West Harlem
Innovation Network
A new paradigm for Opportunity Zone investing

About
Spring Mountain Capital has created a new investment strategy that leverages the Opportunity Zone legislation to positively impact communities while continuing to execute on our opportunistic, flexible, and progressive model of investing. As we will be focusing on Opportunity Zones in and around Greater Harlem, we have named our strategy the West Harlem Innovation Network – or WHIN for short.
Unlike other Opportunity Zone investment strategies, WHIN is decidedly not focused on real estate. Rather than funneling capital into rehabilitating, and repurposing buildings, WHIN will focus on enabling, catalyzing and developing new businesses and entrepreneurial talent in West Harlem and other historically underinvested communities.
WHIN will invest across the growth cycles of dynamic and innovative companies in four synergistically-related sectors – Life Sciences, Education, Augmenting Technology, and Food and Beverages.
To learn more, please visit https://whin.nyc or contact us at hello@whin.nyc
Team

Kumasi
Bangudi-Smothers

Mr. Kumasi Bangudi-Smothers is an Associate in Spring Mountain Capital, LP’s West Harlem Innovation Network Group.
Prior to joining SMC, Kumasi was an associate at Techstars, LLC, where he and his team partnered with JPMorgan to invest in Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Women owned businesses. At Techstars, Kumasi was responsible for evaluating prospective startups, assessing market dynamics and competitors, and conducting due diligence on investment opportunities across a range of sectors. He also ultimately served on the investment committee alongside several industry experts. Kumasi was first introduced to impact investing through his role as a Supplier Diversity & Analytics co-op at Bristol Myers Squibb, where aided BMS in pursuing their goal to spend $1 billion dollars supporting small Minority / Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE). Kumasi graduated from Howard University with a B.A in Finance where he was a Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholar and Executive Leadership Council Scholar.

Lucy
Cai

Ms. Lucy Cai is a WHIN Life Science Research Fellow at Spring Mountain Capital where she assists the Life Sciences team on a wide range of projects. Ms. Cai also serves as a Research Fellow in the inaugural cohort of the City Innovations Collaborative (CInC) at The City College of New York. At the CInC, Ms. Cai aids in the early development and commercialization of university-generated intellectual property, assists in operational programming of the Masters in Translational Medicine, mentors current students, and conducts industry research in the Life Sciences sector.
Ms. Cai graduated from The City College of New York with a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering and a Master of Sciences in Translational Medicine.

Jessica
Dzienius

Ms. Dzienius is SMC’s Office Manager and Administrative Assistant and joined the firm in 2019. Her prior experience includes over six years in both the retail and hospitality industries, including operational experience opening and managing multiple locations. She received her B.S. in Business Management from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Moji
Fagbemi

Ms. Moji Fagbemi is SMC’s Client Relations Associate and joined the firm in 2021. She was most recently at Goldman Sachs, where she supported multiple executives within the private wealth management division. Previously, she was a Finance Specialist, resolving issues of NYC’s private and commercial property owners; a Client Service Specialist in insurance and risk management; and she spent a decade working in Management and Human Resources at a multinational clothing retailer. Moji graduated from CUNY Brooklyn College with a double major in Pre-Law and History.

Pavel
Greenfield, Ph.D.

Mr. Pavel Greenfield is currently head of the Education Technology practice in SMC’s Opportunity Zone group. He is also the founder of Lemma, an innovative education technology startup that develops educational content and has served thousands of students across the globe. Since joining SMC in 2001, Pavel has held a range of positions across the firm from technical architecture and cybersecurity to risk and quantitative analysis.
Pavel is also an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Drexel University. He was employed by Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. from July 1996 to February 1999. While in the Management Science area, he contributed to the calculation of the ML Baby Boom Index, as well as the creation and maintenance of a system for the construction of optimal portfolios of mutual funds. Upon transferring to the Global Risk Management area, he supervised the development of the VaR system, assisted in testing derivatives pricing models, and was instrumental in designing the new risk system S2 for monitoring market exposures across all trading groups.
Pavel received a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. in Physics from Princeton University.
Current Portfolio Company Board Seats:
- Lessonbee
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Gregory P.
Ho
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Mr. Gregory P. Ho is the President of SMC and one of its founding partners, as well as the head of the Opportunity Zones Group. Prior to joining SMC in 2001, Greg was a Principal and Chief Financial Officer of McKinsey. During his 16 years with McKinsey, he led the financial and tax planning for the firm and led McKinsey’s expansion into over 30 new countries. Greg also was a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and a Trustee of McKinsey’s Profit-Sharing Retirement Plan (PSRP). In these capacities, he oversaw the identification, evaluation, and selection of traditional and alternative asset managers and investments for over $1 billion of partner and employee assets and, with several other McKinsey partners, co-founded the McKinsey Investment Office. After leaving McKinsey in 1998 and prior to joining SMC, Greg was a private investor and consultant to several prominent NYC financial services companies and technology start-ups. Prior to joining McKinsey, he was associated with the law firm of Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine.
Greg is currently a member of the Advisory Board of Venture for America and the Advisory Council for Columbia Law School’s Center for Public Research and Leadership. He received a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.S., with honors, in Administrative Science from Yale College. He is a member of the New York Bar and the California Bar.
Current Portfolio Company Board Seats:
- Allyx Therapeutics
- Athari Recruiting
- AtlasXomics
- Episteme Prognostics
- ReNetX Bio
- WHIN NHRE

Jack
Januszewski

Jack Januszewski is a Vice President at Spring Mountain Capital, LP’s West Harlem Innovation Network group, where he co-leads the Education Technology practice.
Prior to joining SMC, Jack was the President and COO of Lemma, Inc., an online mathematics education technology company based in Philadelphia. Under his leadership, Lemma partnered with dozens of college access organizations across the country to provide high-quality education technology solutions and college preparatory materials to thousands of students. Lemma has and continues to provide high-quality college preparatory materials to thousands of first-generation-to-college students across the country and mathematics content to students around the world.
Jack received B.A.s, cum laude, in History and Romance Languages from Boston College. He regularly works with and mentors for organizations such as Techstars, Venture for America, and StartEd to guide early-stage startup companies. He also serves as Vice President of the Board of Governors at Blair Academy in New Jersey and a Trustee of the Katama Airfield Trust on Martha’s Vineyard.
Current Portfolio Company Board and Observer Seats:
- Lessonbee

Miriam
Minkowitz

Ms. Miriam Minkowitz is a WHIN Life Science Research Fellow at Spring Mountain Capital, where she assists the Life Sciences team on a wide range of projects. Miriam is also an Investigative Fellow at the City Innovations Collaborative (CInC) at The City College of New York. At CInC, where she contributes to the early development and commercialization of university-generated intellectual property, assists in the functional programming of the Masters in Translational Medicine platform , mentors current students, and conducts industry research in the Life Science sector. Her dual interests in science and community impact motivates her to learn more about new technologies, and work to advance the state of their respective fields with purpose.
Miriam received her Bachelor’s in Science from Touro College with honors and her Master's of Translational Medicine from the Grove School of Engineering at The City College of New York.

Jason
Rifkin

Mr. Jason Rifkin is a Managing Director in SMC’s Opportunity Zone group, where he co-leads WHIN’s Life Sciences practice. As a Managing Director, Jason leads discovery and diligence on WHIN’s investments in Life Sciences companies focused on neurodegenerative diseases, oncology, biologic, and small molecule therapeutics, drug delivery, and medical devices. Jason has extensive experience in developmental stage life science and healthcare companies. Across his career he has managed all aspects of company operations. Prior to joining SMC’s WHIN group, Jason held executive roles at PhageNova Bio, Cage Pharma, and Delcath Systems, Inc.
Before his career in the Life Sciences, Jason practiced law with Fox Rothschild as an Associate in the Corporate Department/-Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Group. Jason received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a Law Degree from Northeastern University School of Law, and a Masters of Biotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Representative Past and Portfolio Company Board and Observer Seats:
- Allyx Therapeutics
- Episteme Prognostics

Tara
Sharp

Ms. Tara Sharp is the General Counsel of SMC. Before joining SMC, Tara was an associate in the Finance Department at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP. Prior to joining Schulte Roth and Zabel LLP, Tara was an associate in the Credit and Mergers and Acquisitions Departments of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, and served as law clerk for the Honorable Richard Conway Casey, in the Southern District of New York. Tara received a J.D., cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law and a B.A. from The College of William and Mary, and is a member of the New York Bar.

John
Wang

Mr. John Wang is Managing Director in SMC’s Opportunity Zone Group, where he leads WHIN’s Food and Beverage practice. John brings his expertise in the industry to analyzing the commercial viability of early-stage food and beverage concepts. John is also uniquely qualified to assess the needs and competencies of founding teams as well as their strategic fit in the WHIN ecosystem.
John is the founder of the Queens Night Market, a uniquely affordable, family-friendly community event that has attracted nearly two million visitors since it debuted in 2015. The hugely popular and critically acclaimed event has helped launch more than 350 new businesses in New York City and has represented over 90 countries through its food offerings.
John graduated from Yale Law School and the Yale School of Management. He earned his undergraduate degrees at the University of Michigan.

Kenneth
Wang

Mr. Kenneth Wang is a Managing Director in SMC’s Opportunity Zones group, where he co-leads WHIN’s Life Sciences practice. Ken currently serves as CEO of AtlasXomics, Inc., a life science tools company based in New Haven, Connecticut. Ken has worked in the chemical and life sciences industry as a process research engineer, investment banker, and entrepreneur for over 30 years, and has also consulted for SMC on several Life Sciences investments.
A chemical engineer by training, Ken has a range of experience in polymers and advanced materials with microscopic and nanoscale features. After gaining a broad range of investment banking experience at JPMorgan and CS First Boston, he became an independent financial advisor to multinationals (Mitsubishi Corporation, ITOCHU, GE Plastics, Marubeni, Mitsui) as well as to entrepreneurial small companies.
Ken holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, respectively, and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Current Portfolio Company Board and Observer Seats:
- AtlasXomics

Kris
Woo, CFA, CPA

Mr. Kris Woo is the firm’s Chief Financial Officer and joined SMC in 2010. He was formerly a Senior Audit Associate in the financial services department at McGladrey & Pullen, LLP. During his three and a half years with McGladrey, he was responsible for performing audit, tax and administrative services for a variety of hedge funds. Kris received a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Accounting and Information Systems from Queens College. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.