Joelle Kayden

Founder, Managing Partner

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.

Aram Verdiyan

Partner

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.

Andrew Salembier

Partner & Chief Operating

Officer

Andrew Salembier is a Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Accolade Partners, where he has built his career since joining in 2003. Andrew began his professional journey at Cambridge Associates before starting at Accolade as a Senior Investment Associate. From 2007 to 2009, he pursued his M.B.A. at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and gained additional experience working at the Georgetown University Investment Office, focusing on private equity investments. Andrew rejoined Accolade in 2009 as a Principal and has since advanced to his current leadership role. He holds an M.B.A. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Meera Patel

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.

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.

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.

Naneka Bakare Colas

Associate Counsel

Naneka Bakare is Associate Counsel at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2025, Naneka was an associate in the investment management practice at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where she represented institutional investors in secondary transactions and advised fund managers on the operation and formation of private equity funds. She holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.S. from Northeastern 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.

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.

Andrew Thompson

Investment Associate

Andrew is an Investment Associate 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 and an M.S. in Finance from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business.

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.

Willie Alvord

Investment Associate

Willie is an Investment Associate 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.

Bridget Boland

Investment Analyst

Bridget is an Investment Analyst at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2025, Bridget interned at Accolade Partners and Asset Strategy Consultants. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics from the University of Richmond.

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.

Patrick Abrahamsen

Vice President, Finance

Patrick Abrahamsen is a Finance and Operations Vice President at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2019, Patrick was a Coordinator at Zaffre Investments in Boston, MA where he worked for two years. He holds a B.A. in International Business and Management from Dickinson College.

Joy Smith

Senior Executive Assistant,

Office Manager

Joy Smith is a Senior 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.

Riley Frankel

Finance Associate

Riley Frankel is a Finance and Operations Associate at Accolade. Prior to joining Accolade in 2021, Riley worked as a Financial Analyst at Wells Fargo. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Towson University.

Danny Perez

Operations Analyst

Daniel Perez is an Operations Analyst at Accolade. Prior to joining the firm in 2025, Daniel worked as a Financial Analyst at Progressive Management and interned at Keystone Global. Daniel will hold a B.S. in Finance from University of Maryland.