Maryland Libraries Together Presents: Kathryn Finney: Build the D*mn Thing (Online)

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Kathryn Finney is the Managing Partner of Genius Guild, a $20 million dollar venture fund & studio that invests in amazing Black founders.  One of the most influential women in tech (Inc Magazine), her groundbreaking work has laid the foundation for generations of black entrepreneurs and investors.

A Yale-trained Epidemiologist, Kathryn has received numerous honors and awards including the Echoing Green fellowship, Eisenhower Fellowship, Entrepreneurs Magazine’s “Woman to Watch”, Grace Hopper ABIE award, Marie Claire’s 10 Women to Watch, Ebony Power 100, Black Enterprise “40 under 40” list and more. 

As the founder of social enterprise digitalundivided and its groundbreaking ProjectDiane report, Kathryn has invested in dozens of startups and venture funds led by founders and investors of color. Kathryn started digitalundivided after selling her company The Budget Fashionista, and she was one of the first Black women to have a successful seven-figure internet startup exit. 

A White House Champion of Change and a past member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE) appointed by the Obama Administration,  Kathryn was honored by the Borough of Manhattan with the “Kathryn Finney Appreciation Day”. She has also received an Honorary Doctorate from Mount Holyoke College and was inducted into both the African-American Alumni Hall of Fame at Rutgers University and Spelman College’s “Game Changers Academy.” She is an Aspen Financial Leaders Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Network.

She released her book in June this year which became an instant Wall Street Journal bestseller. Build the Damn Thing is a hard-won, battle-tested guide for every entrepreneur who the establishment has left out. Finney, an investor and startup champion, explains how to build a business from the ground up, from developing a business plan to finding investors, growing a team, and refining a product.

Kathryn Finney will be in conversation with Laura Bacon.

Laura Bacon, the founder of The 3rd, is a lifelong community organizer, educator, and activist. She grew up in Columbia, MD, and returned there to teach high school languages and Alternative Education. She also served as the Resource Teacher for World Languages and a Mentor Teacher for the Board of Education. Her community leadership in Howard County has earned her recognition as Howard County’s World Language Teacher of the Year in 2016. Through teaching, she saw firsthand how community and support structures for women of color could be determining factors in changing trajectories in a dominant culture where destinies are often fixed. Throughout her life and career, she has actively worked to combat inequity where she saw it. After 15 years of teaching, she decided she wanted to build an organization that filled a critical need in her local community: The 3rd, a revolutionary non-profit supporting WOC entrepreneurs through access, education and community. Her methodology for building co-creative communities moved her to create Maude, a community-building consulting firm that offers concept plans, consulting and coaching. Her innovative and intentional way of building community has brought her the opportunity to serve on and lead various teams and committees including Howard Community College's Commission on the Future and Brooke Lierman's transition team.

Additional support for this program is provided by Columbia Inspired Magazine and The 3rd, a 501(c)3 non-profit, co-created, community of Women of Color entrepreneurs. Learn more about The 3rd here. 

Please register with an email address to receive an immediate registration confirmation with a link to join the class/event. This email will also contain the dial-in information if you wish to participate by telephone.

This program is a part of Career Success Month: Legal Support and more hosted by Maryland Public Libraries, focused on Business, Career, and Legal support to assist jobseekers and entrepreneurs, running from Jan 17 - Feb 17, 2023.