MINNNEAPOLIS (April 18, 2023) – Sofia Fund, the angel investment firm focused exclusively on women-led companies, announces that its managing partner, long-term investor and entrepreneur Joy Lindsay, is the recipient of the 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year Award, presented by the University of Minnesota.
The award will be given at the May 10 Founders Day event, hosted by the Carlson School of Management, where Lindsay earned her MBA. It honors exemplary alumnus who are founders and currently lead an enduring business, support the University, and serve as a role model to students and alumni.
“Joy’s leadership and example as a woman founder and investor has made a profound impact on the start-up community,” said John Stavig, managing director of the Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship at the University. “Her efforts are without parallel — advising across the University in a number of roles, including for our commercialization initiatives, the Holmes Center, and MN Cup, the largest state-wide startup competition in the U.S.”
After a successful career at West Publishing (now Thomson Reuters), Lindsay left the corporate world to become co-founder of StarTec Investments, one of the first women-founded venture capital firms in the country, which has been investing in technology companies since 1998. Through StarTec, Lindsay has invested in numerous early-stage companies and new fund managers, providing strategic guidance and industry connections in addition to capital.
Lindsay also co-founded the Sofia Fund, one of the longest-standing funds in the U.S. where women investors provide capital and expertise to other women who are launching high-growth companies. The Sofia Fund has brought dozens of women into the angel investor pool in an effort in increase the number of successful startups led by women.
“Our fund makes investments across the country,” said Cathy Connett, Lindsay’s co-founder of the Sofia Fund. “Joy’s name is synonymous with angel investing and venture capital, deploying early-stage capital in some of the most successful technology companies. Women founders and leaders, particularly in the tech industry, continue to get a small share of financial backing. Because of Joy and our efforts of the Sofia Fund, many more women have been able to break through this barrier and go on to create great value for themselves and other shareholders.”
Lindsay has served in board and advisory roles with the Minnesota Technology Association (MnTech), Minnesota Venture Capital Association, Minnesota’s Science and Technology Advisory Commission, Twin Cities Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minnesota, and for numerous emerging companies. She was appointed by the governor for the 21st Century Tax Reform Commission, advocated for Minnesota’s Angel Tax Credit, has been a guest lecturer at the University of Minnesota law school and business school, and served as a judge in many startup competitions. She received the “Titans of Technology – Hall of Fame” award from the Business Journal and a Tekne Award for Lifetime Achievement.
About Sofia Fund
Sofia Fund invests in exceptional women-led companies to maximize returns for investors by helping to bring its portfolio companies successfully to profitable exits. Sofia Fund uses a rigorous process for selecting and investing in high-growth, technology-driven opportunities. Its team of professional women angel investors actively manages and supports its portfolio businesses, leveraging deep expertise and broad networks to help women entrepreneurs achieve success. For more information about Sofia Fund, visit www.sofiafund.com.
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