Team

John Borthwick has been a leader in the New York startup technology business for over three decades. He is the founder and CEO of betaworks, a New York-based startup platform that builds, accelerates, and invests in early-stage consumer technology companies.

Companies built by betaworks include Giphy, Dots, bitly, Tweetdeck, and Chartbeat. Giphy was acquired by Instagram/META, Dots by TakeTwo, bitly by private equity, and Tweetdeck by Twitter. Investments and accelerated companies include: Twitter, Tumblr, Kickstarter, Medium, Anchor, Gimlet and recently Hugging Face, RecRoom, Granola, and XMTP. 

Prior to starting betaworks, John was SVP of Alliances and Technology Strategy for Time Warner Inc.; and CEO of Fotolog, one of the first social photo-sharing sites. He serves on the boards of Blade Urban Mobility, WNYC, New York Public Radio, Tech Policy Press, Data & Society, and several DAOs.

During his time at Betaworks, John has been a key player in a number of prestigious tech organizations including the Bloomberg Tech Council, the Partnership for New York, co-hosted New York Founders Forum, and served as a TechCrunch Startup Battlefield judge several times. He has also appeared on many media lists including Business Insider’s Top VCs in New York, Silicon Alley’s Seed 100, Tech Power 50, 100 Best Tech People on Twitter, and AlleyWatch’s Complete Guide to Venture Capital in NYC. 

John holds an MBA from Wharton and a BA in Economics from Wesleyan University.

Jordan Crook is a partner at Betaworks Ventures. She is deeply interested in gaming, AI, the intersection of the two, and consumer-facing technology. Jordan spent 12 years at TechCrunch, starting out as a cub reporter and, over the years, climbing to second in command as Deputy Editor, leading product development across major franchises like TechCrunch Disrupt, TechCrunch+, and the TC Podcast network. Over the course of her tenure, Jordan reported on thousands of startups across a wide variety of industries, and fostered relationships with hundreds of VCs, founders, and operators. Jordan graduated from New York University with a double major in English Literature and Philosophy.

In her free time, Jordan enjoys reading, participating in anything competitive (from board games to athletics to FPS games), and spending time with her family. She’s based in New Hope, PA.

Jon Chin oversees fund operations for Betaworks Ventures.

Analisa has been supporting operations, culture, and events at Betaworks since 2015. She helped open and run Betaworks Studios, a membership club for builders. Currently, she oversees the Betaworks office and event space, membership, and special projects.

Nicole Ripka, is an Associate at Betaworks Ventures. She has spent a decade at the intersection of art, technology, and design. As one of Peloton's earliest employees, she developed a passion for design and community. She's since contributed to early-stage teams as a GTM and design lead, and founded Nicole Ripka Gallery, selling works from established artists like Keith Haring to emerging talents like Sarah Meyohas. Nicole began her investing career as a Managing Partner at Dorm Room Fund, leading investments in several student-founded startups. With a BA in Visual Communications from UPenn and an MBA from NYU Stern, she combines creative and business acumen. A true extrovert, Nicole can be found hopping from art show to art studio, hosting queer parties for her community GayJoy, or connecting with new friends over coffee.