Companies backed by venture capital account for hundreds of billions of dollars in sales and profits. While these companies drive the U.S. economy, they also widen the economic equality gap for low-income communities and communities of color.

Join tech venture capitalists and founding partners of Kapor Capital, Freada Kapor Klein and Mitch Kapor, for a fireside chat on their their forthcoming book, CLOSING THE EQUITY GAP: Creating Wealth and Fostering Justice in Startup Investing, where they will offer a “win-win” roadmap for creating wealth and addressing inequalities by flipping the traditional investment model on its head, and proving that investing in gap-closing startups— companies whose services or products close opportunity gaps for both communities of color and low-income communities—is good business.

Fed up with the broadly held but false assumption that the only people who need to be at the table, are those who are the best and brightest, as defined by various pedigrees attained through privilege, the authors will highlight some of the most remarkable companies ever launched —to show that the standard investment model doesn’t work, how it can be fixed, and what the future could look like if more investors joined them.

Freada and Mitch will share their core beliefs that all companies must make a positive impact, and that the distance traveled or obstacles entrepreneurs overcome in life are a far better predictor of long-term success than the schools they attend or investment dollars raised from friends and family.

OUR SPECIAL GUESTS

Freada Kapor Klein and Mitch Kapor

Freada Kapor Klein and Mitch Kapor are founding partners at Kapor Capital and Co-Chairs of the nonprofit Kapor Center in Oakland, California, and coauthors of CLOSING THE EQUITY GAP: Creating Wealth and Fostering Justice in Startup Investing (Harper Business; March 14, 2023).

Mitch Kapor is a pioneer in the personal computing industry, and an entrepreneur, investor, and advocate for social change. He founded Lotus Development Corporation and designed the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet, co- founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and is the founding chair of the Mozilla Foundation, creator of the Firefox web browser. He also serves on the board of SMASH, the Summer Math and Science Honors Academy, a three-year STEM-intensive residential college prep program that empowers students to deepen their talents and pursue STEM careers.

Freada Kapor Klein is an entrepreneur, activist, and pioneer in the field of organizational culture and diversity. She is the founder of SMASH and co-founded the Alliance Against Sexual Coercion, the first organization in the U.S. to address sexual harassment. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Policy and Research from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, and is a member of the Obama Foundation Tech Policy Council, the U.C. Berkeley Chancellor’s Board of Visitors, and a board observer of the air quality monitoring company Aclima.io.

Roburta Burroughs

Senior Customer Success Manager – Named Accounts, WalkMe™, Center Board Member

Roburta Burroughs is helping Fortune 500 companies make digital transformation easier. She is a trusted advisor and leader in Account Management and Customer Success in SaaS sales and success. She is a strategic thinker skilled at problem-solving and a passionate champion of under-estimated entrepreneurs. Roburta has experience in Fintech and Financial Services, with exposure to HR, Healthcare, Technology, and Retail. She brings experience as a high-level account manager, relationship manager, customer success manager working with Fortune 500 companies including Amazon, Adobe, Amgen, Baxter Health, Cytokinetics, DocuSign, Dell, eBay, Facebook, Expedia, Google, Intel, Juniper, and Microsoft. Ms. Burroughs is recognized for her exceptional performance managing across organizations, teams, and continents. Ms. Burroughs is currently using her expertise and abilities at WalkMe to advise and drive digital adoption and digital transformation goals to outcomes that will have a meaningful impact on some of the most well-known companies today.

Before WalkMe, Roburta worked at Nasdaq. Ms. Burroughs had responsibilities driven by the urgency and high-level analysis and communication for Investor Relations Professionals and C-Suite executives who were her customers. She also worked for Mixpanel with product and marketing teams to inform them on data analysis and predictive analytics. In addition to her extensive experience working with IR teams at the highest business levels, she is the Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee for the Nasdaq Center Advisory Board. As one of the earliest advocated for the Center’s mission of accelerating access and equity in the field of entrepreneurship, Roburta helped secure one of the first funders and engaged numerous other Board Advisors and advocates to the work of the Center, while enabling the creation and impact of multiple content and support mechanisms for entrepreneurs. Roburta was the creator and host of the Breakthrough – a segment focusing on the advancement of entrepreneurs we don’t usually see. (Women, POC, and others).

The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center is a 501c(3) public charity whose mission it is to make entrepreneurship accessible to all. We deliver world-class resources and mentoring to enable every entrepreneur across the globe to realize their maximum potential. Please join us and make your gift to ensure these transformative programs may continue to reach the underserved.

All Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least 48 hours in advance of this event; please send an email to [email protected] with the subject header ACCOMMODATION REQUEST. For assistance with registration or other technical difficulties, please contact [email protected]