Team

John Borthwick has been a leader in the New York startup technology business for over two 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 META, Dots by TakeTwo, bitly by private equity, and Tweetdeck by Twitter. 

Investments and accelerated companies at betaworks include: Twitter, Tumblr, Kickstarter, Medium, Anchor, Gimlet and recently Hugging Face, The Browser Company and Granola.

Prior to starting betaworks, John held the CTO job at Time Warner, as SVP of Technology; before that he was CEO of Fotolog, one of the first social photo-sharing sites.  He serves on the boards of WNYC, New York Public Radio and Tech Policy Press. 

During his time at Betaworks, John has been a key player in a number of 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 is a partner at Betaworks, leading deals in Granola, Hopscotch Labs, and Tato, among others. Before Betaworks, Jordan spent 12 years at TechCrunch. She made a name for herself by being the first to write about soon-to-be popular apps like Bumble and Yik Yak. She then became Deputy Editor, leading product development and business operations across events, podcasts, and premium subscriptions. Jordan graduated from NYU with a double major in English Literature and Philosophy.

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.