Kathryn Finney

Kathryn A. Finney is an American author,[1] researcher,[2] investor,[3] entrepreneur,[4] innovator, and businesswoman. She is the founder of Genius Guild, a business creation platform that uses the venture studio model (Lab and Venture Fund) to invest in Black entrepreneurs building scalable businesses that serve Black communities and beyond, and the founder and Board Chair of The Doonie Fund, a social platform that provides micro-investment to Black women entrepreneurs.

Kathryn Finney
Born
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
EducationYale University , Rutgers University
OccupationAuthor, entrepreneur, investor
Years active2003–present
Known forFounder/CEO of Genius Guild
Notable work
The Doonie Fund, The Budget Fashionista, digitalundivided
Board member ofPRX, The Doonie Fund
HonoursHonorary Doctorate- Mount Holyoke College
Websitegeniusguild.co www.kathrynfinney.com

Prior to Genius Guild and The Doonie Fund, Kathryn founded digitalundivided, a social enterprise that leads high-potential Black and Latinx women founders through the startup pipeline from idea to exit.[5] Her pioneering research, #ProjectDiane, drew widespread buzz for disrupting the dialogue around women and entrepreneurship.[6] Released in 2016, #ProjectDiane is the first research initiative to explore the state of Black and Latinx women entrepreneurs.[7] The report was covered by several major business and tech publications for shining a spotlight on the untold story about women of color founders and their startup journey. In 2018, digitalundivided released a follow-up to the 2016 report.

Finney is a former General Partner in the Harriet Fund, the first fund focused on Black and Latinx women founders.[8]

Finney's pioneering leadership in creating diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystems has been recognized by press outlets including The Wall Street Journal,[9] Forbes,[10] USA Today,[11] Marie Claire,[12] and Vanity Fair.[13] In 2018, she was named one of America's Top 50 Women in Tech by Forbes.[10] She is a 2016 Echoing Green Fellow[14] and the recipient of numerous other awards and recognition, including The White House Champion of Change Award (2013),[15][16] the Anita Borg Institute's Social Impact ABIE Award (2016),[17] EBONY Power 100 List of the Most Inspiring African-Americans (2013), and AOL's Top Ten Women in Money (2010).[18]

In 2015, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer honored Finney with "Kathryn Finney Appreciation Day."[19] In 2017, Finney received an honorary doctorate from Mount Holyoke College.[20]

Early life

Kathryn Finney was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her father, Robert Finney, was a brewery worker who went on to become a senior engineer at Microsoft and later EMC. He led the development of one of the first high school computer-based technology academies at St Louis Park High School in St Louis Park, Minnesota.[21] His successful career in technology inspired Finney to consider a similar career path.[22]

Finney graduated from Minneapolis’ Washburn High School where she was her Class President, inducted into the National Honor Society, served as a delegate to Girls State and Girls Nation, and received the Washburn High School Service Award. Finney was selected to be the commencement speaker for Washburn's 2019 graduating class.

Finney received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in Women's Studies and Politics. As a student at Rutgers, she was a member of the Rutgers College Student Government, Rutgers College Honors Program, The USA Today All Academic team, and a James Dickson Carr Scholar. She was also voted by her graduating class to receive the class of 1998 Alumni Award for Outstanding Scholarship and Community Service.[23] During her junior year, Finney was a Washington Center Washington Fellow and interned at the White House as well as with the late Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN).

Finney earned a Master of Public Health degree with Honors from Yale University, where she was a Courtland Van Creed Scholar. She received the Weinerman Fellowship for her work as an international epidemiologist in the South African region.

Prior to starting The Budget Fashionista, Finney worked for USAID and other non-profits in Ghana, West Africa and South Africa.

Professional

2020–present: Genius Guild and The Doonie Fund

On the heels of the events of the Summer of 2020, Kathryn created Genius Guild, a business creation platform that uses the venture studio model (Lab and Venture Fund) to invest in Black entrepreneurs building scalable businesses that serve Black communities and beyond. Pre-launch, Kathryn and Genius Guild raised over $5MM in investment from a number of partners, including Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company founded by Melinda Gates; Impact Seat, an investment company led by serial investor Barbara Clarke; First Close partners, led by former Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and Lowenstein Sadler partner Ed Zimmerman; and individual investors such as Andrew Bosworth (Facebook).[24]

Genius Guild accomplishes the goal of investing in market-based innovations that end racism by co-building with Black founders who are leading scalable companies through GG Labs and then investing in their companies (as well as other companies led by Black founders) through the Greenhouse Fund. The Greenhouse Fund focuses on companies that serve Black communities and have the ability to scale globally. They invest into three main areas: Restructuring the flow of capital in Black communities, building healthy environments, and fostering connectivity and belonging.[25]

In April 2020, Kathryn founded The Doonie Fund with a $10,000 personal donation to encourage other Black women entrepreneurs to continue to build their businesses in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. One Medium post, a few emails, and 6 weeks later, the fund grew to over $150,000, providing micro-investments to over 1500 Black women-owned businesses.[26]

2012–2020: digitalundivided (DID)

While laying the foundation for digitalundivided, Finney hosted the first FOCUS 100 conference in October 2012 in New York City. The inaugural conference received support from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, global advertising agency Ogilvy, and other top firms. The following year, the conference partnered with Google, American Express, and (for a second year) Andreessen Horowitz and Ogilvy.[27] In 2014, its third and final year, American Express returned as a sponsor along with Facebook, Mobile Future, and the Portland Development Commission. At the close of the final FOCUS 100 conference in 2014, Finney announced the expansion of its FOCUS Fellows program into an incubator for Black women-led startups under the DID organizational umbrella.[28]

In 2016, DID launched the BIG Innovation Center in Atlanta, GA.[29] Touted as "the first-of-its-kind open innovation center dedicated to the future success of Black and Latina women tech founders,"[30] it houses the BIG Incubator (BIG), an incubator program for tech-enabled startups led by Black and Latina women.[31] BIG is a winner of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2015–2016 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition.[32] In 2018, BIG hosted its fourth Demo Day for its fourth cohort of Black and Latinx women founders. In 2019, it welcomed its fifth cohort of diverse founders and expanded to Newark, New Jersey.[33]

In addition to BIG, DID develops ongoing, proprietary programming for startup ecosystems across the country in partnership with various organizations and companies such as JPMorganChase & Co.,[34] SURDNA Foundation,[35] Case Foundation,[36] and Kauffman Foundation.[37]

2003–2014: The Budget Fashionista

Finney started her blog, "The Budget Fashionista," in April 2003 as a hobby before turning it into a media company and full-time career in June 2004. "The Budget Fashionista" was among the earliest fashion blogs, cited in media as early as January 2004.[38] Finney was the first blogger to be credentialed for NYC Fashion Week, and the first blogger to receive a major book deal.[39]  From 2006 to 2008, Finney was a frequent contributor to NBC's The Today Show[40] and was the first blogger to appear on the popular morning show.[41]

Finney is considered an icon and pioneer in the style blogging community,[42] having earned the monikers of "master of cheap chic" [43] and "Scheherazade of the sales rack."[44] She has been crowned one of America's best bargain shoppers (Style Network, 2004) and has appeared on several national TV shows such as NBC's Today Show, Fox Network News, CNN, CNBC, ABC's Good Morning America, and E! Entertainment. She has also appeared in numerous publications including Essence, USA Today, The New York Times, LA Times,[45] and Redbook as a style expert on looking fabulous for less.

In May 2006, her first book, How to be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less, was published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House. It became an Amazon bestselling book in the Art and Photography category.[46] It is now in its 13th printing.

From 2012 to 2014, Finney was the Editor-at-Large at BlogHer, a global media group representing over 40 million women.[47][48] Around this same time, Finney sold her media company for an undisclosed amount.

Awards received

Finney has received numerous accolades and widespread recognition for her work in building tech ecosystems in urban communities. In November 2018, she was featured among "America's Top 50 Women In Tech" by Forbes.[49]

Other awards include: 2016 Echoing Green Fellowship, Marie Claire's "10 Women to Watch in 2016," Entrepreneur Magazine's "Woman to Watch in 2016," the Champion of Change Award from the White House (2013),[50] "Kathryn Finney Appreciation Day" Borough of Manhattan (2015),[51] the Social Impact ABIE Award from the Anita Borg Institute (2016),[52] New York Business Journal's Women of Influence Award,[53] UPSTART 100 List of Top Innovators,[54] SXSW Black Innovator Award, The Grio 100,[55] Ebony Power's 100 List of the Most Influential African Americans,[56] Black Enterprise's "40 under 40" list,[57] and induction into Spelman College's "Game Changers Academy."[58]

Speaking

Finney is a much sought after keynote speaker at large-scale conferences, summits, and events. In May 2017, she delivered the commencement address at Mount Holyoke College, where she was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters. She has delivered keynote addresses at the White House,[50] Omidyar Network,[59] SXSW Interactive,[60] and more. She is currently associated with the American Program Bureau.[61]

Other roles

Finney serves as an adviser to Black women-led startups and organizations, including QuirkChat and All Star Code.[62] She is also a trustee of The Robert Finney Foundation,[63] a foundation she started with her mother and brother to honor her late father. The foundation provides scholarships to African-American students pursuing studies in the field of technology. Kathryn also serves on the board of PRI International,[64] a global non-profit media company focused on the intersection of journalism and engagement to effect positive change in people's lives.

In modern culture

Finney is credited with coining several major shopping and internet marketing terms, including "The Budget Fashionista"; the term "Love what you buy and buy what you love," meaning that shoppers should focus on purchasing items that make them feel and look great; and "blogroots," which is a term meaning to aggressively market a product, book, or idea through networking with blogs.[65]

Bibliography
  • Kathryn Finney (May 30, 2006). How to Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less. Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-8129-7516-1.

References
  1. Kathryn Finney Author Bookshelf – Random House – Books – Audiobooks – Ebooks Random House Author Page- Kathryn Finney
  2. del Castillo, Michael. "Startup setback: Fewer than 1 percent of startups are founded by black women". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  3. Massie, Victoria M. (March 14, 2016). "Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. So where are the investors?". Vox. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  4. Minorities Entering Tech Wall Street Journal
  5. "Programs". digitalundivided. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  6. "Keynote with Kathryn Finney". Innovate. March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  7. "REPORT: The Number of Black Women-led Startups Has More Than Doubled Since 2016 According to digitalundivided's Latest Research, ProjectDiane 2018". Case Foundation. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  8. "Kathryn Finney". Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  9. Gage, Deborah (August 30, 2012). "More Women and Minority Entrepreneurs Entering Tech". WSJ. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  10. "Kathryn Finney". Forbes. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  11. "Goodbye, Silicon Valley, hello, Atlanta: Black entrepreneurs part of new migration to South". USA Today. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  12. Finney, Kathryn (March 27, 2018). "How I'm Celebrating and Investing in Black Brilliance". Marie Claire. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  13. Shetterly, Margot Lee. "26 Women of Color Diversifying Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley, Media, and Beyond". The Hive. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
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  15. WhiteHouse.Gov WhiteHouse.gov
  16. Black Enterprise: White House Recognizes Tech Leaders As ‘Champions of Change for Tech Inclusion’ Black Enterprise
  17. Institute, Anita Borg (August 9, 2016). "Announcing the 2016 GHC ABIE Award Winners". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
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  33. "Brick City the next Silicon Valley? Tech start-ups get help in Newark". North Jersey. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
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  38. "Shoppers flock to designer deals". Deseret News. January 2, 2004. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  39. "Kathryn "The Budget Fashionista" Finney and Simply Good Media Attracts over 500 Budget-Conscious Style Mavens for 5th Anniversary Fashion Week Bash". www.prweb.com. September 11, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
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  56. "2013 EBONY Power 100 List Gala". Getty Images. November 4, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  57. 40 Rising Stars 40 & Under
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  60. SXSW Schedule
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  63. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 7, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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