Carmelo Pistorio, Founder and Managing Partner of Upstream Ventures, has over 15 years international entrepreneurial experience across multiple high-tech industries including software, semiconductors, and environmental systems and solutions. His operational experience spans all stages of a startup: he has held positions ranging from founder and investor to senior executive for operations, and has served on the boards of a number of companies across Europe and Asia. The vision of Upstream Ventures is built on Carmelo's extensive experience as an Angel investor.

In addition to his role at Upstream Ventures, Carmelo assumed the role of Executive Chairman of XiD Technologies, a portfolio company which he founded in 2003 and which aims to bring biometric technologies to the mainstream global markets. Carmelo has also served as a panel member of TEC (The Enterprise Challenge) which responded to the Prime Minister's Office, and SPRING Singapore's TECS (Technology Enterprise Commercialisation Scheme). He continues to serve on the board of the Pistorio Foundation, a charitable foundation founded by his father Pasquale Pistorio. Carmelo is a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors and serves on a number of boards including Upstream Ventures' core portfolio companies such as Comlent Inc.

Carmelo earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and History from Tufts University in Boston, MA, USA.

Pierre Hennes, Partner of Upstream Ventures, has significant experience in Venture Capital and has been active in new venture creation across Asia since 2003. He is a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors and currently serves on the boards of several portfolio companies. Prior to Asia, he worked as an IT consultant to the financial services industry with Accenture in New York City.

In addition to his role at Upstream Ventures, he is the Managing Partner of Extream Ventures, a Singapore-based early-stage VC firm launched in 2009, funded in part by the Singapore Government's National Research Foundation.

He is a frequent guest speaker and guest judge at industry events and universities including INSEAD, SMU, NUS and NTU. Pierre actively engages in mentorship, networking and community-related activities by serving the following organizations:

• Chairman - Business Angels Network of Southeast Asia (BANSEA)
• Honorary Secretary - Singapore Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SVCA)
• Charter Member and Director - TiE Singapore (The Indus Entrepreneur)

Pierre earned a B.A. with Honors in International Relations from Boston University, and an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business. He also studied at the Hochschule St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland as part of NYU's International Management Program. He speaks seven languages and is a Committee Member of the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator Singapore, Singapore's oldest standing Church.