Great founders grow up here.

Luke Erickson is the founder of Startup Ventura and serves as Executive Director of the organization. With a background in business development and entrepreneurship, Luke launched Startup Ventura in 2025 to bring nationally recognized accelerator programming to Ventura County. Driven by a passion for empowering founders and strengthening the local economy, he leads the organization's programming, partnerships, and community impact initiatives. Luke's vision is to position Ventura as a hub of innovation and entrepreneurial growth.

Brent Stig Kraus is a senior revenue executive with extensive experience scaling SaaS companies through hypergrowth and strategic exits. He most recently served as CRO at SevenRooms, acquired by DoorDash in a $1.2B transaction, and previously held leadership roles at ChowNow and MINDBODY during its $1.9B acquisition by Vista Equity Partners. Earlier in his career, Brent helped drive Lynda.com's growth leading to its $1.5B acquisition by LinkedIn. With a track record of building high-performing teams and driving transformative growth across multiple SaaS verticals, Brent brings deep expertise in enterprise sales, go-to-market strategy, and operational excellence.

Brian Gonzalez is the CTO and co-founder of Curri, a nationwide delivery and logistics platform built for construction wholesalers and distributors. He began his career in startups in 2010 at Dollar Shave Club and has been immersed in the entrepreneurial world ever since. After earning his master's degree in data science, Brian launched Curri in the heart of downtown Ventura, where he continues to lead technology and innovation today. Under his leadership, Curri has raised capital from leading investors including Y Combinator and Bessemer Venture Partners.

Stephanie Caldwell has held a senior leadership role at the Ventura Chamber of Commerce since April 2015 and currently serves as a director for the California Chamber of Commerce. With a career spanning sales, operations, and workforce management, she began in the hospitality industry before transitioning into the staffing sector, where she led branch and on-site contingent staffing operations in Silicon Valley supporting major technology companies including Novell and Compaq (now HP). Previously, she served as Chief Operations Officer of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce and has additional experience in both public service and industry associations, including roles in the district office of a California State Assembly member and as Director of Education and Events for the California Apartment Association's Tri-County Division.