Your Judges

Bobbie Shrivastav is a co-founder and COO at Benekiva, an insurtech SaaS scaleup that bridges the gap between life insurance policies and their intended beneficiaries. With nearly two decades of experience in technology and digital transformation, she leads the organization's operations and execution for product development, delivery, security, and customer care.

 

She is passionate about helping insurance carriers modernize legacy processes and improve customer experience through digital disruption, re-engineering, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

 

Bobbie is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, author, advisor, speaker, and technology innovator. She has founded several companies and plays an advisory role to many startups globally. She is a sought-after mentor in the startup community and has coached and mentored over 250+ startups. She has won multiple awards as a technology leader and an innovation champion.

 

She holds three professional certifications in agile, project management, and scrum. She is determined to "kick some glass" within the insurance industry and provide cutting-edge, disruptive solutions with the highest level of character, analytic oversight, and creative instinct.

Dr. Saravana “Samy” Govindasamy, a strategic advisor, startup coach, and investor, propels innovation across industries.

 

Transitioning from a management executive with an engineering background to a serial entrepreneur, he has consulted Fortune 50 companies, founded a management consulting firm, co-founded technology startups, and operated a multi-million-dollar franchise.

 

Dr. Samy actively supports the startup ecosystem, guiding market opportunities, product-market fit, go-to-market strategies, IP commercialization, investor pitches, and financial planning. Leveraging his Doctorate in Business Administration, he shares insights through published works and speaking engagements, shaping the future of healthcare and technology.

 

Passionate about nurturing future leaders, Dr. Samy serves as adjunct faculty for MBA entrepreneurship programs and mentors accelerator programs across the globe. His research interests include evolving digital healthcare ecosystem innovations, transformational paradigms, and lean business models.

 

In his leisure time, he mentors high school students in FIRST Robotics, maintaining his connection to engineering.

Claire Calvin, originally from Houston, Texas, moved to Winston-Salem 12 years ago with her husband, Dr. Matt Giegengack, and their three children, Finn, Gus, and Ruby. 

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Trained as a lawyer, Claire shifted her focus to family and, eventually, to her passion for cooking and community, particularly Tex-Mex cuisine. She launched a family meal delivery service, Dinners on the Porch, which evolved into The Porch restaurant in 2014 to cater to a growing demand. The Porch, known for its Tex-Mex offerings, paved the way for further ventures like Alma Mexicana and East of Texas, enhancing Winston-Salem's dining scene. 

 

Keeping the businesses centrally located and creating a diverse, lively atmosphere is one of Claire's key objectives. Today, Claire can be found working in her restaurants, enjoying the vibrant Winston-Salem community, or spending time with family and friends.

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Claire prioritizes a lively, inclusive atmosphere in her establishments while balancing her time between her successful businesses and her family.
 

She started her career in New York City in public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers, providing audit and tax services for a diverse group of corporations.  She was a senior officer at Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, Equitable Capital Management Company, and Furman Selz Capital Management LLC, where she specialized in mergers and acquisitions for mid-size companies, public and private debt and equity financings, and leverage buyout transactions and restructurings.  In conjunction with restructuring troubled companies, Bonnie served on and chaired numerous bankruptcy committees.  

 

After moving to Winston Salem, Bonnie co-founded and served as the Chief Operating Officer of an innovation consulting firm, which was acquired by VF Corporation.  Most recently, Bonnie was a valuation expert at Hutchinson Family Offices with a primary emphasis on family law, IRS, and business dispute matters.  She served as an expert witness in district courts in valuation and forensic accounting matters.  She has served on the boards of The Amani Foundation, Kaleideum, and The Center for Creative Economy.

 

I was a senior officer at both Equitable Capital Management Company and Furman Selz, LLC Investment Bank, where I valued and negotiated transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, stock and bond offerings, and the restructuring of bankrupt companies. I founded and served as the Chief Operating Officer of a global innovation consulting firm and chaired court-appointed bankruptcy committees.

Bonnie graduated suma cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany with a BS in Accounting and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.  She holds the following professional designations and certifications: Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), an Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV).