Kathryn Finney

Kathryn Finney is the founder and general managing partner of Genius Guild, a business creation platform that uses the venture studio model to invest in Black entrepreneurs building scalable businesses. As the General Partner of the Greenhouse Fund, a $20 million dollar venture fund, she has demonstrated a commitment to fostering Black entrepreneurship. Her groundbreaking work has been pivotal in shaping the foundation for generations of black entrepreneurs and investors.

In addition to her role at Genius Guild, Finney is also the founder and Board Chair of The Doonie Fund, which she established in April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Originally kick-started with a $10,000 personal donation, the fund grew to over $150,000 within six weeks, providing micro-investments to over 2,000 Black women-owned businesses. This initiative reflects her commitment to encouraging and supporting Black women entrepreneurs in challenging times.

Finney is the founder of digitalundivided, a social enterprise dedicated to creating a world where women own their work. She established digitalundivided after selling her pioneering lifestyle media company, The Budget Fashionista, making her one of the first Black women to sell a startup. Her innovative research, “#ProjectDiane,” has disrupted the dialogue around women of color and tech entrepreneurship, garnering widespread recognition.

As a Yale-trained Epidemiologist, Finney's accomplishments have earned her numerous honors and awards. Among these are the inaugural Maggie Lena Walker Award from PayPal, recognition as one of America's Top 50 Women in Tech by Forbes, and an Honorary Doctorate from Mount Holyoke College. Her capacity as a leader and innovator was recognized by the Obama Administration, which appointed her a member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE).

Finney's profound impact on the tech sector and her commitment to inclusion has been recognized with "Kathryn Finney Appreciation Day" in Manhattan, NY. Her second book, "Build The Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business if You're Not a Rich White Guy," launched in 2022, quickly making the Wall Street Journal bestsellers list and further establishing her as a thought leader in the field.