Pockets of Potential: Investing for Change
A great upside awaits those who place their bets on investing in women and minority leaders and their ventures. Many savvy investors have identified a historically marginalized segment of businesses and entrepreneurs who deserve a second look; these companies and people have not yet reached their full potential due to historic underinvestment. This session will feature a collection of senior leaders discussing new prospects to invest for impact by funding businesses founded or led by minorities and women. The speakers will also share success stories and lessons learned.
Speakers
Megan Kashner Clinical Assistant Professor; Director, Social Impact, Kellogg Public-Private Interface / Kellogg School of Management
Megan Kashner comes to Kellogg from an extensive career in the impact sector, most recently as the founder of Benevolent, a philanthropic platform that invites donors to step in and fill gaps in the safety net for low-income families. She is additionally an independent consultant, change-maker, and self-proclaimed “ticked-off social worker” with more than 20 years of strategic management, community partnership building and organizational planning experience. In her leadership of Kellogg's Social Impact offerings, Professor Kashner brings new energy to the areas of impact investing, social entrepreneurship, sustainability, nonprofit management, policy, global development, values and ethics.
Faculty Lead / Pockets of Potential: Investing for Change
Riana Lynn Entrepreneur/Founder / FoodTrace
Riana Lynn is a young leader focused on making an impact in innovation, technology, and “good food.” As a serial entrepreneur, her products have significantly impacted thousands of food businesses across the U.S. and beyond. Lynn’s development work was pivotal for CNBC’s small business hit show, “The Profit.” More recently, her accomplishments have been featured in USA Today, Wired, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Crain’s “20 in their 20s”, among others. Lynn graduated with Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before becoming a start-up founder.
Speaker / Pockets of Potential: Investing for Change
John Svoboda Co-Founder and Managing Director / Svoboda Capital Partners
John Svoboda serves on the boards of Svoboda Capital portfolio companies, such as Bully Pulpit Interactive, One North Interactive, Strategic Marketing and SWC Technology Partners. Prior to co-founding SC, Svoboda worked in the Corporate Finance Department of William Blair & Company LLC, where he managed Business Development and became a partner in 1988. John graduated from Williams College with a Bachelor of Arts in 1979 and received his Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1983.
Speaker / Pockets of Potential: Investing for Change
Earnest Sweat '13 Investor / Backstage Capital
Earnest Sweat is the Investor in Residence at the LA-based VC Firm, Backstage Capital. He is responsible for leading the due diligence process and assisting portfolio companies with business development. Sweat is a former ed-tech founder and avid tech blogger that is passionate about serving as an advisor to high potential entrepreneurs. He has worked diligently with accelerators such as Camelback Ventures and GSVLabs, assisting startups fundraising and finding product-market fit. Sweat shares his perspective on all things VC and tech on his blog entitled “The Importance of Reading Earnest.”
Speaker / Pockets of Potential: Investing for Change
Alice Vilma Executive Director - Multicultural Client Strategy Team, Company Management / Morgan Stanley
Alice Vilma is an Executive Director on the Multicultural Client Strategy Team at Morgan Stanley, where she collaborates with her partners at the firm to identify, develop and execute commercial opportunities in the multicultural business community. Vilma has been at Morgan Stanley for 10 years working in different roles, including investment banking, securitization and capital markets across many different sectors. Vilma graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Miami and has a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.
Speaker / Pockets of Potential: Investing for Change