Meet our Experts in Residence!
The Experts-in-Residence program give students access to influential and skilled individuals and the opportunity to see firsthand how entrepreneurs operate in their respective fields. We thank them for their dedication to nurturing the next generation of innovators. Their invaluable insights, real-world experiences, and ongoing mentorship have played a pivotal role in shaping our students’ understanding of the complexities and rewards of entrepreneurship.
Chris Hope
Social Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Innovate@BU | Founder & Executive Director of The Loop Lab
Chris Hope is the Founder and Executive Director of The Loop Lab, a non-profit organization that equips young adults in Cambridge, Massachusetts with transferable skills in content creation and audio-video production. He also serves as a Board Member at the MassHire Metro North Workforce Board. Christopher holds university lecturer positions at Boston University and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence role at Innovate@BU.
With previous experience as an Associate Director of Admissions at Year Up, and Chief Executive Officer of Equity Intelligence LLC., he demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusion, workforce development, and education. Christopher holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, a degree from MIT, a BA from Tufts University, and has completed studies at The University of Hong Kong.
In his spare time, he volunteers as a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts and is a member of AVIXA and the Audio Engineering Society.
Justin Kang
Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Innovate@BU | Co-Founder & General Partner, Visible Hands
Justin is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Visible Hands, where he is leading to holistically support underrepresented founders in building high-growth startups by manufacturing privilege and investing in the resources necessary for underrepresented founders to win.
He has also served as Vice President of Economic Growth for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce where he oversaw strategic initiatives focused on talent attraction and retention, industry growth and racial equity in the private sector. In addition, he was the Executive Director of City Awake – a program of the Boston Chamber – which serves as the regional platform to empower and mobilize the next generation of talent.
He has been named as a “Top 25 Emerging Leader of Color” and “Top 100 Most Influential Leader of Color” by Get Konnected!, and as one of “The Next Generation of Powerful People in Boston” by Boston Magazine. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University.
He spends his free time reading in the morning, playing chess, and plotting to start a farm one day.
Sheila Narayan
Mentor-in-Residence, Innovate@BU | Managing Director, Golden Seeds
Sheila Narayan is an active early-stage investor. Sheila is a Managing Director with Golden Seeds, a national angel investment group, that invests exclusively in women-led early-stage companies. Sheila is currently an Expert in Residence for Boston University’s BUild Lab. Sheila enjoys mentoring entrepreneurs and helping them to advance their companies.
Previously Sheila held executive roles at payments and financial technology companies. Sheila received a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Bryant College and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
