Mentors: SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Summary of Qualifications Lauren is an enthusiastic and creative “social stitcher” with a passion for engaging people. With a zeal for living a full life, she curates her own adventure: she is currently Vice President of Engagement for EngageMore, a software startup in the health and fitness industry; Director of Community Partnerships for Gather, a network of community workspaces for entrepreneurs; and a Visiting Artist for Richmond Memorial Health Foundation’s Health Equity Arts program. Lauren is an organizational designer with a diverse background. She earned a BFA in Sculpture from VCUarts, has focused on design, management and entrepreneurship as a profession, and is passionate about cultivating people’s skills and talents. Lauren works at the intersection of design and business, in particular figuring out the best way to build and leverage the human relationships necessary to make the project, organization or business with whom she works a success. Integral to how Lauren thinks and works is her belief in values-based leadership and the importance of creating environments in which those working within them are equipped with the tools they need to be successful. She is interested in working with creatives, startups and other entrepreneurial ventures to create this culture. Want to meet with this Lead 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...
