Our Team

John Nitti is the Senior Vice President of Strategy, New Business, and Partnership Development for Verizon & Chief Investment Officer of Verizon Ventures. John is responsible for identifying and optimizing new growth opportunities for the company in areas such as 5G Ecosystem, Mobile Edge Compute, Satellite, AI and IoT. He connects entrepreneurs with Verizon’s network of strategic and financial resources to help advance their businesses. 

John joined Verizon in December 2015 as Chief Media Officer. He was responsible for activation strategy development and holistic integration across media, digital marketing, sponsorships and experiential. Prior to joining Verizon, John served as Chief Investment Officer for Publicis Groupe’s ZenithOptimedia – Worldwide. He has also worked at American Express, Dentsu, Time Inc. and Young & Rubicam. 

John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and finance from Wagner College. He has also been recognized for his commitment to public service.

Madison Rezaei is the Vice President of New Business Strategy & Verizon Ventures, charged with ideating, validating, and standing up large-scale strategic growth initiatives for the company. These initiatives sit outside of or across existing business units and can be realized in the mid-long term, typically through inorganic activities or partnerships. 

Prior to joining Verizon in 2020, Madison was a Director at Altman Solon, a TMT-focused strategy consultancy, where she advised some of the world’s largest operators and investors across the tech, media, and telecom sectors. 

Madison holds an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a B.A. in History and Economics from Dartmouth College.

With over 18 years of expertise in investment banking, corporate finance and venture investing, Jeff’s analytical expertise lends well to his investment thesis in robotics, mobility, retail, the metaverse and 5G. His investments are transforming the way we operate in a hybrid environment and the future of work. In 2009, he joined the Verizon team, where he worked on a variety of M&A and strategic investment transactions. He joined Verizon Ventures in 2012.

Prior, Jeff worked on Wall Street and in large corporate finance organizations, including J.P. Morgan, where he structured debt, equity, and M&A transactions. He also worked at Delta Air Lines where he worked in the corporate finance department.

Jeff holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and an MBA from Emory University's Goizueta Business School.

Michelle joined Verizon Ventures in 2012 and brings more than 25 years of telecommunications experience with prior leadership roles at Verizon in corporate strategy, M&A, international finance, and tax credit investments.  Michelle earned an MBA in finance from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and a B.A. in International Studies from American University.

Kristina is a Managing Director at Verizon Ventures. Kristina joined Verizon Ventures from Verizon’s Big Data and Artificial Intelligence product team. Prior to Verizon, Kristina was a Director at Intellectual Ventures, where she led investments in machine learning, media, advertising and gaming technologies. Kristina’s entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding and leading two software companies from their inception to acquisition. Kristina also spent several years on the strategy and corporate development teams at IBM and at NAGRA Innovations. She received an electrical and mechanical engineering degree from Kettering University and an MBA from Harvard University.

Tom Arnost joined Verizon Ventures in 2021 and is responsible for executing and managing strategic investments.  Previously, he was part of Verizon's Corporate Development team, where he executed M&A transactions and strategic planning projects.

Prior to joining Verizon, Tom was a member of the investment banking team at Houlihan Lokey, where he executed M&A transactions across various industries. Prior to that, he began his career in public accounting at Raffa, P.C., providing businesses an array of accounting, consulting, and business advisory services.

Tom holds a M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.B.A. from Georgetown University.

Tom joined Verizon Ventures in 2017. He most recently was part of Verizon’s Innovation Program focused on developing partnerships with IoT companies, and he took particular interest in working with a cross-functional Verizon group on UAS issues and controlled technical trials of UAS on the wireless network.  

Prior to the Verizon Innovation Program, Tom worked for Verizon Enterprise Solutions. He cultivated interconnection agreements between Verizon, Google and Netflix to better serve Fios and wireless customers. Tom held various sales, operations and business development positions with Xerox, Cobalt Networks, Narus and First American Title.  

Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from National Louis University.

As a Principal on the Verizon Ventures team, Marah Dudenhoeffer is responsible for sourcing new innovative solutions for Verizon Ventures, as well as strategic development of the Ventures portfolio. Part of Marah’s responsibility is to seek out and engage startups as potential investment opportunities based on strategic alignment with Verizon. 

Marah’s current investment focus is on Enterprise and B2B Solutions relevant to the Verizon Business Group. Marah has previously focused on technologies relevant to Verizon’s Consumer Business such as Consumer Experience, Immersive Entertainment, and Smart Home/Family. 

Having joined Verizon in 2013, she has a strong understanding of overall Verizon Corporate Strategy, Verizon product portfolio, specific product initiatives, and key drivers of each major business. 

You can often find Marah championing and promoting startup’s inside Verizon for opportunities related to business development.

Leslie joined Verizon Ventures in 2017 and has a wealth of experience in venture capital, marketing, investor relations and investments. She specializes in portfolio analytics, operations, and marketing for the Venture Fund.

Leslie started her career with Verizon in 2005 as an Operations manager. She then worked as an investment analyst at VIMCO, where she managed Verizon’s pension and savings plan fund investments, and was also a member of the Verizon Investor Relations team. She later joined the Wireless Marketing team to focus on the development of a tech-savvy, millennial-targeted wireless sub-brand product.

Leslie earned an MBA in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a dual-major B.S. degree in Management and Electronic, Media, Arts and Communications (EMAC) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Corey is an investor at Verizon Ventures New Jersey office focusing on deep technology related to all aspects of Verizon's high-performance networks. Areas of interest include 5G/next-gen radio, edge computing, optical networking, virtualization, automation and optimization, and strategic platforms.

Corey brings 20 years of telecom industry experience, including roles leading billion dollar product portfolios for Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent before joining Verizon in 2018. He was a founding member of Verizon's 5G Technology Partnerships team and continues to foster deep, meaningful relationships with portfolio companies in his role at Verizon Ventures.

Corey holds an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from NYU Stern School of business and a BS in Engineering from Cornell University.

Alex joined Verizon Ventures in 2022. He has spent over a decade working in the Venture Capital and Tech industries. Most recently, he was a Co-Founder and General Partner at APA Venture Partners, a venture fund focused on pre-seed investments in Healthcare and Consumer technology. Prior to that, Alex spent 3+ years at JetBlue Technology Ventures where he focused on early stage technology investments in the Enterprise SaaS, Fintech, and Consumer spaces. He was a board observer and investor in Shape Security, Slice Labs, Miles, and FLYR, among others. He spent the early part of his career gaining deep operational experience working with venture-backed companies, most recently managing the strategy team at One Medical Group. Alex began his career as a technology focused investment banker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Alex graduated with Honors from Amherst College, and received his MBA from UNC's Kenan-Flager Business School. He is a Bay Area native, life-long tech enthusiast, and tennis fanatic.