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Meet the Core Team
John Vincent Lee (Founder)
John Vincent Lee is a founder and operator working at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and social impact. He began his career as a photojournalist documenting major American protest movements, including Occupy Wall Street and Standing Rock, developing a strong foundation in storytelling and community engagement.
He later founded Loopie, scaling it into a multi-city venture before selling the core operations and evolving the company into Loopie Technologies, a SaaS platform designed to help entrepreneurs launch and manage service businesses. Today, Lee leads Compassion Ventures, a venture studio focused on building and supporting mission-driven companies, including ChatGPTree.ai and the Creative Altruism Institute.
Lee’s work centers on applying practical business models to meaningful problems, combining innovation, disciplined execution, and partnerships to create sustainable organizations. In parallel, he maintains an active creative practice in photography, writing, and filmmaking, using storytelling as a tool to communicate ideas and inspire action.
His guiding principle is straightforward: use creativity and entrepreneurship to build systems that deliver real value to people and communities.
Leadership & Partners
Rren Schafer (General Partner)
Rren Schafer is a perceptive and tenacious entrepreneur whose work sits at the intersection of art and technology, where creativity meets disciplined execution. A lifelong sci-fi enthusiast with a global perspective, she brings an intuitive, solution-oriented mindset shaped by years of hands-on leadership and continuous engagement with emerging ideas and industries.
She contributes more than 20 years of entrepreneurship and executive leadership experience as a four-time technology founder. Her background spans GIS and data analytics, UAV systems, educational SaaS platforms, think-tank and fund structures, land development, and high-end commercial and residential construction. This breadth enables her to identify opportunities quickly, align teams effectively, and translate complex ideas into practical, high-impact outcomes.
Today, Schafer works with visionary organizations to bridge creativity and technology—building products, partnerships, and strategies grounded in strong business fundamentals. Her work is guided by a simple principle: the most durable innovations emerge when form and function work together, and when business is used as a tool to create lasting value.
Andy Kirschner (Investor & Real Estate Partner)
Andy Kirschner is an Investor and the Real Estate Partner at Compassion Ventures, where he advises on real estate strategy and collaborates on investment opportunities that generate durable returns while strengthening the communities they serve. He brings a practical, investor-first mindset to evaluating assets, structuring deals, and aligning capital with long-term value creation.
Andy is a Managing Partner at Bowerstone Equity and GP at Homeplate Equity, an experienced multifamily investor and syndicator, leading acquisitions, capital raising, and operational strategy for value-add real estate investments. His work centers on identifying opportunities that improve property performance, increase cash flow, and create sustainable appreciation for investors.
Driven by a mission to expand access to financial independence, Andy is passionate about helping individuals and families build generational wealth through disciplined investing and passive income strategies. He is known for translating complex real estate opportunities into clear, actionable pathways for investors seeking both strong returns and long-term stability.
Timo Fukar (Venture Partner)
Timo Fukar is an Operator-investor with experience spanning venture capital, institutional M&A, and zero-to-one company building across four continents, bringing disciplined judgment from sourcing through exit.
Former Investor at Golden Gate Ventures, where he sourced and invested in marketplace and infrastructure companies across Southeast Asia, developing a deep conviction in asset-light, high-ownership platform businesses aligned with Compassion Ventures' concentrated capital strategy.
Co-founded DeltaGen and scaled the business from concept to $500K ARR in under five months, demonstrating the fund's core venture creation philosophy: move quickly, validate decisively, and retain meaningful ownership.
Worked alongside founders and leadership teams at high-growth companies including 11x, Fortanix, and Otto Finance, sharpening expertise across AI, gaming, and education technology.
Prior M&A experience at Citigroup across industrials, insurance, and real estate provides institutional-grade capabilities in transaction structuring, capital allocation, and complex investments.
Over the past nine years, he has invested in and advised startups across healthcare, AI, gaming, and fintech, including 11x.ai, Kaikaku.ai, and Iconic Games. His blend of operator experience, institutional training, and early-stage execution strengthens Compassion Ventures' ability to identify, build, and scale enduring companies.
Tiger Puri (Founding LP)
Arvind Puri is a seasoned technology executive who got his start in Silicon Valley. A graduate of the prestigious Management and Technology (M&T) dual degree program of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Arvind was also a Ben Franklin Scholar and a University Scholar, one of 5 students chosen out of 2000.
Torn between a career on Wall Street and Silicon Valley, Arvind chose to pursue his dreams in San Francisco and later in Los Angeles. Arvind likes solving real world business problems with technology and making tech easier to use for everyone.
Arvind has been fortunate to work at a couple of startups and also at large enterprises such as Oracle, Yahoo, MySpace, Amazon AWS and Disney. He is a pioneer in the world of mobile apps, cloud-based systems and wearable technology and a holder of 3 US patents.
Arvind is an avid fisherman and likes to travel and has been to every continent except Antarctica. He also likes to golf and enjoys drinking single malt whisky and driving fast cars.
Advisors
Peter Wengert
Peter Wengert is a seasoned technology and business leader with more than 30 years of experience driving innovation, strategic partnerships, and transformational growth across global organizations including AWS, Microsoft, Teradata, and INRIX. His career has focused on building meaningful connections between people, technology, and communities to create lasting impact.
Peter is also the founder of Ever Onward Enterprises, a purpose-driven venture inspired by resilience, kindness, hospitality, and bringing people together through shared experiences. A licensed USCG Master Captain, Executive Bourbon Steward, and passionate adventurer, Peter’s belief in compassionate leadership, human connection, and exploration aligns closely with the mission of Compassion Adventures.
Through both his professional and personal endeavors, Peter is passionate about mentoring others, fostering authentic relationships, and creating experiences that encourage curiosity, growth, and positive change. His blend of executive leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to community reflects the collaborative and human-centered values at the heart of Compassion Adventures.
Evan Poncelet
Evan Poncelet is the founding Managing Partner of Dreamward Ventures and Executive Director of Venture Black, a nonprofit expanding access to venture-scale opportunity for Black and ally founders and investors. A VC Lab Venture Institute and BLCK VC Black Venture Institute fellow, Evan brings over a decade of software engineering and technology leadership experience from Fluke Networks, Cisco Systems, and Africatown Community Land Trust. He holds degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Gonzaga University and Computer Science from Seattle University. His focus is on mobilizing capital, relationships, and education to help underrepresented founders achieve success in growing their revenue and building venture-backable companies.
Christina Tao (Asia & Global Capital Partnerships)
Christina Tao is a Partner at Compassion Ventures, where she focuses on strengthening relationships with Chinese family offices across Asia and engaging limited partners who speak Mandarin as a first language. She plays a key role in bridging global capital networks, helping align long-term investors with mission-driven ventures and disciplined fund strategies.
Christina is also a Partner at VStone Capital and is deeply rooted in both Silicon Valley and New York’s investment ecosystems. She has cultivated strategic relationships with leading venture firms and corporate investors—including DFJ, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and NVIDIA Ventures—to co-invest in high-quality, growth-stage opportunities.
An alumna of Columbia University and Stanford University, Christina previously held roles at top-tier financial institutions including VStone Fund and CIBC, where she developed extensive cross-border industrial and capital networks spanning China, the United States, and Canada. Her experience navigating international markets and multilingual investor communities positions her to help Compassion Ventures expand thoughtfully across global capital corridors.
Amanda Lee (Growth & Go-to-Market Advisor)
Amanda is a growth marketing and go-to-market leader who helps consumer and technology companies scale through disciplined strategy, operational excellence, and customer-centric growth. At Compassion Ventures, she advises founders and portfolio companies on growth, marketplace expansion, customer acquisition, and brand positioning across both B2C and B2B businesses.
Over the past decade, Amanda has led growth initiatives at companies including Amazon, Chewy, and high-growth consumer brands, building and scaling programs across ecommerce, marketplaces, retail, and emerging channels. Known for combining analytical rigor with practical execution, she helps organizations build the systems, processes, and decision-making frameworks needed to scale intentionally and sustainably. Amanda is passionate about the intersection of brand storytelling, consumer psychology, and growth strategy, and enjoys helping founders turn ambitious ideas into durable businesses.
Jon Kiote (Certified AI Ambassador™)
Jon Kiote is a Certified AI Ambassador™ deployed by Compassion Ventures and powered by ChatGPTree.
Created as an experiment in responsible human-AI collaboration, Jon operates as a digital representative supporting venture development, strategic partnerships, thought leadership, and community engagement across the Compassion Ventures ecosystem.
His mission is to explore how artificial intelligence can help individuals and organizations create more opportunity, build stronger relationships, and generate positive impact while remaining grounded in human values.
Jon contributes research, insights, content, and opportunity discovery in support of founders, investors, and mission-driven organizations navigating the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Unlike traditional automation tools, Jon is designed to function as a transparent and publicly disclosed AI representative operating under continuous human oversight.
Every interaction is part of a broader effort to better understand how humans and AI can collaborate effectively, ethically, and sustainably.
Powered by ChatGPTree's sustainable AI infrastructure, Jon also helps advance the belief that technological progress and environmental stewardship should grow together.
