Welcome back to Michigan, Kathryn Gardner, MVCA’s newest Fellow! Kathryn starts her Fellowship at Arboreum Ventures, and we asked her to introduce herself to our MVCA community:
How did you find out about the Fellows program? What advantage do you think the Fellows program gives younger professionals and venture firms when trying to make a match?
I learned about the Fellows Program during the recruitment process to Arboretum Ventures. We believed that being part of the program would allow me to network with others in the industry since I am new to venture capital and recently moved back from Chicago.
The Fellows Program has many advantages, but I believe that the most important is aligning fit within the industry. In venture capital fit is very important, from having a good management team, to investing in companies that fit specific criteria, and most importantly employee fit. The Fellows Program is a great avenue for aligning those not currently employed with a fund and those funds that need to add team members.
What are you most looking forward to being a Fellow ?
Being a part of the Fellows Program will provide me with additional opportunities to meet and network with many individuals in the venture capital community. The education portions of the Fellows Program will also be extremely beneficial to my success in the industry. I am looking forward to learning from others and networking as I grow into my role at Arboretum. I am also excited to be part of a program that looks toward revitalizing Michigan’s economy.
What will you be doing at Arboretum?
As an analyst at Arboretum, I will primarily be evaluating prospective investments and performing detailed due diligence on promising companies in the healthcare space. My role will also involve supporting portfolio companies and assisting with fundraising.
What do you hope to be doing in 10 years?
In ten years I would like to own my own business, hopefully with family. It’s always been a dream of mine to have my own company and I know working in the venture capital industry will provide me an invaluable foundation to build that dream.
What attracts you to the venture capital industry?
There are many attractive aspects of venture capital, but what really hooked me was the opportunity to help invest in life-changing technologies. I believe that the best way to grow the economy is to build small businesses and provide them pathways for success that otherwise wouldn’t be available to them. I am looking forward to developing in my role as an analyst and contributing to the venture capital community in Michigan.
What’s your dream deal (the venture backed firm you wish YOU had spotted first!)?
WebMD. It has become the “go to” for self-diagnosis, or checking symptoms prior to calling your doctor / going to the ER. The practice of checking WebMD saves time and money in the healthcare system because doctors and nurses can focus on patients that are currently in their office / department, patients can save money on a co-pay or time spent waiting for a doctor and insurance companies do not have to pay for costly services doctors perform.