LAUNCHFN - Key Persons
After receiving her BA in Economics and English at Emory University in Atlanta, and her MBA in Marketing from the University of Florida, Karen Rands spent 13 years developing an expertise in many technological foundations and industry segments at IBM. Karen started Kugarand Capital Holdings, LLC in 2001 to be Venture Catalysts in the market with a specific intent to develop a portfolio of business advisory & consulting services and a broad network of all types of early stage and growth capital. LAUNCHfn became an integral part of the Kugarand Capital Holdngs strategy to serve entrepreneurs and investors in late 2003. The network of small business investors, alternative lenders, angel investor networks, early stage venture capital sources and institutional capital investors has been cultivated over the years. Kugarand Capital Holdings, LLC acquired the Network of Business Angels and Investors (NBAI) in early 2005 to provide a forum for the clients of LAUNCHfn to gain credible access to a thriving angel investor group. NBAI has since reformed into the National Network of Angel Investors, committed to the Compassionate Capitalist Movement to educate and inspire wealthy men and women to actively participate in entrepreneurial endeavors with their resource, experience and capital to bring innovation to the market, create jobs in their community, and create wealth for theirselves and the founders.
With these integrated initiatives, we believe we will achieve our goal to be a driving force in bridging the capital divide that so many entrepreneurs face. In our first 10 years of operation, we helped over 500 companies get their skills, knowledge, resources and capital to succeed at building good sustainable and scalable businesses. Karen serves as guiding force for LAUNCHfn and managing director for NNOAI. She hosts a radio show called the Compassionate Capitalist and shares here expertise via articles, interviews, webinars, and video blog messages to the subscribers.