Donna Harris

Donna is a major initiative which convenes and accelerates startups from around the world by connecting them to the political, intellectual, social and financial Capital that make Washington, DC unique. She is also a Founding Member of the K Street Capital angel network and is an active angel investor. Donna is also an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Georgetown University and a is member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Prior to starting 1776, Donna was Managing Director of the Startup America Partnership, where she architected and led the Startup Regions Initiative, which focused on accelerating the formation of vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems across the United States and connecting the communities into a national startup ecosystem.
Prior to joining Startup America, Donna was Vice Chair of Interpoint Group, a government markets, government relations, and public affairs strategy and management firm, which generated nearly $8 billion in revenue while passing or defeated legislation, and executed public affairs campaigns for corporations, non-profits, foundations, and governments globally. She was also previously Founder and CEO of Kinderstreet, which sold SaaS solutions in the education, sports, and recreation markets. She was also Vice President of Strategic Planning, Marketing, and Product Management for Centromine, a provider of web-based clinical and fiscal systems in the Health and Human Services industry. She also held a variety of roles at Oracle Corporation and Electronic Data Systems. Donna holds a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and MBA from The University of Michigan Ross School of Business.