MINYOUNG SOHN
FOUNDER

Minyoung Sohn is the Founder and Director of Blue Room, a start up private investment company whose mission is to change the world through best-in-class investing. He has over twenty years of investment experience. Previously, he was a Founding Partner of ArrowMark Partners, an asset management firm based in Denver, Colorado, and portfolio manager of the Meridian Enhanced Equity Fund. Min is active in his community through the Economic Club of Colorado, where he currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors; and Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, where he currently serves as a Trustee and as Treasurer. Min is also a co-founder and Capital Markets Advisor to IE Mills, and joined Id Est Hospitality Group as a partner in March 2020. Min earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, graduating cum laude with a double major in Government and Economics.

EMILY PHILPOTT
CREATIVE PARTNER

Emily Philpott is the Creative Partner of Blue Room, where she oversees the creative aspects of the brand and supports Min on the overarching companies. She is also Owner and Creative Director of Gorilla, a company that creates digital and traditional media to connect people to brands in cultural segments that aim to make the world a better place: action sports, outdoor, music, hospitality, and nonprofit industries. In tandem with these, she is the Creative Advisor to Id Est Hospitality and Dry Storage. Previously, Emily was a Creative Director at Factory Labs overseeing global brands as Creative Director of Oakley, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows among others. Emily has worked as a Creative Director for Hothouse Design, senior designer for Pearl Izumi and omni designer for MTV. Her brand experience includes: Aspen Snowmass, ATO Records, Audi, Carmichael Training Systems, Copper Mountain Resort, Colorado Water Trust, Harley Davidson, HEAD, Horsepower Entertainment, Jeep, K2, Mor Beverage, Nixon, Orage, Ross Reels, Silk Soy Milk + Whitewave, SPCA, Spy Optics, Stax Records, and The North Face. Emily has a post graduate degree from Portfolio Center, Atlanta, GA.

JIM CHOMAS
PRESIDENT

As President at Blue Room, Jim provides leadership in the impact investment portfolio of companies leveraging his deep experience leading early-stage companies from concept through commercialization.  Before Blue Room, Jim served in CEO roles at multiple medical device and wellness companies, starting with Surefire Medical which he founded in 2009 and led from initial invention to sales in hundreds of cancer centers in the US and around the world.  Prior to Surefire, Jim led innovations at Cabochon (acquired by Ulthera) and Siemens Healthcare.  He is a prolific inventor, with over 50 US and international patents, and many of his medical device inventions remain in clinical use today.  Jim currently serves on the board of KromaTiD, and is a member of Colorado Bioscience Association, Economic Club of Colorado, and has served on multiple board roles in venture-backed start-ups.  Jim earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University with a dual major in electrical and biomedical engineering, and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in biomedical engineering.

KELLY WHITAKER
HOSPITALITY PARTNER

Kelly Whitaker is a chef, food activist, and partner in Blue Room. He holds a degree in Hospitality Management from Colorado State University, but the world has provided his real schooling. Early in his career, he studied abroad at Hotel Institute Montreux in Switzerland. This led him to his first culinary stint in Italy on the island of Procida, off the coast of Naples. There he fell in love with simple wood-fired eateries. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he perfected his craft at the one-Michelin-starred Hatfield’s and the two-Michelin-starred Providence. In 2008, Kelly moved to Boulder, Colo., and co-founded Id Est Hospitality Group. Kelly believes in responsibly sourced ingredients. He is a local leader of the national organization Chefs Collaborative, sits on the Blue Ribbon Task Force for Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, and founded the nonprofit Noble Grain Alliance. Kelly has received local, regional and national acclaim for his cooking and his activism. Most recently, in 2020 Kelly was a semifinalist for the James Beard nomination for best chef in the Rocky Mountain region. He has founded a for-profit milling company that supports regenerative agriculture practices in partnership with Blue Room.

EDUARDO SARABIA
ARTIST PARTNER

Eduardo Sarabia is a Los Angeles-born contemporary artist, community builder, and partner in Blue Room ™. His sculptures, paintings, and installations focus on subculture, imagery, and hand-made crafts. In work that blurs fact and fiction, Eduardo explores the U.S.-Mexican border, Mexican cultural stereotypes, and his own identity as a Mexican-American. He infuses his sculpture, painting, installations, actions, and participatory events with references to the traditional Mexican folklore that influences him, as well as to such headline-grabbing issues as drug violence, contraband, and other illegal activities plaguing the border region. Humor and a sense of absurdity characterize his work, which has been included in the 2008 Whitney Biennial and the 51st Venice Biennale. Born in 1976 to Mexican immigrants who were living in the United States, Eduardo graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Otis College of Art and Design, in Los Angeles, and later relocated to his parents’ native country. Eduardo presently lives and works in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has created a profit-sharing group studio in partnership with Blue Room ™.

OMAR GUZMAN
TEAM LEADER

Omar Guzman is the Team Leader at Blue Room™. Prior to Blue Room he worked in corporate finance as a cost analyst at Hunter Douglas, before making the switch to investment management. He has a proven track record of success in fast-paced, team-oriented work cultures where he has handled client-facing roles and consulted regularly with product managers and engineers as well. Born and raised in Denver, he likes the outdoors, going for runs, bike rides, or hikes whenever he can. He also enjoys reading, volunteering, and maintaining his finance blog at omarfguzman.com. He is currently a CFA Level I Candidate. Omar holds both a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration from Colorado State University and a master’s of business administration from Vanderbilt University.

IAN CARTER
ANALYST

Ian Carter is an Analyst for Blue Room ™. He is a recent graduate of Dartmouth College, where he majored in political science and government. He is also a student athlete and has been a volunteer for the Special Olympics. Previously he served as an client services intern at Dodge & Cox, and a market research intern at UNION Los Angeles. Ian is currently working on founding a non-profit organization to support local Black-owned businesses that have been marginalized by larger corporations in their respective industries. Ian wants to make sure these companies receive monetary support at a critical time in the economy.

NICK PEART
ANALYST

Nick Peart is an Analyst for Blue Room™. He is a recent graduate of Dartmouth College, where he received his BA degree in engineering sciences and BE degree in mechanical engineering. He is also a student athlete and has been a volunteer for the Special Olympics as well as local sports teams in his community. Previously he served as an strategy analyst intern at Manifesto Growth, and a research assistant for the Tuck School of Business. Nick enjoys the outdoors and loves to document his travels through photography and videography.

JARED FENLEY
ANALYST

Jared Fenley joined Blue Room as an intern, researching multiple sectors for Blue Room’s investment strategies. Jared graduated from Duke University, with a degree in economics with a certificate in markets and management studies and a minor in psychology. Prior to joining Blue Room, Jared also served as an intern on Gov. Hickenlooper’s Presidential Campaign in 2019.

SPENCER WOOTEN
INTERN

Spencer Wootten joined Blue Room™ as an intern, providing research on the life sciences sector of the economy. Spencer is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, where he is studying economics, mathematics, and computer science. In his free time, Spencer performs live music, singing and playing guitar, and also performs with the Pikers, WashU's oldest acapella singing group.

JULIE ZHANG

Julie Zhang is a senior at the University of Washington in St. Luis. She is pursuing a double major in Finance and Organization & Strategic Management with a minor in Computer Science.

VINCENT LIU

Vincent Liu joined Blue Room as an intern in the fall of 2020, conducting research on high growth tech companies. He is currently a senior at Dartmouth College double majoring in Computer Science and Economics along with a minor in Math. In his free time, Vincent likes to code fun projects, watch Houston sports, and play games.

Aidan Fetterly joined Blue Room™ as an intern, providing research on the interactive entertainment and technology sectors of the economy. Aidan is currently a senior at Duke University, where he is pursuing a degree in economics, with a concentration in finance and a minor in computer science.