Donna Harris is a six-time entrepreneur and top ranked seed stage investor with a lifelong lifelong belief that bold ideas can come from anyone, anywhere—and they all deserve a real chance to thrive. She is founder and CEO of Builders + Backers, the world’s first AI-powered venture studio that enables entrepreneurial dreamers to become builders who create and grow promising new companies. Through expert-trained AI agents, real founder insight, strategic support and innovative funding, Builders + Backers is shattering the barriers that keep innovative ideas on the sideline.

Donna is also General Partner of 1776 Ventures, a seed stage venture capital fund with investments spanning five continents in startups tackling critical world challenges and building innovations that matter. She is also an investing limited partner with Portfolia fund, an active angel investor, and was the co-founder of K Street Capital. She has been named one of Business Insider’s top 25 female early-stage investors three years running.

“The future belongs to those who can see opportunity where others see obstacles, and who have the courage to build bridges between what is and what could be.”

Donna previously served as Managing Director of the Startup America Partnership where she pioneered the field of startup ecosystem building—work she continues today serving on the board of The Global Entrepreneurship Network which operates a platform of programs in 180+ countries. She is also a member of the International Advisory Council of APCO Worldwide and the Policy Council of the Economic Innovation Group, which produced the Distressed Communities Index, spearheaded the Investing in Opportunity Act to create Opportunity Zones, and leads a variety of research and policy initiatives to empower entrepreneurs and investors to forge a more dynamic economy.

Recognized as one of Washington, DC’s Power 100 by Washington Business Journal and Washington Life, and as a Tech Titan by Washingtonian Magazine, Donna is one of the most influential leaders on the intersection of AI, entrepreneurship, investing and economic thriving. She is a contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine and a frequent speaker and contributor to publications such as Inc., Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and others.

Outside of the boardroom, Donna enjoys time with family, cheering for her son’s high school football team and taking care of their many animals. She is a three-time marathoner whose racing has raised funds for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society and she is an active volunteer in her local community and church. Donna is a proud graduate of Central Michigan University (undergraduate) and The University of Michigan Ross School of Business (MBA) and she is proud to have received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from American University.