“Empowering Entrepreneurs through Connected Capital”
A keynote address by Jessica Jackley, Venture Partner with Collaborative Fund, Founder and CEO of ProFounder, co-founder of Kiva, and recipient of the 2012 Human Security Award (presented on May 10, 2012).
About Jessica Jackley
Jessica is a social entrepreneur focused on empowering other entrepreneurs in the US and around the world. Her work is centered on creating innovative ways for entrepreneurs to access the resources they need to succeed, including not just new sources of capital but the engagement of robust, supportive communities.
Jessica currently serves as a Venture Partner with Collaborative Fund, focused on investing in creative entrepreneurs who want to change the world through emerging technologies. Before this, Jessica was a Founder and CEO of ProFounder, a pioneering crowdfunding platform providing tools for small business entrepreneurs in the U.S. to access start-up capital and harness community involvement. In February 2012, ProFounder joined forces with GOOD to create new tools and experiences for GOOD’s community of creators.
Earlier in her career, Jessica was a Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Kiva, the world’s first p2p microlending website. Kiva lets internet users lend as little as $25 to individual entrepreneurs, providing affordable capital to help them start or expand a small business. Kiva has been one of the fastest-growing social benefit websites in history and since its founding in October 2005 has facilitated nearly $300M in loans among individuals across 216 countries.
Jessica is a Visiting Practitioner at Stanford University’s Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, and has taught Global Entrepreneurship at the Marshall School of Business at USC. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a 2011 World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader, and has served as an active board member or advisor for numerous organizations championing women, microfinance, tech, and the arts including the International Museum of Women, Allowance for Good, Global Health Corps, Opportunity International, Vittana, Fuse Corps, and others.
Jessica has been recognized for her work in many ways and has received the 2011 Economist’s “No Boundaries” Innovation Award, the 2010 USA Network’s Character Approved Award, and was voted as a finalist for TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2009, among other honors. Convinced that social change happens across all sectors, Jackley has worked in public, nonprofit, and private organizations including the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Amazon, World Vision, Village Enterprise Fund, Project Baobab, Potentia Media, and others.
Jessica holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business with Certificates in Global Management and Public Management, a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from Bucknell University, and an honorary PhD from Centenary College.