The Future of Diversity in VC

or over 25 years, Julianne Zimmerman has focused on putting technology to work for the greater good. In her current role as Managing Director with Reinventure Capital, she is in the process of raising a fund to invest in a chronically overlooked pool of entrepreneurs: people of color and women. Previously as Co-Founder of seed-stage investment firm Vodia Ventures, Julianne invested in startups in energy, water, food, and health. As an external consultant, VP of Communications, VP of Business Development, and VP of Engineering, Julianne has built departments, managed alpha projects, guided branding and identity efforts, and led a wide variety of initiatives from blank page to successful, in many cases award-winning, completion. Along the way she and her co-conspirators have catalyzed industry shifts, changed conversations, won awards, and set new standards for performance.

Julianne holds two undergraduate degrees from MIT in Humanities/Literature and Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, an MS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland, and an executive certificate in sustainability management from the Presidio Graduate School; she previously served as a certified EMT in Maryland and Massachusetts. She was twice a finalist in the NASA astronaut selection process. She is a frequent speaker, reviewer and judge for innovation and entrepreneurship programs in the US and abroad; she currently serves on the MIT Venture Mentoring Service and as a founding Principal of Great Dome Associates.