Our Founder
William "W.D" Allen
W.D was an Assistant Teaching Professor at the Trulaske College of Business, and served as the Coordinator of AACE. He received his PhD from MU in 2006. Previously, he was a fixed income manager, real estate developer, small business owner, purchasing manager, fry cook, aspiring musician, and a heavy equipment operator. He retired in May 2024.
ADVISORS
Johnny Fugitt
Johnny currently serves as the Coordinator for AACE. He has a Master's Degree from The London School of Economics and Political Science and an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business. Johnny served as a Supply Officer in the Navy before roles in consulting, private equity and nonprofits.
Gene Gerke
Gene is Co-President of Centennial Investors Angel Investor Network (CI). Gene has had his own management consulting firm for more that 40 years. His clients have included start-up companies, high growth enterprises, substantial family-owned firms, major business trade associations, not-for-profit agencies, academic institutions, and several Fortune 100 companies. He focuses on strategic, planning, executive consultation, high growth ventures, and profit improvement.
Stephen Guthrie
Steve is an Advisor to the AACE Venture Fund, a role which is very complimentary to his current role as Co-president of Centennial Investors Angel Network. Steve recently retired from "corporate life" after 44 years as a finance/accounting professional with primarily fortune 100 companies in the financial services, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, agriculture, and chemical industries. He received his undergraduate degree from Mizzou and MBA from Washington University. Steve is a licensed CPA.
Collin is a Managing Director at AACE Venture Fund responsible for technology deal flow and fundraising. This is his fourth semester in the fund and will be graduating in December with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and a minor in Mathematics. Collin will be joining Union Square Advisors, a technology focused investment bank, after graduation.
Chase is a Managing Director at the AACE Venture Fund responsible for the consumer deal flow and all marketing initiatives. He is currently a senior pursuing a Bachelors in Finance and a Bachelors in Economics, graduating in May 2026. Chase has prior experience working in both industrial manufacturing and in investment banking. He will be joining Raymond James in Chicago, IL after graduation as an Investment Banking Analyst.
Will is a Managing Director for the AACE Venture Fund. He is currently a senior studying finance and is set to graduate in May 2026. Following graduation, Will will be joining Goldman Sachs' XIG Private Equity Group in New York City.
Jack is a Vice President responsible for tech analysis in the AACE Fund. He is a senior pursuing a degree in Information technology and will graduate in May 2026. After graduation, Jack will be continuing to build his software and automations company.
Alessio is a Vice President on AACE Venture Fund's Technology Deal Flow team. He is currently pursuing dual degrees in Finance and Economics with certificates in Global Business, Corporate Finance, and Investments. As he completes his studies, Alessio is exploring post-graduate opportunities in asset management, equity research and FP&A.
Allie is a Vice President at AACE Venture Fund responsible for deal sourcing on the Consumer team. She is pursuing Bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Economics with an anticipated graduation in May 2027. This summer, she interned in Investment Banking with Baird in Chicago and will join Centerview Partners as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst in New York City next summer.
Ajith is a Vice President on the Agriculture Tech deal flow team for the AACE Venture Fund. He is pursuing a double major in Finance and Economics and will graduate in May 2027. This summer, Ajith will join Deloitte Corporate Finance in Chicago as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst.
Ted is a Vice President with the AACE Venture Fund and is a part of the healthcare team. He is a junior pursuing degrees in Finance, Economics, and Music. This summer, he will be interning as a financial analyst with TradeBot in Kansas City.
Adam Thomas is an Investment Analyst at AACE Venture Fund and is currently pursuing a law degree, graduating in May 2026. With an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, he brings a unique technical and legal perspective to venture capital deal analysis and investment evaluation. Adam has accepted a full-time position with Armstrong Teasdale's Intellectual Property Group following graduation.
Garret is an Investment Analyst at AACE Venture Fund and third-year law student. He completed his undergraduate studies in Economics, Business, and Philosophy. Before coming to law school, he worked in Compliance at Wells Fargo and most recently he served as a legal intern at Santander.
Nathan is an Investment Analyst with the AACE Venture Fund, where he focuses on sourcing deals for the consumer team. He is currently pursuing a Master of Accountancy and a B.S. in Accountancy through Mizzou’s dual-degree program and will graduate in December 2027. This is Nathan’s first semester in the fund, and this summer he will be joining KPMG in Kansas City as an Audit Intern.
Jack is an Investment Analyst on the Technology team for the AACE Venture fund and is also on the Fundraising team. He is a sophomore pursuing a degree in Finance and Economics. This is Jack's first semester in the fund.
John is an Investment Analyst on the Healthcare team at AACE Venture Fund. He is a sophomore studying Finance and Economics with a minor in Biology. This is his first semester in the fund, and he plans to pursue a career in investment banking or strategic consulting.
Chase is an Investment Analyst on the AACE Fund responsible for deal sourcing on the Technology team. He is a junior currently pursuing a degree in Finance and a minor in Entrepreneurship. This is Chase's first semester in the fund and he previously completed a wealth management internship this past summer.
Blake is an Investment Analyst on the AACE Fund responsible for deal sourcing on the Consumer team. He is currently a sophomore pursuing a Master's in Accounting and a minor in Psychology. Last summer, he was a Hedge Fund Intern at IUR Capital in London.