Founding General Partner of True Wealth Ventures, a venture capital fund exclusively investing in women-led companies improving environmental and human health, Dr. Sara T. Brand will share with us some powerful and motivating statistics regarding women as entrepreneurs -with their unique perspectives and leadership characteristics – as well as women as investors – with their significant influence on markets from investable assets to everyday purchases.
Dr. Sara T. Brand, Founding Partner, True Wealth Ventures
Sara has a unique combination of capabilities as a strategic thinker integrated with a proven success record for delivering results. Over her career, she has been fortunate to work with and contribute to some of the top teams in the technology industry and has cultivated a diverse portfolio of leadership experiences including:
• Investing out of $150M venture fund with four other investment professionals at Fremont Ventures in San Francisco, named as one of the top 10 venture capital firms for adding value to portfolio companies
• Working in large tech companies including Intel, Applied Materials and Advanced Micro Devices and directly with 3 Fortune 500 CEOs and their teams in strategic and operational capacities
• Leading business units from $0 to $100M
• Acquiring startups and integrating them into large publicly-traded corporations & leading company mergers and cross-functional dynamics
• Consulting across the semiconductor industry with McKinsey & Co. out of the San Francisco office
• Founding (512) Brewing Company, the largest draught only, self-distributing microbrewery in the United States
Sara is an active member of the entrepreneurial ecosystem to support gender diversity (e.g., founding investor in the Rising Tide Fund, advisor to DivInc, steering committee member of Women@Austin) in the consumer health and sustainable consumer sectors (e.g. advisor to Texas Health Catalyst at Dell Medical School, mentor for CleanTech Open, judge for Food+City) and as an active speaker and writer on the topic.
Sara holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Green Design and Manufacturing, a minor in Public Health and Energy, and a Management of Technology Certification from UC Berkeley where she currently serves on the Mechanical Engineering Department’s External Advisory Board. Dr. Brand also holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UT Austin where she now serves on the Cockrell School of Engineering’s External Advisory Board and the Texas Health Catalyst Advisory Panel for UT’s new Dell Medical School to foster health technology innovations across industry, academia and community.
This talk will be introduced and moderated by Karen Christensen of Whole Foods Market.
Karen Christensen, Global Vice President of Procurement-Perishables, Whole Foods Market
Karen Christensen is Global Vice President of Procurement-Perishables for Whole Foods Market. Karen joined Whole Foods Market in 1998. For six years before becoming GVP, Karen served as the Regional Vice President of Whole Foods Market’s Northern California Region. She originally started as a Regional Produce Buyer and quickly made her way to roles like Regional Produce Coordinator, Global Produce Buyer, and Global Produce Coordinator. Karen is a true food visionary whose passion for Whole Foods Market’s mission and purpose allows her to be a champion for change and a leader excited to bring that enthusiasm to the perishables category. Karen serves on the Board of Directors for Whole Planet Foundation.
