May 8, 2026 – StartOut, the national nonprofit championing LGBTQ+ and allied entrepreneurs, announced the election of four national leaders to its Board of Directors: Sean Livingston, Chris Luquetta-Fish, Fredo Silva and Meghan Stabler. Current board member and investor Jason Scott has also been elected Vice Chair.
“These leaders bring the experience, networks, and commitment StartOut needs as we expand our support for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs nationwide,” said Genesis Garcia, StartOut Board Chair. “Each has been a champion of our mission, and their leadership will help us deepen our impact across the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
StartOut also announced new leadership roles supporting key strategic initiatives. Donnya “Zi” Piggot will lead community engagement, working directly with local Leadership Councils on programming in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other major metropolitan areas. Jugal Patel will serve as Chair for StartOut Con, the organization’s flagship gathering for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, taking place in San Francisco June 11-12.
Bethany B. who has been with StartOut for two years, has been promoted to Senior Digital Marketing Associate. In this role, they oversee StartOut’s social media channels, building an interactive online presence for the organization and its more than 59,000 followers.
“StartOut’s strength is our community, made up of thousands of talented people who work together to support LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship,” said StartOut CEO Brian Richardson. “With the leadership of our board and the strength of our team, we will continue to create opportunity and drive success for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs.”
New Board Members
Sean Livingston (he/him)
Sean is a Managing Director at UBS Private Wealth Management, where he advises ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families on sophisticated wealth management strategies. He also serves as Executive Sponsor of the UBS PRIDE & Allies Employee Resource Group and previously co-chaired the group while serving on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council for UBS Americas.
Sean has been involved with StartOut for more than a decade and played a key role in securing UBS’ multiyear sponsorship of the organization. In addition to serving as a donor, he has consistently championed StartOut within the financial services industry.
Chris Luquetta-Fish (he/him)
Chris is a product leader and entrepreneur whose career spans product leadership roles at Toast, OpenTable, Slack, and Microsoft. He founded Napkin Labs, where he provides fractional product leadership to Vertical B2B startups navigating the transition from MVP to scalable growth. He also served as an associate at FTW Ventures, where he supported early-stage startups and venture investment strategy.
Chris is an active member of the StartOut community and regularly drives marquee events and fundraisers in San Francisco. He also serves on the board of The LGBT Asylum Project, which provides legal representation for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers. A former undocumented immigrant and self-taught professional, Chris is passionate about expanding access and opportunity for underrepresented communities.
Fredo Silva (he/him)
Fredo is a partner in the Emerging Companies + Venture Capital practice at Morrison Foerster. He has served as counsel to startups and investors in early- and late-stage financings, minority strategic investments, and impact investments in over a hundred private companies, including representation of SoftBank, Temasek, and Visa Ventures. He also works with startups to form Delaware public benefit corporations and structures for-profit/non-profit “hybrid” entities that can attract both philanthropic and traditional capital.
In addition, Fredo works extensively with nonprofit organizations, providing advice on fiduciary issues, entity formation, structuring, and other corporate matters. Mr. Silva currently chairs the audit committee of the board of directors of the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theater and has previously advised and served on the boards of the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, founded by Steph and Ayesha Curry, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which for over 40 years has been pursuing a future where health justice is achieved for all people living with or at risk for HIV.
Meghan Stabler (she/her)
Ms. Stabler is an accomplished executive and board leader, currently serving as a member of the board of directors at Grindr (NYSE: GRND) since November 2022. She is the co-founder of Alentr, an AI-driven pricing intelligence platform, and serves as an advisor to a stealth AI company and its clients. Previously, Ms. Stabler held senior leadership roles, including Chief Marketing Officer at ThriveCart and Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at BigCommerce (Nasdaq: BIGC).
Her extensive board experience includes serving on the national boards of Planned Parenthood (C3 and C4), the Human Rights Campaign (C3 and C4), Lambda Legal, Kaleido Health Solutions, Democratic Majority for Israel, Athlete Ally, Segall Bryant & Hamill, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and AIDS Foundation Houston. Additionally, she has played significant roles with the Democratic National Committee, including as a superdelegate and appointee to the Platform Committee and was an active member and policy advisor on President Obama’s National LGBT Policy Committee.
Staffing Updates
Donnya “Zi” Piggott (she/her) – Consultant
Donnya is a tech entrepreneur, UX designer, product manager, and award-winning LGBTQ+ advocate whose work sits at the intersection of technology, queerness, and social justice.
In 2012, she co-founded B-GLAD (Barbados Gays, Lesbians and All-Sexualities Against Discrimination), the first LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in Barbados. Her work challenging discriminatory legislation and elevating the voices of queer Bajans earned her the Queen’s Young Leader Award from Queen Elizabeth II and recognition as a Gender Advocate by UN Women for the Caribbean region.
Donnya will support StartOut events organized by various Leadership Councils, formally Programming Boards, as the new Community Engagement & Project Manager and is a part of the 2026 Class of the World Economic Forum, Young Global Leaders and the co-founder of Goldeneggs.co.
Jugal Patel (he/him) – Consultant
Jugal is a two-time operational founder with deep experience building companies from the ground up. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he brings a strong background in early-stage company building and operational leadership.
Jugal has also demonstrated deep commitment to community leadership through nonprofit work focused on housing access, supporting underrepresented founders, and addressing mental health and addiction. A longtime StartOut volunteer, he currently serves as Chief of Staff for StartOut Con, helping deliver the organization’s flagship conference.
Bethany B. “BB” (they/she) – Senior Digital Marketing Associate
StartOut also announced the promotion of Bethany “BB” to Senior Digital Marketing Associate. Based in Texas, BB brings expertise in digital communications and strategy, along with a passion for building connected and collaborative communities.
Through previous nonprofit work with organizations including ConnectUp! Institute, CloseKnit, and OutFront Minnesota, BB developed a creative and innovative approach to digital marketing that has helped strengthen StartOut’s communications and community engagement via social media.
With the addition of new board leadership, expanded consulting expertise, and continued growth within its team, StartOut remains focused on supporting LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and building a more inclusive economy.