Rick Snyder is CEO and founder of Ardesta, LLC. A venture capital company located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ardesta is dedicated to the development of the small tech industry.

In 1997, Rick founded Avalon Investments, Inc., a venture capital company targeted at investments in technology-oriented ventures. From 1991 to 1997, he served as Executive Vice President and then President and COO of Gateway, Inc. During his tenure with Gateway, the company grew from a privately held $500 million company to a NYSE traded organization with revenues in excess of $6 billion. He studied at the  University  of Michigan,  where  he  earned 
Bachelor of General Studies, Masters of Business Administration,
and Juris Doctor degrees.

Vinay Gupta is an entrepreneurial veteran and currently CEO of Janeeva, Inc., a global services provider for offshore outsourcing. Previously, Gupta served as Chief Operating Officer for Translume, and in 1996, he became well known for co-founding BlueGill Technologies in Ann Arbor. The company was sold in 2000 for $250 million to Checkfree i-Solutions, making it one of the most successful IT startups in Ann Arbor history. BlueGill Technologies was an Internet infrastructure company that specialized in Internet billing software. He most recently served as Vice President of operations of Checkfree i-Solutions. 

Prior to the launch of BlueGill Technologies, Gupta worked for Cabletron Systems, NCR Corporation, Computer View Inc. and Zenith Data Systems. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Delhi and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan.

Chris Rizik is a founder, Senior Vice President and board member of Ardesta, LLC. Prior to forming Ardesta, Chris served as Managing Director of Avalon Investments, Inc., a $100 million Ann Arbor, Michigan-based venture capital firm specializing in investments in high tech businesses. Chris was also previously a senior partner with Dickinson Wright PLLC, one of the Midwest's oldest and largest law firms.