Yuriy Boykiv

Founder and Investor

As a founder of Fortem, Yuriy brings 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, marketing, media and investing in start-ups and companies in the growth stage.

Prior to founding Fortem, Yuriy was a President of Dentsu X (Dentsu International) managing a $500 million advertising agency with clients such as LVMH, Jaguar Land Rover, Upfield and Hitachi. He was also part of the Dentsu Media executive and M&A committee in the U.S. In 2009 Yuriy co-founded Gravity Media, ad agency with offices in New York and London, which he sold to Dentsu in 2016.

Yuriy is fluent in four languages, has an MBA from Pace University and he is a graduate of Harvard Business School with the OPM degree. He is passionate about doing good by his clients, partners and society.

Bala Chandra

Advisor and Investor

Bala was Founder and CEO of Vernalis, a 400+ person software development firm with offices on three continents that helped Fortune 50 global companies in the digital transformation of their business. Under his leadership, Vernalis had grown to be the technology partner for clients like Major League Baseball, Ernst & Young, Christies, Australian Football League, Deloitte and National Football League.

In February 2017, Bala sold Vernalis to Orion Systems Integrators and played a leadership role for two years to help with the integration of the two companies. Subsequently, Potomac equity partners sold Orion resulting in great success for its investors and customers.  Ever the technology and design buff, Bala continues to pursue new avenues, mentor and enable aspiring entrepreneurs.

Bala is an engineering graduate from University of Madras, India. He also holds a Diploma in Management from Indian School of Business and he is a graduate of the Harvard Business School OPM Program.

Chafic Kazoun

Advisor and Investor

Chafic Kazoun is a technology entrepreneur and co-founder/CEO of B-Line Medical, which he sold to Laerdal Medical, global leader in medical simulation, in 2019. B-Line is an educational tech platform used by nine of the top ten medical schools in the U.S. including Stanford, Harvard, John Hopkins and Mayo Clinic. Outside of the U.S., the platform is deployed in 35 countries. Chafic holds several patents, has written books for O’Reilly Media on user interface technology, and has presented widely on UI and software architecture. His true passion is entrepreneurship, designing innovative products, and scaling businesses. He’s also an advisor and investor in multiple startups. Chafic first fell in love with technology as a kid and has been obsessed with the world of tech and innovation since. 

He is an YPO member and a graduate of Harvard Business School with the OPM degree. 

Marston Litvinsky

CFO and Investor

Marston is a recovering Goldman Sachs investment banker where he was advising software and broader technology clients in the SF Bay Area and the PNW. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Marston spent several years in real estate private equity at Five Ten Capital which was acquired by Cerberus in 2015.

Marston is a graduate of London Business School with a Masters in Finance with Distinction. He completed his undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley with a BA in Economics.