Dr. Maria Hancock co-founded Rutherford Energy Ventures L.P. and has led its development from inception. She has been instrumental in establishing REV's investment strategy, organizational infrastructure, fundraising platform, and institutional operations.

Dr. Hancock brings more than 30 years of experience spanning venture investing, institutional finance, and financial innovation. She has been an active venture investor, advisor, and board member, investing in and advising early-stage companies across financial technology and insurtech. Through ProteaLab, her personal investment vehicle, she has made numerous early-stage investments, including two successful exits. She has also served as an advisor and mentor to founders through the Techstars Barclays FinTech and MetLife InsureTech accelerator programs and has participated in angel investing through organizations including Golden Seeds and New York Angels.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Hancock was the third employee at Askari Risk Management Solutions, where she helped build the company into a leading financial risk management software provider before its acquisition by State Street Bank. She subsequently held senior leadership positions at JP Morgan, AIG and Deutsche Bank.