Joelle Kayden is the founder and Managing Partner of Accolade Partners. Prior to founding Accolade in 2000, Joelle joined Alex. Brown&Sons in 1982 and served as the first CFO of ABS Ventures, its venture capital affiliate. Subsequently, she joined the Investment Banking Division where she was a Managing Director. Joelle managed the Venture Capital Service Group and served on the firm’s Equity Capital Markets and Investment committees. Joelle holds an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) and a B.A. from Smith College. She serves on the Board of Trustees of Rockefeller University and the Yellowstone Community Foundation.

Atul Rustgi

Managing Partner

Atul Rustgi is Managing Partner at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2007, Atul worked at McKinsey & Co., a leading strategy consulting firm, where he advised senior management on issues of strategy, organization, technology and operations. Before McKinsey, Atul worked at the Robin Hood Foundation, a venture philanthropy that funds and supports innovative poverty-fighting organizations in New York City. Atul holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Andrew Salembier is a Partner and the Chief Operating Officer at Accolade. Before joining Accolade in 2009, Andrew worked for the Georgetown University Investment Office, focused on private equity. Prior to Georgetown, Andrew worked at Accolade from 2003 to 2007 as a Senior Investment Associate and at Cambridge Associates. Andrew holds an M.B.A. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Aram Verdiyan is a Partner at Accolade. Previously, he worked on the investment team at Andreessen Horowitz. Before that, Aram worked in BD, sales and marketing at Aviatrix, a cloud native enterprise software company. Aram worked at Accolade from 2012 to 2015 as a Senior Investment Associate and at Deloitte Consulting LLP. He holds an M.B.A from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) and a B.S. from the George Washington University.

Marcos Veremis

Partner

Marcos Veremis is a Partner at Accolade. Before joining Accolade in 2021, Marcos was at Evanston Capital Management. Prior to that, he spent over 13 years at Cambridge Associates where he spearheaded their blockchain effort. He holds an M.A. and M.B.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. from Oxford University.

Meera Patel, CFA®

Partner

Meera Patel is a Partner at Accolade. Before joining Accolade in 2022, Meera was a Director at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Prior to that, Meera was a Partner at Brown Advisory and Investment Manager at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. She holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Duke University.

Caitlin Mulligan

Partner, General Counsel

Caitlin Mulligan is General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Accolade. Before joining Accolade in 2022, Caitlin spent more than ten years at Ropes & Gray where she advised registered investment advisers on raising and operating private funds, compliance matters and global transactions. She also represented institutional investors on fund investments. Caitlin holds a J.D. from Boston College Law School and a B.A. from The George Washington University.

Drew Reid

Vice President

Drew Reid is a Vice President at Accolade. Before joining Accolade in 2024, Drew was a Senior Vice President at RockCreek, focused on venture capital and private equity. Prior to that, he was an Associate on the Global Credit Products team at Credit Suisse. Drew holds a B.A. in Psychology from Harvard University.

Andrew Brennan

Investment Associate

Andrew Brennan is an Investment Associate at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2021, Andrew was an Investment Performance Associate at Cambridge Associates. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Washington and Lee University.

Nick Zylstra

Investment Associate

Nick is an Investment Associate at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2021, Nicholas interned at Pepper Financial Services Group in Sydney, Australia. He holds a B.A. in Economics and a M.S. in Finance from the University of Virginia.

Matthew Szilagyi

Investment Associate

Matthew Szilagyi is an Investment Associate at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2021, Matthew worked as a Summer Analyst at Volition Capital in Boston, MA. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration Finance from Georgetown University.

Andrew Thompson

Investment Analyst

Andrew is an Investment Analyst at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2022, Andrew was an Analyst at Yext and Digitas. He holds a B.A. in English Literature from Wake Forest University.

Willie Alvord

Investment Analyst

Willie is an Investment Analyst at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2022, Willie interned at Bessemer Trust. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.

Nolan Sherwood

Investment Analyst

Nolan Sherwood is an Investment Analyst at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2024, Nolan was a summer analyst on the private equity secondaries team at Ardian. He holds a BBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Zack Siddique

Vice President, Operations

Zack Siddique is an Operations Vice President at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2021, Zack was a Senior Client Service Associate at Cambridge Associates and an Analyst at Potomac Asset Management. He holds a B.S. from Purdue University.

Joy Smith

Executive Assistant,

Office Manager

Joy Smith is an Executive Assistant and Office Manager at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2019, Joy worked as a Human Resources and Recruiting Assistant at Bracewell LLP. She holds a B.S. in Sociology from Troy University.

Roscoe Kayden

The unofficial Accolade mascot, Roscoe Kayden is dedicated to boosting team morale and spirit. Despite his busy schedule, he still manages to fit in his share of treats and afternoon naps. Prior to joining Accolade in 2021, Roscoe graduated from The Green Dog training in Washington, D.C.