Our Team
The QUAY Acceleration Story
2 Accelerators, 2 Founders, 1 bold Mission.
Born from a Merger,
Built to Move Faster.
QUAY was born from the merger of two accelerators with two distinct focuses: cela, focused on scaling startups across the US, and WEVE, known for helping international founders break into the American market. One ran local programs with precision, and the other brought global startups to New York’s doorstep. Now combined, we do both — bridging borders, breaking bottlenecks, and building momentum for startups no matter where they come from.
2 Co-Founders,
1 Shared Belief.
Frances and John came together with a shared conviction: that accelerators are the best way to get up to date skillsets, get an investor, client, and critical resources for success. They also believe that accelerators are the future. With years of experience across venture building, innovation, and startup ecosystems, they combined forces to create an outcome-first accelerator model rooted in empathy, insight, and execution. That belief is what fuels QUAY today.
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Frances Simowitz
Co-Founder, Managing Partner
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John Lynn
Co-Founder, Managing Partner
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Ariela Shai
Program Director
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Valentina Cafarelli
Program Director
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Chloe Tan
Program Associate
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Jazz Pontillas
Executive Assistant
What QUAY stands for.
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Founders don’t sleep, and neither do we. We offer hands-on, high-touch guidance 24/7 — because real support doesn’t wait.
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From industry insiders to investor networks, we connect founders with the people, tools, and capital they need to scale smart.
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No two founders are alike. We customize our programs for startups and enterprise clients, meeting them where they are — and getting them where they need to go.
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Whether you're building locally or expanding globally, we’re here. We support founders from across borders, helping them land, grow, and thrive.
Get started with QUAY, today.
