the Board at MAGNET, and now sits on its Executive Board as a member. He also currently sits as Reflection Point’s Chairman; serves as a board member of Enpro Industries, a material science-focused industrial company; and is the Chairman of the Board of Folio Photonics, a start-up out of CWRU for which he was an early investor (the company is hoping to disrupt the $20 billion fast-growing archival data storage industry). Felix has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from RWTH Aachen, Germany (Dipl. Ing.) and a master’s in international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Hardik Desai, Sr.
JumpStart Ventures
Hardik leads diligence and portfolio management for funds managed by JumpStart and provides advisory assistance to JumpStart client and portfolio companies. He has more than 15 years of professional experience including the last 12 years working in venture capital as a founder and investor. Before joining JumpStart, Hardik was founder at IR Diagnostyx in Columbus, Ohio, where he led all product development efforts and helped raise funds for commercialization. Previously, Hardik was Business Analyst for Tech Columbus, now called Rev1 Ventures, a tech business accelerator. He also worked extensively in India and the UK as an engineer and analyst in telecom. Hardik received his Bachelor of Electronics Engineering from Gujarat University in India and an MBA from The Ohio State University.
Jim Garrett
Investor
Jim has spent his career in various financial, operating, engineering and executive roles with energy and technology companies. These have included officer roles with start-ups to Fortune 200 companies. Jim has raised substantial capital from equity centers throughout the world and has completed numerous public equity offerings. He has completed multiple exits, including international corporations and several technology/alternative energy startups. In the past, Jim maintained both CFP and PE licenses.
Bethany George
JumpStart Ventures
Bethany George is a Fund Manager at JumpStart Ventures, responsible for the venture capital fund's seed-stage funds, including co-investments with the Advanced Manufacturing Fund. Bethany currently serves on the board of AMF portfolio company Asynt Solutions. Through the Entrepreneurial Signature Program, Bethany has partnered with hundreds of founders, entrepreneurs, principal investigators, and investors to put their companies and Ohio on the map. Bethany created her own Master's Degree at Ohio University via the Individual Interdisciplinary Program while she helped form TechGROWTH Ohio and taught MBA students the ropes of working with early-stage entrepreneurs. Bethany is the founding Executive Chair of VentureNext, a group of 150+ rising investment professionals across 100+ funds throughout the Midwest. She co-led the creation of the group’s mentorship program and currently serves on the executive committee in the Mentorship Chair role.
Eric Hillenbrand
Investor
Eric is a former Managing Director at Alix Partners where he led many projects for Private Equity investors, evaluating potential investments in industrial, consumer product, chemical and life science sectors, and helping portfolio companies improve their performance. Formerly a VP/Partner in A.T. Kearney's Operations Consulting Practice, where he worked with diverse manufacturing companies in the steel, chemicals, oil & gas, and consumer products industries.
Ethan Karp
MAGNET
Ethan is an expert in transforming companies and communities. As President and CEO of MAGNET, he has helped hundreds of manufacturing companies grow through technology, innovation and talent. He serves as Board Chair of Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Workforce Development and as a director on the boards of the following organizations: American Small Manufacturers Coalition, Cleveland Leadership Center, MidTown Cleveland, Inc., Cleveland Jewish Publication Company, and the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. Ethan is a recognized thought leader and a frequent national media commentator on the future of manufacturing in America, particularly through his regular column on Forbes.com. Ethan received undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and physics from Miami University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Biology from Harvard University.
Andrea Navratil
MAGNET
Andrea is the Director of New Ventures at MAGNET, where she leads efforts to move startup manufacturing technologies from concept to commercialization and secures funding to support their growth. Under her leadership, the team has achieved year-over-year increases in Mspire applications, delivered more client projects that hit critical manufacturing milestones, and generated stronger outcomes across Ohio. Prior to joining MAGNET, Andrea spent the majority of her career at American Greetings, where she honed a unique skill set in new product development. Her work focused on bringing products to new markets and industries, ultimately leading to the creation of a department dedicated to front-end research and identifying behavioral shifts in the marketplace.
