The Zell Lurie Institute, in conjunction with the Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance, today announced it will host its first-ever Women Who Fund conference. Taking place Thursday, October 8 in the Regency Room at the Campus Inn located at 615 E. Huron Street in Ann Arbor from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., the half-day forum, which includes a “marketplace” roundtable networking lunch, is designed to connect women-owned business leaders with women in the venture capital and private equity industry to further their access and availability to capital.
The event is aligned with Ross’ broader mission of increasing awareness among students about careers for women in finance and business by increasing access to those career paths through mentorships, coursework, action-based learning projects, professional development workshops and co-curricular programming.
The program will kick off with a keynote address from Alicia Robb, senior fellow, Kauffman Foundation and visiting scholar, UC Berkeley. Robb will share her assessment of the current state of private equity and provide recommendations for improving access to capital, how women can better navigate the investment landscape and how the community can impact changing the landscape to better support women. Robb received her MS and PhD in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is an accomplished author on a variety of entrepreneurial topics, particularly issues surrounding women and minorities in business.
Additional presentations include a panel discussion led by female leaders on ways to position female founders in front of the appropriate investors as they work to grow their pipeline, as well as a session outlining the broad range of strategies, tools and tactics for women to keep in mind as they navigate a traditionally male-dominated profession. Other confirmed speakers include:
- Kathryn Moos, Founder, Vrou
- Beth Paretta, Team Principal, Grace Autosport
- Mary Kramer, Publisher, Crain’s Detroit Business
- Max Straub, CFO, Robert Bosch
- Noel Dolan, Open Innovation & New Business Development, Senior Manager, Whirlpool
“This is a tremendous opportunity to bring together very recognizable women in the industry to connect with fellow female colleagues,” said David Brophy, director of the Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance. “We have come a long way in the past few decades and to engage so many smart, talented and dynamic women all in one place makes it very valuable. The event is also a unique forum for our female students at Ross interested in the venture capital and private equity industry to meet and network with some of the best minds in the industry.”
For more information or to register to attend the event, please visit: http://www.bus.umich.edu/Conferences/Women-Who-Fund/ViewConference.aspx