Mentors: HIGH GROWTH BUSINESS
Summary of Qualifications Lindsay Grant is part of The Hodges Partnership, a PR & communications strategy firm based in Shockoe Bottom. With a career spent at PR and marketing agencies, Lindsay has the pleasure of advising clients – big and small – on how to approach their communications strategy. As a senior-level account director at Hodges, she focuses on strategic planning, writing, media relations, content marketing and internal communications. Clients over the years have ranged from local start-ups to household brands and nonprofit organizations all with varying budgets and unique goals. And at the end of the day, no matter the budget and resources, Lindsay believes that a smart communications strategy is within reach for every business. Her campaigns have won industry awards and her clients have turned into long-lasting business relationships. She’s a VCU grad, PRSA Richmond board member, APR certified and an adjunct faculty member at the VCU Robertson School of Media and Culture. She lives in the city and is known to cheer on all things Richmond, including the Rams. Want to meet with this mentor? Talk with your Lead...
Summary of Qualifications Sarah summarizes what she does best into three action-packed verbs: MOVE, DO and CONNECT. She specializes in marketing strategies focusing on social media and believes relationship building is at the core of any small business success. Sarah loves telling the right stories to engage core audience to solidify brand identity. She most recently spearheaded turning Shoryuken Ramen pop-up into a successful brick and mortar restaurant in support of Chef Will Richardson. Sarah dives into operational side of each business she helps to gain good understanding of its unique challenges to help develop effective solutions. A classic Type A extrovert, Sarah loves networking and find joy in connecting people and ideas. Want to meet with this mentor? Schedule an...
Summary of Qualifications Stephanie is a Co-Founder and Senior Associate at Venture Frameworks, a financial consulting firm focused on working with early-stage and growth-stage businesses. She helps make numbers less scary. Stephanie has always loved numbers. Graduating with a degree in Finance and International Business from the University of Richmond, she jumpstarted her career in the investment banking industry in Charlotte, NC. As an investment banking analyst, Stephanie worked extensively with Middle Market companies to raise capital or participate in M&A processes. She quickly learned about the power of numbers and analytics in businesses of any size. Taking a Wall Street skill set with no Wall Street attitude, Stephanie moved back to Richmond to co-found Venture Frameworks. As an avid believer of the “See One, Do One, Teach One” mantra, Stephanie now collaborates with local businesses to analyze their financial situation, deliver uncomplicated financial models and empower company leaders to not only manage their unique model, but also feel confident that they know their numbers well enough to present them. Stephanie offers a missing piece of financial and investment analytics to help businesses take the next step, grow and thrive. She can be found around Richmond trying a new French cheese, reading or practicing yoga. Want to meet with this mentor? Talk with your Lead...
Summary of Qualifications Anika Horn has devoted her career to working with social entrepreneurs from around the world building mission-driven businesses. Her studies took her from Germany to France and Australia before graduating with a Master’s degree in Sustainability Sciences (M.Sc.). Drawing from her experiences across all sectors, Anika has established herself as both a startup coach and mentor. At Social Ventures Australia, she specialized in funding and performance evaluation of social entrepreneurs focused on indigenous communities. As a freelance consultant, Anika devised corporate sustainability strategies for small and medium-sized companies and provided business development support to social startups. At the DO School, an impact accelerator, she trained and mentored over 60 social startup founders from around the world, devised curricula and massive open online courses (MOOCs), and managed a global online learning community. Most recently, Anika launched Social Venturers, a think tank that analyzes best practices in empowering social entrepreneurs. In this role, she explores the potential of social enterprise with incubators, accelerators, and impact investors across Europe and the U.S. (www.socialventurers.com). Based in Richmond, Anika is in charge of mentor relations at local business accelerator Lighthouse Labs. She is a guest-lecturer for social entrepreneurship at the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University. Most recently, she organized #RVABiscuitLove with a team of devoted volunteers and runs VCU’s pre-accelerator for student entrepreneurs. Ready to meet with this Lead Mentor? Schedule an initial...
Summary of Qualifications Tiffany Jana is the Founder and CEO of TMI Consulting and has helped orchestrate the firm’s tremendous growth over the past 13 years. As TMI’s leader, Tiffany oversees the development of the firm’s strategy, client relationships, and people. Tiffany also serves as a strategic advisor on client engagements, and has deep expertise in diversity and inclusion, marketing, leadership, and stakeholder engagement. TMI is a Certified Benefit (B) Corporation, and the first in the diversity industry world wide. B Corps are part of the larger social enterprise sector, and Tiffany has been recognized as a leader in the sector. Tiffany is an award winning international public speaker, executive coach, wife, and mother. She is passionate about helping people move their concepts from ideation to implementation. She believes that work/life balance is attainable and critical for entrepreneurial sanity. She leads organizational initiatives with clear, meaningful metrics and holds people accountable to established values. Want to meet with this mentor? Talk with your Lead...