Meet the Asphalt X Team
Don Serpe, Chairman and CEO
Don Serpe is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with over 20 years of experience founding, operating, and scaling businesses across a wide range of industries. He began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 19, launching ventures in the automotive and publishing sectors, and has since built a track record of success across multiple domains.
Don has underwritten and managed over $100 million in loan originations, primarily through his private finance companies serving both consumers and auto dealerships. His portfolio of companies has spanned wholesale and retail automotive, hospitality, media, medical devices, insurance, and renewable energy, demonstrating a rare versatility and deep operational acumen.
Dr. Hunaid Nulwala, PhD & CTO
Dr. Hunaid B. Nulwala, earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Nulwala is a serial entrepreneur, has advanced the field of materials science by pioneering novel ionic liquids and poly(ionic liquid)s, authoring over 50 peer-reviewed publications with more than 2,670 citations and filing over 20 patents on their synthesis, properties, and applications in polymer additives, responsive materials, membranes, and carbon capture while serving as Assistant Research Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Nulwala is Co-Founder of numerous companies, including LumiShield Technologies, a 2016-recognized spinoff where he developed sustainable anti-corrosion coatings; RoCo, where Dr. Nulwala commercialized ionic liquids; Carbon Blade, a direct air capture company now based in California; Singularity Polymers, which is focused on developing single-material polymer film solutions; and AsphaltX, where Dr. Nulwala is the key inventor of poly(ionic liquid)s enhancing asphalt performance. In addition to serving as a technical investor in multiple
startups, Dr. Nulwala drives innovation in material recycling and polymer technologies.
Dr. Saadyah Averick, PhD, CSO
Dr. Averick earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University, focusing on advanced applications of polymers in tailoring their interactions for making high-performance materials. He has led scale-up and technology transfer at two VC-backed advanced science firms, overseeing commercialization of novel additive systems. His deep experience in pilot- scale processing, materials characterization, and regulatory compliance ensures AsphaltX’s technology is robust, scalable, and market-ready.
Elliott Krug, CFO & Treasurer
Elliott Krug is a seasoned business leader and consultant with extensive experience in organizational transformation, financial management, and strategic development across diverse industries, including Food Processing, Publishing, Automotive and Industrial Manufacturing.
Throughout his career, Elliott has excelled as a senior level financial executive for both privately and publicly-held international companies as well as private equity owned organizations, where he drove operational efficiency, revenue growth, and financial stability. He was also the Comptroller of a government-owned entity in the Federated States of Micronesia where he worked with both the Asian Development and World Bank on various projects to help bring economic prosperity to the region.
Patrick Morris, Chief Legal Officer
A New York City-based lawyer with an extensive background in the financial sector, Morris represents entrepreneurs and business owners in all aspects of commercial and corporate transactions. Having held leadership positions at Deutsche Bank, Natexis Banque Populaire, and his own firm, HAGIN Investment Management, Morris brings over 25 years of investment industry acumen to his law practice.
Morris is licensed to practice law in New York and is admitted to the First Department, Eastern District (EDNY), Southern District (SDNY), and 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. He is also a licensed real estate broker and receiver in the State of New York.
Joshua Goldstein, Corporate Advisor
Mr. Goldstein is a Managing Director at Brock Capital Group, where he focuses on providing advisory services in connection with a variety of complex private equity financings, due diligence and fiduciary assignments. He serves or has served as advisor to a number of early-stage companies and has been selected to serve as trusted independent fiduciary
for large organizations with respect to oversight and discretionary decision-making for situations involving conflicted interests.
He has led and served on deal teams across industry verticals including industrials, transportation, energy, aerospace and technology-enabled services, as well as for pension fund clients. Mr. Goldstein is a member of Brock Fiduciary Services’ Valuation Committee, which is responsible for decisions related to assets under management for which Brock serves as an independent fiduciary under ERISA. Previously, Mr. Goldstein was an analyst at Idea Group Securities, a boutique investment bank focused on providing advisory services to companies with specialized financing needs. Mr. Goldstein began his career with seasonal Analyst roles at Citi and Goldman Sachs.
Dr Brian deGuzman, Director
Dr. deGuzman currently serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer for both Pavmed (ticker: PAVM) and Lucid Diagnostics (ticker: LUCD) on Nasdaq. Dr. deGuzman also served as PAVmed’s Chief Medical Officer since October 2014 and served as a Director from October 2014 to January 2015. Dr. deGuzman has previously served as a co-founding Partner of Pavilion Holdings Group (“PHG”), a medical device holding company, and Pavilion Medical Innovations (“PMI”), a venture-backed medical device incubator, since their respective inceptions in 2007 and 2009.
Dr. deGuzman has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Kaleidoscope Medical since its founding in February 2013 and has also served as a Senior Advisor to PMI portfolio companies Saphena Medical since February 2013 and Cruzar Medsystems since July 2013. Dr. deGuzman served as Chief Medical Officer of Vortex Medical from inception until its sale to AngioDynamics, for whom he continues to serve as a consultant. Dr. deGuzman has also been a consultant to Biomet and Atricure since 2007, and on the Revascularization Scientific Advisory Board of Maquet Cardiovascular (formerly Boston Scientific and Guidant Cardiac Surgery) since 2006.
During his surgical career, Dr. deGuzman also served as a consultant to various medical device companies, including Edward Lifesciences. Prior to moving into the medical device industry full-time in 2012, Dr. deGuzman was Assistant Professor of Surgery, Associate Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery, and Surgical Director of the Atrial Fibrillation Clinic at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center’s Heart and Lung Institute from 2006 to 2012. From 2002 to 2006, Dr. deGuzman was Assistant Professor of Surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine and an attending cardiac surgeon at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center in Massachusetts. From 2001 to 2002, Dr. deGuzman was a Clinical Associate of Cardiac Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. deGuzman received his general surgical training at the University of Connecticut/Hartford Hospital, was a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School’s Cardiac Surgery Research Laboratory, and received his cardiothoracic surgical training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. deGuzman was recognized as a Top Doctor in Cardiovascular Surgery by Boston Magazine. Dr. deGuzman received his B.S. in Biology from Boston College and his M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine.
Our Skills
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