It has been proven time and again that it is harder for diverse founder and funders to ‘make-it’ in venture. Hear from those who have beaten the odds and succeeded–what it took, how they feel about their success today and what they are doing to lift up others.
Speakers
Jacqueline Blackburn | Associate, Scout Ventures
At Scout, Jacqueline is focused on tackling the toughest problems through mindset and innovation. She’s passionate about generating maximal value creation and impact through web3/blockchain infrastructure. She helps source, diligence, and execute deals as well as support current portfolio companies and investor relations. Jacqueline graduated from the United States Naval Academy and went on the lead forward deployed teams as one of the few women in the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Community. She continuously trained and built small unit teams for “no fail” missions that required coordination with federal agencies, foreign dignitaries and local authorities to conduct global operations out of the Middle East and Africa. Prior to Scout, she spent two years at JP Morgan working closely with founders and helped build out their early stage Technology and Disruptive Commerce practice. Jacqueline lives in NYC.
Maëlle Gavet | CEO, Techstars
Maëlle Gavet is CEO of Techstars, the global investment business that provides access to capital, one-on-one mentorship, and customized programming for early-stage entrepreneurs. Gavet was drawn to Techstars as an entrepreneur at heart, having founded her first business at 16 and going on to start two other companies. She has been a senior executive at numerous large tech companies around the world, including Ozon, the Priceline Group (OpenTable, Kayak, Booking.com) and Compass. She was also a principal at the Boston Consulting Group for six years. She has been named one of Fortune’s 40 under 40, a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, one of the Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company and was on Time Magazine’s list of the 25 Top “Female Techpreuners.” Author of the book Trampled by Unicorns: Big Tech’s Empathy Problem and How to Fix It (Wiley, 2020), she is currently based in NYC.
Kristin Kallergis | Managing Director Global Head of Alternative Investments, J.P. Morgan
Kristin Kallergis Rowland is the Global Head of Alternative Investments for J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, overseeing $140 billion in assets under supervision with some of the leading private equity, private credit, real estate, and hedge fund firms globally. Kristin and her team are responsible for advising private clients, family offices, and endowments & foundations on alternative investments portfolios. Kristin has been with the firm since 2008 and joined the Alternative Investments team in 2013. Kristin relocated to New York in late 2017 after spending four years in London as the Head of Alternative Investments for Europe and the Middle East. Prior to relocating to London, Kristin spent three years in New York where she worked closely with the Global Investments Leadership team, the Global Head of Capital Markets Solutions and the U.S. Head of Investments to execute strategic initiatives designed to grow the business. Kristin began her career as a Credit Analyst in the Chicago Private Bank office, working with both private clients and the clients of the Special Credits Workout Group. Kristin holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Kristin was the captain of her Division I Women’s Golf Team at the University of Illinois. She currently lives in Greenwich, CT with her husband and daughter.
Tashi Nakanishi | Managing Partner, HartBeat Ventures, CEO, XPV Group
Tashi Nakanishi is the Managing Partner of HartBeat Ventures and CEO of XPV Group. Prior to HartBeat and XPV, Mr. Nakanishi founded and served as Managing Partner of Dreamers VC, an early-stage venture capital fund, alongside Keisuke Honda and Will Smith. In 2016, he launched KSK Angel Fund with Keisuke Honda, creating the category of influencer Angel investor in Japan, which led to investments in Makuake (seed) and Kyash (series A).
Ali Rosenthal | Founder & Managing Partner, Leadout Capital
Ali Rosenthal is the Managing Partner of Leadout Capital, which she founded in 2018. Leadout is an early stage venture capital firm backing founders with world-class customer expertise who build software-solutions for underserved, and large end markets. Ali was a founding member of the Facebook mobile team. Her operating career includes executive roles in consumer software, social, mobile and fintech companies including Wealthfront, as VP of Strategic Partnerships. Ali began her career at Goldman Sachs (M&A) and worked in growth equity at General Atlantic. From 2012-2013, she was an EIR with Greylock, and has been angel investing since 2011. From 2011-2019, Ali was an independent director at AutoNation. She is a graduate of Brown University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she teaches a course in entrepreneurship. She was a professional cyclist from 2009-2011 and lives in the Bay Area with her family.
