About Us

Cara joined the Venture College as the Marketing and Communications Manager in 2020. Since then she has taken on the role of Director, and is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs throughout their startup journeys. Cara’s prior experience includes: supporting an early stage startup, coordinating a large capital campaign, working for a large tech firm, and coaching.

Cara graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and International Affairs, and a Business minor. After graduating, she worked in the corporate world in Seattle, but was excited to move back to her hometown here in Boise.

Ask Me About: Opportunities to collaborate, serving as a judge or mentor, sponsoring an event, and more!

Having worked in private creative agencies and public institutions, Holly brings extensive marketing, communications, and project management experience to Venture College. Her dedication to working with rising entrepreneurs is fueled by a collaborative spirit and passion for design thinking.

Holly holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of New Hampshire, with minors in Architectural History and Studio Art. Creative activities include watercolor and encaustic painting, and textile sculpture.

Ask Me About: The Venture College Incubator, pitch competitions, entrepreneur resources, and more!

Jeana has been part of the College of Innovation and Design team since March 2024 as the Lead Event Assistant for The SPACE. They recently graduated from Boise State with a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration and a minor in Visual Design. Originally from Reno, Nevada, Jeana is also passionate about marching band as a color guard member and coach, and also enjoys sewing, embroidery, and painting.

As a Computer Science student, Nazifa brings a unique blend of analytical thinking and creative expression to every project. During high school in her hometown of Afghanistan, Nazifa served as the Director of Seminars & Debates and the Director of a writing organization where she honed her leadership skills and inspired others through the power of words. Beyond professional pursuits, Nazifa finds inspiration walking outdoors and traveling to new cities or countries.

Sarah is an independent strategy and operations consultant and advisor to early-stage investors. She previously led investment strategy and portfolio advising at Google’s Area 120 incubator.

Sarah began her career as a CPA at Deloitte and later managed finance and accounting at Guidebook through its Series B and global expansion. She holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University.

Since pulling the ripcord on corporate life, Manny has been working as a startup advisor and co-founder of PreCode Labs, a cybersecurity incubator. He has co-founded multiple ventures, including Identity Sciences and Generate Security, focused on DevOps risk and AI-driven IT solutions.

Prior to his entrepreneurial work, Manny held senior executive roles at Hewlett-Packard, Symantec, and Polycom, including SVP of Platforms and Technology at HP and CMO of Symantec. He holds a Master of Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Michigan State University.

George retired in 2024 as CEO of Cradlepoint and head of Ericsson’s Enterprise Wireless Solutions business unit, following Cradlepoint’s successful acquisition by Ericsson. He joined Cradlepoint in 2011 and led its growth into a global leader in enterprise cellular WAN. Prior to that, George was a general partner at Highway 12 Ventures and spent 20 years at Hewlett-Packard, ultimately serving as SVP of the LaserJet Global Business Unit.

George currently serves on the boards of Cambia Health Solutions, Regence Blue Shield of Idaho, and Tracer, and has advised Idaho governors on technology and cybersecurity. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration from San Jose State University, where he also competed in Division I tennis.