NB

Neda Blocho

Global Innovator

San Francisco Bay Area

Invests in

Work Experience

2024 - 2024

  • Startup World Cup, Director

    2024 - 2024

    Startup World Cup is a series of global startup conferences and competitions, powered by Pegasus Tech Ventures. It consists of 100+ regional startup competitions in more than 20 different countries around the world, leading up to the Grand Finale in Silicon Valley. The top startups from each regional event will fly out to the USA to compete for a $1,000,000 prize. www.startupworldcup.io www.pegasustechventures.com

2022 - 2024

  • Staff VP, Digital Solutions (Innovation)

    2022 - 2024

    At Elevance Health (formerly Anthem, Inc.) Innovation is not a technology, capability, or a specific solution. It is a mindset that thinks big, challenges assumptions, develops new solutions, and delivers meaningful results at scale. With more than 100 million people served by our affiliated companies including approximately 40 million enrolled in our family of health plans, we can make a real difference to meet the needs of our diverse customers. At Elevance Health, I lead a high-caliber team dedicated to the conception and realization of pioneering initiatives and collaborative partnerships with early-mid innovative companies for product validation. Within 24 months, I spearheaded and executed 12 pilots, estimated to have generated over $800M of value for the enterprise. These endeavors spanned multiple domains, including Behavioral Health, Women’s and Maternal Health, Substance Use Disorder (SUD), Nutrition, Food-as-Medicine, Bioinformatics, and Remote/At-Home Care, focusing on both commercial and government member populations. The inception of these initiatives involved prioritization of business needs and challenges, addressed through data-driven analyses and impact projections. Subsequent validation of proposed solutions is then conducted through detailed pilot planning and execution, while engaging a myriad of internal and external stakeholders. This enables monitoring and requisite modifications of the pilots to assure optimal outcomes and valuable insights, ensuring aligning with overarching organizational objectives and contributing to the progressive refinement of post pilot recommendations and development for scalable implementation.

2020 - 2022

  • Investor & Head of Studios Program

    2020 - 2022

    As the venture capital arm of CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA insurer, Avanta Ventures empowers startups to bring fresh ideas forward in the areas of insurtech, mobility, and beyond. At Avanta, I built and oversaw our Studios program, a pivotal initiative that empowers startups to collaborate with Avanta Ventures and CSAA Insurance Group. The alliance was developed to jointly investigate emerging markets and innovative business paradigms within the InsurTech and Mobility verticals. Within one year, the Studios program fostered partnerships with 21 startups that collectively secured over $18M in venture capital funding, with 44% female and/or minority founder demographic. These outcomes represent my commitment to diversity and inclusion in fostering innovation and exploring novel operational frameworks in the insurance and mobility sectors.

  • Member, Board of Directors

    2014 - 2020

    BASES' mission is to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs at Stanford. We seek to inspire student entrepreneurs, provide opportunities to help them create innovative solutions, and launch ventures through our 7 on campus programs.

2018 - 2020

  • Labs Venture Partner

    2018 - 2020

    WeWork Labs is WeWork's global innovation platform powering the next generation of industry transformation by helping startups and corporations create the future. At WeWork, I designed and oversaw WeWork's inaugural startup program and curriculum for the first Labs location in the Bay Area. Mentored a cohort of 40 startup teams and curated educational content and events with industry experts and though leaders.

2016 - 2018

  • Partner

    2016 - 2018

    Early stage focused, industry agnostic pre-seed to seed fund (formerly Pejman Mar Ventures) As a Partner at Pear VC, I engaged and vetted potential startup opportunities by performing comprehensive due diligence on the prospective market potential. Conceptualized, orchestrated, and executed logistical elements for Pear DORM programs (including Pear LaunchPad, Garage, and the UC Berkeley Challenge). This involved meticulous curation of program curriculum, strategic mentor alignment, and the execution of community-building events. Provided mentorship to teams in areas encompassing business strategy, marketing, and operations.

2015 - 2016

  • Vice President of Programs

    2015 - 2016

    StartX is an educational non-profit that accelerates the development of Stanford's top entrepreneurs through experiential education and collective intelligence. At StartX, I led cohort-based accelerator program, through curation of educational programming and curriculum tailored specifically for StartX entrepreneurs, ensuring they receive the highest level of support and guidance. These efforts extended to mentorship curation and matching, a vital aspect of program success. In tandem, also led and crafting comprehensive outbound and internal marketing campaigns, including the strategic utilization of social media, to promote each program session effectively. Additionally, led community building and the seamless execution of educational sessions through detailed event planning.

  • Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Programming (Center for Entrepreneurial Studies)

    2012 - 2015

    The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (CES) is building a dynamic global community of entrepreneurs and thought leaders who are changing the world. We accomplish this by; 1) Supporting ground-breaking research and education that advances entrepreneurial thinking 2) Connecting, enabling, and inspiring Stanford students and alumni to create and scale innovative new ventures 3) Creating a hub for the interests and pursuits of the entrepreneurial community —faculty, students, alumni, practitioners, and investors. Working at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford, I led and executed on all aspects of programming for the Stanford Venture Studio (an on-campus incubator program located at the Graduate School of Business). I also, pioneered and oversaw collaborative initiatives, fostering cross-campus partnerships with entrepreneurial-minded students across various disciplines at Stanford University.

2009 - 2012

  • Event & Communications Manager

    2009 - 2012

    AlwaysOn is the leading business media brand networking the Global Silicon Valley.

  • Graduate Assistant for Center of Student Leadership

    2007 - 2009

    Notre Dame de Namur University is a fully accredited, independent, Catholic, co-educational, master's university founded in 1851 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. As the GA to the Center for Student Leadership, I headed programs and events that promoted leadership, community building and collaborative interaction amongst students.