Duke Capital Partners

Kurt Schmidt

Kurt Schmidt has extensive experience in all aspects of startup ventures. He is an investor, entrepreneur, and board member who works with early-stage companies, venture capital firms, and angel investment funds. Kurt is the Chairman and President of Triangle Angel Partners and a Venture Partner at 7BC Venture Capital. Kurt serves on several boards, including the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Council for Entrepreneurial Development. As a TRW Fellow, Kurt earned an M.S. in electrical engineering from The University of Southern California and a B.S. in electrical engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. At Duke University’s School of Law, he…

Phillip Graham

Phill joined Duke Capital Partners in 2016 and helps lead the team’s deal sourcing, screening, and diligence efforts. Prior to Duke Capital Partners, he worked as a strategy consultant for Promontory Financial Group, focused on implementation of board governance, operations, and risk management best practices for institutional financial services firms. Prior to Promontory, he was a Sr. Analyst at Treliant Risk Advisors, where he led large-scale reviews on credit and mortgage products for financial services clients. He began his career as a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he developed requirements and test cases for the software team running the…

Dave Neal, JD

Dave is a member of the Duke Capital Partners Operating Team, serving in this role since 2018. In this role he works on sourcing, deal screening and other venture capital related work. Dave has performed Founder, CEO, CFO and General Counsel roles for companies in the Research Triangle entrepreneurial ecosystem since 1994.In 2011 Dave co-founded The Startup Factory which was the most highly-capitalized accelerator in the Southeast at that time. TSF made 35 investments from 2012-15, focusing on lean startup methodologies and mentorship. Dave has spent over twenty years as a Professor of the Practice in Entrepreneurship at the Kenan-Flagler…

Jana Stollings

As Staff Assistant, Jana Stollings, MPH is responsible primarily for supporting the Operations Team for Duke Capital Partners (previously Duke Angel Network). She joined OTC in 2022 following experience in university and non-profit settings coordinating programs which support translation of research and innovations into practice. Jana also provides operational support for the Office for External Partnerships. Jana received a BA in Psychology from Dickinson College and an MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health.