Angel investment firm names McCoolidge managing partner
Minneapolis, MN, June 26, 2019 — Minneapolis-based Sofia Fund is expanding to the Kansas City market. To establish its presence in the area, which is a hub of startup activity, it has added a Kansas City-based partner, Laura McCoolidge.
“Our portfolio is in increasingly national in scope. Our latest investments are in companies from Seattle to New York,” said Cathy Connett, Sofia Fund CEO. “Yet the Midwest continues to be a hub of startup activity. Extending our footprint to Kansas City gives us access to an active investment community that attracts entrepreneurs from throughout the world, particularly female founders.”
McCoolidge joined Sofia Fund as one of five managing partners on June 1. Other managing partners are Connett, Lisa Crump, Joy Lindsay and Dee Thibodeau. She is a newly appointed Kauffman Fellow, part of the prestigious world-renown two-year educational, networking and leadership program for venture capitalists. There are less than 600 Kauffman Fellows from 46 countries representing more than 500 venture firms and organizations having done 7,700 deals since inception. The Kauffman network includes founders, CEOs, government leaders and other influencers in the investment community.
McCoolidge is a leader in the angel investment industry, with significant experience in the active Kansas City investor and entrepreneurial community. Prior to joining Sofia Fund, she headed Mid-America Angels, based in Kansas City, which is comprised of more than 100 angel investors investing in seed stage companies located in the broader Midwest region. She has been executive director of Nebraska Angels, where, under her leadership, the organization grew to become a leading angel network in the Midwest, doubling its number of investing members while deploying over $16 million in capital across 31 portfolio companies. McCoolidge was also instrumental in establishing Midwest Angel coalition, a syndicate of angel networks working together to streamline deal opportunities, communications and resource support. She is a member of the Angel Capital Association (ACA), serving on its education committee, a mentor for Pipeline Entrepreneurs, and serves as a board director for NE Enterprises LLC, an organization created to evaluate early stage and international investment opportunities for the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance.
About Sofia Fund
Sofia Fund invests in and grows exceptional women-led companies to maximize returns for investors by bringing its portfolio companies successfully to profitable exits. Sofia Fund uses a rigorous process for selecting and investing in high-growth, technology-driven opportunities in the IT, business products and services, technology, and health and wellness sectors with scalable business models and proprietary positions in large and growing markets. 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. Its investment team has invested more than $10 million in 50 companies to date. For more information about what makes a business fundable, see https://sofiafund.com/angels-tell-the-truth-what-makes-a-new-company-fundable/. For more information about Sofia Fund, visit www.sofiafund.com.