Anthony Green, PhD

Anthony is a Managing Partner at AVAS Partners where he leads the Atlanta office, focusing his efforts on managing projects while growing client relationships. He has been the sole driver behind the growth of the office since its opening.

Anthony has led multiple efforts into developing innovative strategies for companies wanting to lead in their marketplace. His engagements have spanned a variety of industries from technology transfer to healthcare and from software to wholesale/ distribution. Working with this diverse set of industries has allowed him to confront head-on the variety of challenges facing a company’s competitive strategy. It also has meant the scope of his work has ranged from due diligence on new technologies to redeveloping a firm’s marketing strategy and from financial reorganization to startup development.

Anthony specializes in the interaction of technology and business and in leadership development. He previously taught, and lead, an intensive leadership development course. After participating in the course, he spent four years teaching topics ranging from group resources to communication to motivation. In the last two years of his involvement, he was primarily responsible for leading and developing new course instructors.

Anthony previously served as the President and Chairman of Midway Apartment Building Corp. a real estate operations corporation, where he oversaw all operations and the fiscal health of the company. He had previously served as the vice-president and CFO where he developed and managed new investment plans as well as worked to bring best practices to the financial management of the company. During his time at the company, it exceeded the profitability goals every year.

Anthony holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Chemistry from the University of Chicago as well as a Masters. He also holds a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from Michigan State University. While at the University of Chicago, Anthony shifted his focus from a pure scientist to the commercialization of science, causing him to split his time between the chemistry lab and the Booth School of Business.

Anthony chairs the Board of Directors of AVAS Partners LLC and the Board of Directors of ScientistGuild LLC.

Ankit Makim

Ankit is a Managing Partner at AVAS Partners in the Chicago office, splitting his time between managing projects and growing client relationships.

Ankit is the firm’s foremost expert on customer behaviors and marketing. His specialization began during his time at bioStrategies Group researching market trends and developing go-to-market strategies in the biomedical space. He built upon this knowledge when he moved to Takeda Pharmaceuticals, advising their technology transfer office on licensing situations.

Ankit started his career working in the pharmaceutics industry primarily focusing on preclinical drug development and submitting the corresponding Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA. Between his time at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Archemix Corp he was involved in the research leading to numerous successful approvals of experimental drugs by the FDA.

Ankit holds a MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. Prior to attending Booth, he earned a Masters of Arts in Biology from Harvard to complement his Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Psychology from Boston University.

Ankit serves as the secretary of the Board of Directors of AVAS Partners LLC.

Samir Shah

Samir is a Managing Partner at AVAS Partners in the Chicago office. He splits his time between managing projects and client relationships.

Samir started his career in engineering where he designed computer hardware. He led engineering teams while at Hitachi Global Storage Technologies in quality control, hardware testing and technical marketing. While at IBM, he introduced 5 new products into high volume production areas representing $300 million in yearly revenue.

Most recently Samir worked in venture capital where he evaluated the success probability of new business proposals. He spent time with ARCH Ventures evaluating high-tech companies seeking steed stage funding. He then moved to MK Capital.

Samir holds a Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He also has an MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business with a focus on Entrepreneurship. 

Samir serves as vice-chair of the Board of Directors of AVAS Partners LLC.

Vivian Shi

Vivian is a Managing Partner at AVAS Partners in the Chicago office. She focuses most of her time managing the firm’s finances, though is often involved with projects involving complex financial planning and import & export issues.

Vivian has a diverse background and set of experiences spanning from medical school to consulting to investment banking. After she graduated from a medical school in China, she worked as a physician for a year in a municipal hospital there. She later transitioned to business with a focus on international trade between the U.S. and China.

Vivian previously founded AIM Consulting where she gained hands-on experience in running a start-up. The firm specialized in import-exports, particularly involving the importing goods from China to the US marketplace. She worked intimately with small and medium size businesses on the issues surrounding outsourcing, working with a Chinese manufacturer and dealing with US Customs.

Most recently Vivian has worked in portfolio management at Bank of America in Global Investment Banking Division Capital Markets Group. She later transferred to Mergers and Acquisitions, focusing on the food manufacturing companies.

In addition to the Bachelors of Medicine, Vivian also holds a MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business and a Bachelors of Economics from the University of International Businesses and Economics in Beijing.

Vivian serves as the treasurer of the Board of Directors of AVAS Partners LLC and on the Board of Directors of ScientistGuild LLC.