Stephen A. Block is a Managing Director of K5 Venture Partners, an Orange County venture fund that operates an accelerator/incubator, and a member of the Tech Coast Angels, Southern California’s largest angel investing group, serving on the Executive Committee of the Orange County network. He also mentors entrepreneurs, speaks on angel and VC investing and entrepreneurship at universities and business conferences, judges/coaches business plan competitions at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, Chapman University and Pepperdine University. He also serves as a judge for the regional finals of the Venture Capital Investment Competition.

Steve is a member of the Board of Directors of two public companies: Senomyx, Inc., a biotech based in San Diego; and Chromadex Corporation, a reference standards and ingredient supply company headquartered in Irvine. He also serves on two non-profit Boards: The Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship at Chapman and the Long Beach Opera. Steve retired as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. in December 2003, having served in that position for 12 years. He has over 40 years of broad legal, management and executive experience and has served on the Boards of both private and public companies and of several industry trade associations and as the President of one. He has drafted legislation, lobbied at both the state and federal levels, and testified before Congressional and state legislative committees. He has taught Securities Regulation at Pace University Law School and lectured in continuing legal and business education programs. Steve holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA cum laude from Yale University.