Donna Harris is CEO of Builders + Backers, a distributed venture studio and investment firm that creates, launches and funds new companies together with builders around the world. Harris is also General Partner of 1776 Ventures, a venture capital fund with investments on five continents. She was formerly Managing Director of the Startup America Partnership during the Obama Administration and she is on the Board of the Global Entrepreneurship Network, the International Advisory Council of APCO Worldwide and the Policy Council of the Economic Innovation Group. Harris was recognized as one of the top 25 female early-stage investors in the United States in 2021. She's been named as one of Washington DC’s Power 100 by Washington Business Journal and Washington Life and she has become one of the most influential leaders on the intersection of entrepreneurship, investing and economic thriving. Harris holds a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University, an MBA from The University Michigan, and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from American University.