Team

Liam Pisano is a Co-founder and Managing Partner at 196 Ventures. Previously, Mr. Pisano established and managed EduLab Capital Partners, an early-stage venture fund specializing in learning and training technology investments across North America and Asia. He has also held the position of Managing Director at LearnLaunch, an early-stage education technology investment platform and co-working space. In this role, he oversaw all LearnLaunch investment activities and guided the organization's domestic and international strategy.

Mr. Pisano possesses over 23 years of direct investing experience, having held investment professional roles at Spectrum Equity Investors, Hercules Capital, and Patriot Capital. Furthermore, he co-founded Academic Earth, one of the first MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) for student use, which was recognized as one of Time Magazine’s top websites of 2009 and was subsequently acquired by an ABRY Partners portfolio company.

Liam earned a B.A. in Political Science from Williams College, where he was a member of the two-time National Championship Division III cross country team. He completed his M.B.A. at Yale University, where he was a founding member of the Yale Economic Review. He is a dedicated, 20-year member of the Big Brothers Association of Massachusetts, a two-time Big Brother, and a former Big Brother of the Year.

Norihisa Wada is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at 196 Ventures. Previously, Mr. Wada established and served as a Managing Partner at EduLab Capital Partners. He was also a Director of Edutech Lab, Inc. USA, and an Executive Vice President and CMO of EduLab, Inc. Norihisa has been responsible for EduLab’s investment portfolio into both Edtech companies and fund investments. Norihisa is heavily involved in Edtech, a mentor at GSV Labs, and serves as a GESA (Global EdTech Startup Awards) finals judge.

Norihisa’s operating experience includes serving as a Senior Vice President of an entertainment games company where he created an unprecedented number of hit titles for Nintendo DS & Wii, setting the global trend of the Nintendo DS Study. Before that, he was a business development consultant at the world's largest non-profit testing institute and an advisor at CHINA MOBILE in China. Norihisa was an early member of Advanced Media Inc., managing the Education, Entertainment, and Mobile Business departments. He eventually led the company’s IPO on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers.

Norihisa holds a BA in Policy Management from Keio University. He serves on the CEO Council for the Association of Test Publishers, as an Industry-Government-Academy Collaboration Advisor at Kyoto University Inter-Graduate School Program for Sustainable Development and Survivable Societies, where he is part of behavior change studies and as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Tokyo.

Sally Sorte is a Venture Partner at 196 Ventures. Previously she served as a Principal at EduLab Capital Partners. She earned her MBA from Harvard Business School. Sally has an extensive background in education as a Teach for America corps member and founder and Executive Director of Academy 360, a charter school serving a historically disadvantaged community in Denver, CO. She also brings experience as a marketing strategist with Google and a consultant with McKinsey. Sally has an MPA from the University of Colorado and a Masters in Education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, she completed her undergraduate degree at Whitman College.

Aditya focuses on supporting 196 Ventures value creation activities for its portfolio and staff. Previously, he was an Analyst at LearnLaunch Accelerator, where he supported investments in 25 EdTech startups, including the ETS Accelerate program. Aditya was his college’s tennis team captain and consistently ranked among the best players in the All India Tennis Association and the Asian Tennis Federation. He graduated from the University of Delhi, Sri Venkateswara College, with a BA (Honours) in Economics and Boston University with an MS in Management Studies.