Meet the Team

FOUNDER

Ariel champions early-stage startups at the cutting edge of deep-tech health. Inspired by her personal experiences with mental health and cancer, Ariel strives to create optimal, data-driven care for every human being on the planet.

As a postdoc at Stanford, Dr. Ganz’s research focuses on multi-omics, personalized medicine, and mental health. She earned her PhD at Cornell in Molecular Nutrition, and has published >20 peer-reviewed papers with 1887 citations, in precision medicine, nutrition, and computational chemistry.

Ariel co-founded the Stanford Mental Healthcare Innovations Summit, and designed and co-taught Stanford’s BIOS 237 "Engineering Wellness" course, and co-founded the Open COVID Pledge.

FOUNDER

Ben Rolnik is the former Director of the Stanford Healthcare Innovation Lab and founder of enov.one.

His journey to reimagining healthcare started in an unlikely place– the world of rock-and-roll. Touring with legends like Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, and the Rolling Stones, Ben witnessed firsthand the deep struggles with depression, addiction, and unhappiness among even the most successful individuals. It led him to ask why health and well-being are so elusive–  even for those with every material advantage.

He turned his focus to research, conducting biological profiling studies at Stanford. In 2019, he became the Director of the Stanford Healthcare Innovation Lab, working to bridge the gap between tech and medicine. SHIL has spun out >$500M in startup value.

VENTURE PARTNER

Julia is a Venture Partner for Arben based in San Francisco. In 2022, she graduated from Stanford with degrees in Economics (BA) and data science (MS).

She's passionate about neurotech, emergency medicine, and using data science to improve care. During college, she interned with Governor Newsom's Senior Advisor on Social Innovation. She was VP of Synapse, a nonprofit for brain injury support groups, and studied traumatic brain injuries at the University of Denver under Dr. Kim Gorgens.

Julia recently retired from racing as a professional runner for the Brooks Beasts Track Club in Seattle. She is an Olympic Trials Finalist in the 1500; the Stanford record-holder in the event; and the Pac-12 Championships record-holder in the 5k.

EA

Diana is the operational and creative anchor of Arben Ventures. She manages the fund's day-to-day activities-including organization, scheduling, and systems management. She has expertise in accounting, client-relationship management, Al tools, as well project management at a leading esports company. Diana contributes her design talents to our brand materials and socials.

Diana is committed to community service and youth leadership. She was the first university council president at her university, and has championed accessible education and support for marginalized groups, including indigenous communities and survivors of gender-based violence and domestic abuse. Her dedication to empowerment, equity, and service reflects Arben's values by bringing purpose, and integrity to everything she does.

Syon is an intern at Arben based in New York. He is currently studying Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University with a Business minor, combining scientific depth with a strategy-focused outlook.

He has a long-standing interest in innovation, from internationally recognized high school research to competing in hackathons, case competitions, and biomedical device development challenges at the university level. Prior to Arben, he spent a summer at a biopharmaceutical company and supported business development at LifeNome, a precision health startup.

His favorite part of the role is being able to engage with passionate founders and dive deep into early-stage technologies with the potential to transform healthcare, all while still being a full-time student.

VENTURE PARTNER

Nico is a Stanford-trained biomedical data scientist, with a Bachelors's degree in Computational Biology, where he also conducted research with Dr. Michael Snyder in Genetics, analyzing immune cell distribution and function related to depression and mental health. His thesis involved a series of interviews with healthcare leaders on challenges and needs in hospital system environments to improve accessibility to excellent care.

Nico was the Founder and Chief Product Officer at Steel Jupiter, a company innovating in the indoor air quality space, and developing technology to prevent the spread of infectious disease through a air filter coating that traps viruses and bacteria. Steel Jupiter recently received EPA approval. Nico is a current team member at Palantir.

VENTURE PARTNER

Manu is a Venture Partner at Arben with a background in biomedical sciences and clinical research. She received her Bachelor’s in biology from the University of California, Riverside, and a Masters in Biomedical Sciences from Southern California University of Health Sciences.

She has held roles in clinical data management and research, where she gained valuable insights into patient data systems, quality control, and the commercialization of medical technologies.

Manu's investment interests lie in femtech, sustainable and healthy foodtech, and cancer detection devices. She is passionate about supporting companies that address critical pain points with simple solutions in nutrition and women’s health.