Meet the Team

Nadeem Syed is the General Partner and sits on the Investment Committee at Juvo Ventures.

He has served as the CFO of Western Governors University, the nation’s largest online competency-based University, since June 2021. In this role, Nadeem leads all aspects of financial strategy and management in the nonprofit university system. Nadeem’s focus is on fostering learner-centered education models that deliver high-value education at low cost to the broadest population of learners, underpinned by sustainable economics and disruptive innovations that structurally lower cost of learning delivery.

Prior to WGU, Nadeem spent 11 years with AT&T. During his tenure at AT&T Nadeem held diverse leadership positions across finance, pricing, analytics, and business development spanning telecom, media, and advertising sectors. Nadeem was head of consumer wireline finance and led product, corporate development, and strategy finance for Xandr – AT&T’s advertising company. Nadeem was also a founding member of AT&T Partner Exchange—a startup business within the company—and was instrumental in the launch of DirecTV Now streaming service.

Prior to AT&T, Nadeem co-founded a medical imaging start-up in Singapore, led software R&D at Hewlett-Packard, and conducted machine learning research, publishing several peer-reviewed articles.

Nadeem grew up in India and obtained a B.S. in Computer Science from National University of Singapore as a recipient of Singapore Airlines Scholarship from the Government of Singapore. He later earned an M.S. in Computer Science and an MBA, both from Georgia Tech.

Scott Pulsipher is a General Partner and sits on the Investment Committee at Juvo Ventures. He also serves as President of Western Governors University (WGU), leading all academic, operational, and organizational functions.

Scott brings with him more than two decades of experience in leadership roles at technology-based, customer-focused companies and startups spanning retail, supply chain, banking, payments, and manufacturing sectors. Previously, he served as a Senior Vice President at Sterling Commerce and as a General Manager at Amazon. Later, as President and COO ofNeedle, he increased revenue eightfold in under two years, tripled the customer base, and secured millions in venture funding to support the company’s accelerated growth.

Drawing on these and other experiences, Scott now applies his business acumen with an innovative approach and long-held belief that opportunity should be available to all who seek it. Scott has helped WGU achieve tremendous scale with the number of graduates increasing fivefold since he became President in 2016. Under his leadership, the university has a NetPromoter Score of 74, in contrast with the national average of 16. Notably, WGU continues to be recognized as a Great Place to Work, with 84% employee engagement.

Scott currently serves on multiple higher education and technology boards, including the following: Chairman of the Board for Presidents Forum, Board Member at the American Council on Education, Trustee for the Committee for Economic Development, and as a member of Handshake’s Impact Advisory Board.

Scott holds an MBA from Harvard University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from Brigham Young University.

Zane Busteed is a Principal at Juvo Ventures with more than 10 years of experience spanning growth- and seed-stage investing, fundraising, market research, fund operations, and board governance. His investment and operating work has focused on technology sectors including fintech, data, security, infrastructure, and edtech.

Prior to Juvo Ventures, Zane served as Head of Strategic Finance and Chief of Staff at PassiveLogic. Earlier in his career, he held progressive investing roles at Mercato Partners, including Associate, Principal, and Director. Zane earned his MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and his BS in Economics, Business Management, and Political Science from Brigham Young University.

Kanak Durga Kunapuli is a Principal at Juvo Ventures and a finance and strategy leader with more than 10 years of experience in EdTech strategy, corporate development, and investment management. Her background includes leadership roles at Western Governors University (WGU), where she led startup investments across the U.S., Canada, the Middle East, and Asia, managed early-stage seed and Series A deal execution, and supported portfolio outcomes aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to expand access, equity and economic outcomes for millions of learners around the world. She also serves as a Board Observer for Mursion, supporting board discussions, growth strategy, capital planning, and market expansion working closely with management.

Previously, Kanak served as Manager of Strategy and Corporate Development at WGU, where she helped drive M&A strategy and venture investing focused on innovative financing solutions for underserved students. Her work contributed to the launch of Suncrest Financial LLC and PineView Financial LLC, expanding tuition financing options for marginalized learners. Earlier in her career, Kanak held investment roles at DMBA (Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators), where she supported institutional investment portfolios across asset classes including fixed income, public and private equity, and real estate, and contributed to risk management, liability-driven investment strategies, and asset allocation decisions for a $15B+ fund.

Kanak has also held strategy roles in organizations including eBay, Cisco Systems, Zions Bancorporation. She holds an MBA in Finance and Investments from Brigham Young University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, India. She is a CFA charter holder and has served on the CFA Society board, with a strong commitment to financial education, innovation, and inclusion in finance.

Davis Pulsipher is a Research Analyst at Juvo Ventures, where he supports investment research and analysis across the firm’s edtech and workforce innovation focus areas.

He is currently pursuing a BS in Finance at Western Governors University and completed pre-business studies at Brigham Young University.

Andrea Call is associate general counsel for the General Partnership and its affiliate Juvo Venture Fund, LP. In her role providing legal support, Andrea focuses on performing legal diligence, drafting and negotiating investment documents, and providing counsel on corporate and securities law. Andrea formerly practiced as an associate attorney at Kunzler Bean & Adamson and Jones Waldo Holbrook & McDonough and has experience representing clients in commercial litigation and commercial real estate transactions.

Andrea graduated summa cum laude from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, where she was a senior editor of BYU Law Review. Immediately after law school, Andrea completed a two-year term as a law clerk to the Honorable Susan R. Bolton in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

When Andrea is not managing legal matters, she enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and teaching her dog new tricks.

Ben Shaw is the Controller for the General Partnership and its affiliate Juvo Venture Fund, LP.  He joined in 2019 after sixteen years in public accounting with both national and local firms. Ben’s experience includes financial reporting and accounting matters with public companies, not-for-profit organizations, software and technology companies (including SaaS), and other distribution and service companies. Ben’s role is to ensure accurate and timely monthly and year-end reporting of financial information, and he works closely with the fund’s third-party administrator, Cornerstone. 

Ben graduated from Arizona State University with a master’s degree in Accountancy and Information Systems and a B.S. in Accounting. He has been a licensed CPA since 2004 and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. 

Ashley Griff is an accomplished Executive Assistant at Juvo Ventures, bringing more than a decade of experience supporting senior leadership, managing complex operations, and driving organizational efficiency. Known for her discretion, attention to detail, and proactive problem-solving, Ashley serves as a trusted partner to executives in fast-paced, high-growth environments.

Throughout her career, Ashley has supported leadership teams across real estate, legal, and professional services organizations, overseeing administrative operations, transaction coordination, client communications, and internal processes. She has a strong background in document management, reporting, scheduling, and systems organization, with a reputation for anticipating needs and keeping teams aligned and moving forward.

Crystal McFarland is the Director of People & Talent (HR) for the General Partnership and its affiliate Juvo Venture Fund, LP. Her team supports the complete employee life cycle, including talent attraction, recruitment, onboarding, development, and retention.    

Crystal started her career in over eighteen years ago as a talent acquisition partner for Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah. Crystal has held various leadership and HR roles in dental products manufacturing, healthcare, and higher education. 

Crystal loves to travel. She has a deep passion for learning and mentoring others and volunteers her time to those in need.

Khris Jensen is the Director of Finance for the General Partnership and its affiliate Juvo Venture Fund, LP. Khris and his team manage financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and other FP&A responsibilities.

After graduating with his MBA, Khris worked in finance and accounting roles in the retail and marketing industries and also provided CFO and controller consulting services.

Khris is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. He is passionate about working within set boundaries even when provided limited resources to accomplish the mission of the operation.