Team
As CEO, Amy defines the company’s strategic vision, from investment to innovation, and leads SKY VC’s daily operations.
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"The transportation of people and goods is such a critical part of today’s world, yet the systems used in the ecosystem are incredibly antiquated. My desire is to remove pain points and improve the process through innovation.”
Amy Burr is the CEO of SKY VC. With more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of aviation, technology, and innovation, she defines the company’s strategic vision, from investment to innovation, and leads SKY VC’s daily operations.
Amy has been on the leadership team since its early days as JetBlue Ventures. She joined in 2018 as Managing Director of Operations and Partnerships, building the operational foundation and commercial ecosystem that supported portfolio companies. Promoted to President in 2021, she guided the organization's transition from a corporate venture arm into an independent fund.
Prior to that, Amy was part of the founding team at Virgin America in 2004 and spent 14 years in senior leadership roles spanning strategy, commercial development, revenue management, and guest technology. She concluded her time at Virgin America by leading the $4 billion integration of the airline into Alaska Airlines.
Earlier in her career, Amy worked in revenue management and corporate development at Continental Airlines.
Amy has twice been named an Emerging Leader by Global Corporate Venturing and appeared on its Powerlist five times. In 2024, Skift recognized her as one of 25 women in “Generation Next: The Women Shaping Travel’s Future,” and in 2022 she was honored as a Silicon Valley Business Journal “Woman of Influence.”
She currently serves on the Leadership Society for Global Corporate Venturing and was previously on Advisory Board for Women Leading Travel and the Board of the JetBlue Foundation.
She earned her MBA from the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina and holds a BS in Applied Health Sciences from American University.
Arielle is responsible for overall company strategy, capital solutions planning, and supports portfolio companies with monetization strategies.
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"Tomorrow's travelers won't just visit places; they'll experience them through technologies and perspectives we can barely imagine today, making every journey a gateway to wonder."
Arielle Ring is President of SKY VC, where she is responsible for overall company strategy, capital solutions planning, and supports portfolio companies with monetization strategies.
Arielle has held a number of executive roles across the travel and transportation industry over the past 18 years. She has been CFO of Northvolt N.A. and Ohmium International. Arielle was also Senior Vice President, Head of Capital Markets and Strategic Finance at BBAM, an alternative asset manager with $20 billion of AUM. She started her career at Citi Investment Banking in the Global Industrials Group focusing on travel and transportation. Arielle has raised over $4 billion of public and private equity, structured and closed $10+ billion of debt, managed and sold a public company, and completed $11+ billion of M&A transactions.
Arielle graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College with an A.B. in Government. She lives with her husband and daughter in San Francisco.
Stephen’s role is to build an ecosystem of partners and deployment opportunities for portfolio companies.
"In a highly regulated industry where safety comes first, it takes real-world experience to know which bets are worth making. Having operated at every level of the industry, our team has the pattern recognition to identify bold ideas that can actually move an entrenched industry forward, and the discipline to walk away from the ones that can't."
Stephen Snyder is Managing Director of Operations & Partnerships at SKY VC, where he builds and manages the strategic partnerships and deployment opportunities that connect portfolio companies with SKY VC's broad network of industry partners. Stephen has been with the organization since its early days as JetBlue Ventures, growing alongside its transition from a corporate venture arm into an independent fund.
Prior to his current role, Stephen spent several years on JetBlue's Corporate Strategy team, where he managed a $150M capital budget and led company-wide initiatives, including a prioritization process overhaul, COVID-19 response strategy, and a comprehensive strategy refresh. Prior to JetBlue, he was a travel entrepreneur, having developed an airport retail concept focused on business travelers.
Stephen holds an MBA in Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA from the University of Michigan.
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Ryan Chou leads the investment team, bringing extensive VC experience to drive industry innovation.
“Travel and transportation represent one of the largest and most fragmented markets in the world, long overdue for disruption. Startups leveraging enterprise and frontier technologies are reshaping how people and businesses move. It’s an exciting time to back founders driving this transformation.”
Ryan Chou is Managing Director of Investments at SKY VC, where he brings over 15 years of venture capital and startup experience to identify and support exceptional entrepreneurs reshaping the future of travel. His portfolio companies have generated more than $4 billion in aggregate value, including two unicorn investments.
Ryan has been with the organization since its early days as JetBlue Ventures, growing alongside its transition from a corporate venture arm into an independent fund.
Previously, Ryan held investment and operating roles across multiple growth-stage companies. As Director at Cryptic Labs, he specialized in cybersecurity and Web3 investments. At Pegasus Tech Ventures, he focused on enterprise SaaS opportunities. His operating experience includes leading business operations at Strongwatch, a cybersecurity firm, and serving as Head of Growth at Common, an AI conversations platform.
Ryan earned his MBA from Cornell University and holds a BS from Arizona State University. He serves as a Board Member for the nonprofit Asian Tech Collective and mentors at Techstars, Alchemist, and 500 Startups. He has been recognized as a Rising Star and Emerging Leader by Global Corporate Venturing.
Jennifer advances innovative thinking and startup solutions through our partnership program.
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“The nature of travel is changing, it’s in a period of transition through technologies, availability and capability. It’s changing the way we think of travel, look at travel and the way we use travel. I’m thrilled to be a part of the team helping to innovate and bring creative solutions to the travel and hospitality industry.”
Jennifer Crusca is Principal of Operations & Partnerships at SKY VC, where she advances innovative thinking and startup solutions through the firm's partner program, focusing on strategic partnerships and scalable growth while supporting investment decision-making, portfolio monitoring, and performance analysis. She also leads platform initiatives, builds founder resources, and cultivates networks that connect startups to commercial opportunities, accelerating growth and enabling cross-portfolio value creation.
Jennifer has been with the organization since its early days as JetBlue Ventures, growing alongside its transition from a corporate venture arm into an independent fund. Since joining the venture team in 2022, she has led four innovation sprints, sourced over 300 startups, and facilitated more than 30 proof-of-concept initiatives and strategic partnerships.
She brings over 25 years of experience in the airline industry, with a strong foundation in operational leadership. She joined JetBlue during its formative years, where she played a key role in daily operations within the Operations Control Center, and later managed a diverse IT portfolio supporting critical airline functions. Jennifer began her career at Continental Airlines in airport operations.
In 2024, Jennifer was recognized as one of the Top 50 Rising Stars by Global Corporate Venturing. She mentors with Latinas in Tech and earned a BA in Management from the University of Houston.
Stefan works to source, conduct due diligence and analysis of potential investments.
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"The magic of travel creates some of life’s most meaningful moments. Being able to invest in technologies across enterprise and frontier innovation that expand those connections and open new possibilities for exploration is truly inspiring."
Stefan Sandoval is a Principal on the Investments team at SKY VC, where he sources, conducts due diligence, and analyzes potential investments for the fund.
Stefan joined the organization as an Associate at JetBlue Ventures and has grown into his current role as Principal, alongside the firm's transition from a corporate venture arm into an independent fund.
Across his venture career, Stefan has helped raise $150+ million of LP capital and led diligence and underwriting for 11 initial and follow-on investments. He previously held investment roles at Mendoza Ventures and Bright Ventures. Prior to that, he spent nearly five years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he focused on equity derivatives origination and structuring, originated $1+ billion in equity notes, and helped implement two financial technology products into the bank platform.
Stefan earned his MBA from the Yale School of Management and holds a BS in Finance from Boston College. He actively mentors through Venture Forward and is involved with VCFamilia and SomosVC.
Eliza analyzes opportunities and conducts due diligence on emerging companies in the travel, hospitality, and aviation industry.
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“The aviation industry has empowered individuals to aspire for greater achievements, explore new horizons, and deepen their understanding of the world’s vastness. However, it is essential to acknowledge that aircrafts contribute significantly to CO2 emissions, underscoring the imperative for entrepreneurs, policymakers, and investors to take action and seek scalable solutions.”
Eliza Dragomir is a Senior Analyst on the Investments team, where she analyzes opportunities and conducts due diligence on emerging companies in the travel and transport industries.
Eliza joined the organization as an Associate at JetBlue Ventures and was promoted to Senior Associate in 2024, growing alongside the firm's transition from a corporate venture arm into an independent fund.
Previously, Eliza worked as an investment banking analyst at Nomura, where she advised on a capital raise for a publicly traded EV battery materials company, and at 7 Mile Advisors, a boutique investment bank later acquired by Houlihan Lokey. Before investment banking, she served as an analyst in the Private Wealth Management division of Goldman Sachs, covering a portfolio with $8B in AUM, and began her career at Macquarie Group in Philadelphia.
Eliza holds a BS in Economics and Finance from Drexel University and is a member of the Emerging Venture Capitalists Association and Women in Venture Capital.