Lucas Pols is the General Partner of 1752vc, where he leads investments at the intersection of AI enablement and go-to-market execution. His focus centers on B2B SaaS, Energy, and the Future of Work, with particular conviction around the middleware and application layers of AI.
At 1752, Lucas backs startups at the inflection point, where traction meets acceleration, and trains the next generation of venture investors through the Venture Fellow Program. He emphasizes high-signal sourcing, founder evaluation, and conviction-driven investing with a GTM-first lens.
Previously, Lucas served as President of Tech Coast Angels and built a career as a top-performing Fortune 200 sales executive, driving national technology pilots and enterprise-scale innovation. He also hosts VC Unfiltered, where he explores the unvarnished truths of early-stage investing.
Taissa Maleh brings a powerful combination of institutional finance, founder experience, and early-stage portfolio strategy to 1752. With 17 years in the financial industry, she built her career in Alternative Investments and Portfolio Management, serving as VP at Safra Group, where she oversaw $2B+ in assets and advised high-net-worth clients on capital allocation and portfolio construction.
After founding Bluefin Foods, a cultivated seafood startup in Los Angeles, Taissa transitioned into venture full-time, most recently serving as Portfolio Growth Manager at a leading LA-based accelerator. There, she supported over 270 startups from Pre-Seed to Series A, helping founders refine strategies, scale operations, and raise capital. At 1752, she plays a key role in investment diligence and post-investment support, ensuring companies are fundable, focused, and built to scale. She holds an Executive MBA from UCLA Anderson and a graduate degree in Finance from Columbia University.
Ben Kahan is a Principal at 1752vc, where he plays a key role in accelerator operations, investment diligence, marketing strategy, and content development. His cross-disciplinary background blends storytelling, entrepreneurship, and venture, making him a valuable bridge between founders and the LP community.
Before joining 1752, Ben built Four Speed Films into a content platform with over 80,000 YouTube subscribers, helping early-stage companies scale their reach through organic growth and brand strategy. He earned his Master's in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from USC's Marshall School of Business, with a focus on fundraising and early-stage investing.
Ben brings a unique lens to venture, merging creativity with strategic execution. He's especially focused on helping portfolio companies craft compelling narratives that resonate with customers, investors, and future hires, driving both traction and long-term brand value.
Grace is a Senior AI Engineer at 1752vc, where she builds AI-powered tools that strengthen deal evaluation, founder support, and platform operations. She brings over 15 years of software engineering experience spanning React, Next.js, Python, and emerging AI/RAG architectures, along with a founder's instinct for shipping fast and solving real problems.
Before joining 1752, Grace founded ViaSkill, a career operating system that uses AI to help professionals capture their daily work, extract skills, and generate career assets like resumes and portfolio sites.
Grace's career includes leadership roles in web engineering at enterprise companies and deep expertise in UX, full-stack development, and AI integration. For over a decade, she served as a UX/UI and Software Engineering mentor at Chegg, driven by a passion for helping people grow into what's next. As both an engineer and a founder, she brings a unique perspective to the team, understanding the challenges startups face from the inside out. A graduate of 1752 Ignite, Grace is deeply embedded in the Southern California startup ecosystem.
Scott Alderton is a Founding Partner of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP, the Managing Partner, and a member of the Firm's executive committee. He is also Co-Chair of the Firm's Venture Capital and Emerging Growth practice group and serves as Chairman and Board Member at the Preccelerator, the Firm's accelerator for early-stage ventures.
Scott advises clients across several industries, including software, technology, digital media, interactive entertainment and video games, cybersecurity, and life sciences.
His practice focuses on advising early-stage to middle-market technology and emerging growth companies in all aspects of capital formation, venture capital and finance, corporate and securities laws, mergers and acquisitions, high technology, intellectual property, licensing, interactive entertainment and video games, the internet, digital media, manufacturing and distribution of goods in commerce, and commercial contracts.
Dr. Min-Yi Shih is a dynamic technologist and an accomplished business executive. Dr. Shih has a background in physics and earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, he also attained his EMBA from UCLA Anderson.
Dr. Shih has a wealth of experience in executive roles such as CTO and COO across various industries including R&D, defense, medical, and communication equipment. He is currently an angel investor and an advisor to multiple startups and academic programs. Dr. Shih has a successful track record in obtaining non-dilutive government funding (e.g., SBIR and various BAAs).
Stacy Cumberbatch is the Founder and Managing Director of Blended Impact, a Southern California-based innovation lab and B Corporation that works in public-private partnerships to reimagine the future of how we invest, live, and earn. She leads strategy and partnerships with cities, nonprofits, and project sponsors and has co-created initiatives with the City of Coachella, Mastercard, the Center for Social Innovation at UCR, Accelerator for America, and more. Additionally, she is an emerging fund manager, both as a Partner with Aventura Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund, and as a Venture Partner with Republic, a national equity crowdfunding platform.
Previously, she served as a Principal at a seed-stage venture capital fund and accelerator program where she joined in the launch of the Los Angeles office. Stacy led its accelerator program while also operating as an integral member of the investment committee for thirty seed-stage companies, deploying $4.5M in early-stage ventures.
Stacy holds a Masters degree from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business and a Bachelors degree from the University of Georgia, Terry College of Business. Additionally, she has earned a Certificate in Private Equity Fund Management from the National Association of Investment Companies and a Certificate in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California, Lusk Center for Real Estate.
