The Stamford Partnership Celebrates the Success of the Dream Up Grant Program Awardees The Stamford Partnership is dedicated to supporting and empowering the changemakers in our
In recent years, we have seen the landscape of small business ownership for underrepresented founders experience a surge. However, as highlighted in a FastCompany article, “[t]hough entrepreneurship has become more accessible to a more diverse segment of the population, financing opportunities have not. According to the Gusto study, 14% of new businesses founded by men received capital investment, compared to just 6% of those started by women.”
This event is dedicated to exploring the benefits diversity offers to the world of entrepreneurship. We invite you to engage in meaningful discussions, brainstorm innovative solutions, and participate actively as we shed light on the hidden challenges that continue to exist.
This Stamford Partnership Fireside Chat is made possible through collaboration and partnership with Shippan Landing.
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Your ticket includes event admission and local food and drinks (ages 21+).
Marie Rocha has over 20 years of experience in business and technology as a software engineer and serial entrepreneur. She is the founder of Realist Ventures, an ACT-based venture fund investing in early-stage SaaS, cloud, mobile, and biotech startups with diverse teams solving scalable problems. Before venturing into venture capitalism, she founded and managed IMAK Software, a startup building software and platforms for small businesses and nonprofits.
Marie is a champion of women entrepreneurs and is one of HAYVN Hatch/Launch’s founders, a quarterly women-centric incubator and pitch event supporting women founders seeking funding, exposure, marketing, and growth. She is also the co-founder of The 99 Problems Super PAC for GenZ and millennials’ civic engagement. Marie has served on several startup and nonprofit boards, including Greenwich Academy, Shipsi, HAYVN, Vest, StamfordNext, James Vick Foundation, Rise2gether, and Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, supporting entrepreneurs and children.
Mendi Blue Paca began her career as a registered broker and compliance officer at Goldman Sachs & Co. Mendi was a strategy manager at the Center for Effective Philanthropy; growth and innovation advisor to the president of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; and a summer associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which has been repeatedly rated the country’s top law firm.
She has served as a strategic consultant to dozens of the largest U.S.-based philanthropic organizations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates, Ford, William and Flora Hewlett, W.K. Kellogg, Robert Wood Johnson, David and Lucile Packard and Walton Family foundations. In 2013, after living in Boston, New York City, Washington D.C. and Madrid, Spain for thirteen years, Mendi returned to her home state, CT, where she held public sector leadership roles and managed political campaigns. In these capacities, she secured millions of dollars in competitive state, federal, foundation, individual and corporate resources.
Mendi holds a bachelor’s degree in economics cum laude from Harvard College, a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She is Board Chair of Partners for Educational Leadership and a board member of Harvard Business School Community Partners of CT and The Stamford Partnership. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, maternal and reproductive health, and mental health awareness. Mendi lives with her husband, Marcus, daughter and doodle in Trumbull, where in her spare time she loves entertaining and trying new recipes.
Mr. Arthur W. Thomas III, a Cornell University graduate in Industrial & Labor Relations, transitioned from a successful finance career to real estate and community development. Passionate about Newark, he partnered with the city to revitalize areas through residential rehabilitation. Actively involved in a local church, he co-founded the Divine Grace Foundation, empowering marginalized residents with educational resources, entrepreneurial support, and more. Arthur, along with his wife Dr. Jennifer Pierre-Thomas, is dedicated to expanding these initiatives locally and abroad.
A recent Yale Divinity School graduate, Arthur enhances his ability to evaluate ethical outcomes in community empowerment programs. He serves on multiple boards, including CTNext and Community Health Network. Co-chairing Faith in Action at Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church, Arthur is passionate about using innovation, real estate, theology, and entrepreneurship to combat racism and poverty.
As the Director of Mission Investments and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Arthur spearheads initiatives for an equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem. He loves traveling, shopping, socializing, learning about cultures, and counseling those in need
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