Accelerate your M&A, powered by Datasite with Blueflame AI

Doug Cullen is Chief Strategy Officer for Datasite, the global SaaS provider of AI-powered workflow collaboration and automation solutions for mergers and acquisitions (M&A), investment, and strategic projects. In this role, Doug is responsible for advancing the company’s strategic partnerships, spearheading M&A initiatives, and accelerating marketplace efforts, including expanding Datasite’s ecosystem, increasing client value, and driving the organization’s long-term vision.

Doug joined Datasite in 2015, where he has held a variety of leadership roles, including Chief Product and Strategy Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Strategy from 2018 to 2025, and Head of Americas Sales from 2015 to 2018.

Prior to joining Datasite, Doug held several sales and marketing leadership roles at a variety of high growth technology companies, including Ceros, Inc., Stylesight Inc., and Intralinks (now part of SS&C).

Doug holds a BA in Biology and Society from Cornell University.

Raj Bakhru is General Manager of Blueflame, a unit of Datasite, a leading SaaS platform used by enterprises globally to execute complex, strategic projects. In this role, he is responsible for leading the delivery of Blueflame’s AI-native, purpose-built, large language model (LLM)-agnostic platform, which combines deep domain expertise, advanced reasoning models, and secure data connections to drive efficiencies around investment workflows, connecting fragmented data sources used in deal sourcing, due diligence, market research, or fundraising activities.

Raj has held several senior leadership positions in corporate growth, business management, software development and sales in alternative investments and cybersecurity. Prior to joining Datasite in 2025, he was Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of Blueflame, and Chief Strategy Officer at ACA, where he oversaw corporate development and M&A, and served as Interim Co-CEO, Chief Innovation Officer, and Head of RegTech and ESG. He founded Aponix, later ACA's cyber division, a leader in the alternatives sector. He has also held quantitative software development roles at Kepos Capital, Highbridge, and Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

He holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Columbia University, along with CISSP and CFA credentials.

Alice Esmerian is a product strategy leader at Blueflame AI, where she drives institutional adoption of AI-powered workflows across investment banking and private equity.

Alice's work focuses on translating complex AI capabilities into practical, high-impact solutions for finance professionals from intelligent Q&A automation in virtual data rooms to Excel-integrated financial workflows powered by large language models.

Prior to Blueflame AI, Alice built eight years of expertise across investment banking and private equity working at Southfield Capital and IA Global Capital, giving her a firsthand understanding of the workflows she now helps transform.

She holds a Masters degree in Finance from Imperial College Business School.