Kathryn Finney
Founder & Managing Director of digitalundivided (DID)
SPEAKER FEE RANGE: $25,000–$35,000 [FEE NOTE]
TRAVELS FROM: New York
RELATED TOPICS: Black Speakers, CEO & Executive, Entrepreneur, Innovation & Creativity, STEM, Tech Futurist, Women in Business, Women's Equality
Over the past ten years, Kathryn Finney has made her mark as a tech entrepreneur, social media visionary, investor, writer, and television correspondent. Kathryn is the founder and Managing Director of digitalundivided (DID), a social enterprise that fosters economic growth in communities by finding, training, and supporting women of color entrepreneurs. She is also a General Partner in the Harriet Fund, the first pre seed venture fund focused on investing the untapped potential of high potential Black and Latina women-led startups. Prior to this, she was an early social media pioneer, founding one of the first lifestyle blogs, the highly influential The Budget Fashionista, which she sold in 2014 to a prominent media company, making her one of the first Black women to sell a tech company.
Named by Inc Magazine as one of the most influential women in tech, Kathryn Finney has made her mark as an entrepreneur, social media visionary, “women in” advocate, investor, writer, and television correspondent.
In 2012 she created digitalundivided, a ground breaking social enterprise focused on creating a world where women own their work. She grew the organization from a simple idea to a dynamic organization with a seven figure budget, 20+ staff, two offices (Newark and Atlanta) and partnerships with major institutions such as Pivotal Ventures, Microsoft for Startups, UBS, Surdna Foundation and JPMorgan Chase. After eight years as CEO, she stepped down to become the first black woman business author at Portfolio/Penguin Books.
A White House Champion of Change and a past member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE) appointed by the Obama Administration, Kathryn is the founder of digitalundivided (DID), a social enterprise that fosters economic growth through the empowerment of Black and Latina women entrepreneurs using innovation as a tool. She is a former General Partner in the Harriet Fund, the first venture capital fund focused on Black and Latinx women founders.
An Echoing Green Global Fellow and Eisenhower Fellow, Kathryn started digitalundivided after selling her company, The Budget Fashionista, one of the first lifestyle blogs. Since 2013, DID has impacted thousands of people and helped raise over $100 million in investments. Her pioneering research, “#ProjectDiane”, drew widespread buzz for disrupting the dialogue around women of color and tech entrepreneurship.
Kathryn has received numerous honors and awards including, the Grace Hopper ABIE award, Marie Claire’s 10 Women to Watch, Entrepreneurs Magazine’s “Woman to Watch”, Ebony Power 100, Black Enterprise “40 under 40” list, and was inducted into Spelman College’s “Game Changers Academy.”
Kathryn was honored by the Borough of Manhattan with the “Kathryn Finney Appreciation Day”. In 2017, Kathryn received an Honorary Doctorate from Mount Holyoke College.
In 2012 she created digitalundivided, a ground breaking social enterprise focused on creating a world where women own their work. She grew the organization from a simple idea to a dynamic organization with a seven figure budget, 20+ staff, two offices (Newark and Atlanta) and partnerships with major institutions such as Pivotal Ventures, Microsoft for Startups, UBS, Surdna Foundation and JPMorgan Chase. After eight years as CEO, she stepped down to become the first black woman business author at Portfolio/Penguin Books.
A White House Champion of Change and a past member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE) appointed by the Obama Administration, Kathryn is the founder of digitalundivided (DID), a social enterprise that fosters economic growth through the empowerment of Black and Latina women entrepreneurs using innovation as a tool. She is a former General Partner in the Harriet Fund, the first venture capital fund focused on Black and Latinx women founders.
An Echoing Green Global Fellow and Eisenhower Fellow, Kathryn started digitalundivided after selling her company, The Budget Fashionista, one of the first lifestyle blogs. Since 2013, DID has impacted thousands of people and helped raise over $100 million in investments. Her pioneering research, “#ProjectDiane”, drew widespread buzz for disrupting the dialogue around women of color and tech entrepreneurship.
Kathryn has received numerous honors and awards including, the Grace Hopper ABIE award, Marie Claire’s 10 Women to Watch, Entrepreneurs Magazine’s “Woman to Watch”, Ebony Power 100, Black Enterprise “40 under 40” list, and was inducted into Spelman College’s “Game Changers Academy.”
Kathryn was honored by the Borough of Manhattan with the “Kathryn Finney Appreciation Day”. In 2017, Kathryn received an Honorary Doctorate from Mount Holyoke College.
- Disrupting the Dialogue: Talking Women and Tech
- Changing the Face of Innovation
An engaging talk about Kathryn and her path to a career in technology, with a strong call to action that transcends cultural lines. - A Guide to Thinking BIG
A thrilling chat on the five rules of thinking BIG and how to implement these rules in developing your own ideas and leadership style. - How to Be an Ally
In this talk, Kathryn discusses the difference between mentorship and sponsorship and how this impacts diversity at your organization.
We can help ideate, source and book speakers that aren't on our website, too. Leave an inquiry or call us at