Speaking
Dynamic. Engaging. Innovative.
Kathryn Finney is one of the more honest voices in American business on how the next economy actually gets built, and who gets to build inside it. For more than two decades, through bestselling books, investing in 100+ companies and organizations, essays, newsletters, and the stage, she has been writing the playbook for entrepreneurs the rest of the market still underestimates, and pushing leaders, investors, and institutions to reckon with what they keep getting wrong about where growth actually comes from.
That perspective is earned. As a two-time exited founder, an early-stage investor, the founder of BUILD, digitalundivided, TBF group and author of the bestselling Build the Damn Thing, Kathryn has signed payroll, sat on both sides of the term sheet, and seen the real economics of who gets funded and what they go on to build. Her keynotes carry that weight. They are not motivational, they are diagnostic, delivered with the warmth of someone who is rooting for the room and the rigor of someone who has actually run the numbers.
With more than 20 keynotes per year, Kathryn is a sought-after voice at conferences like eMerge Americas and SXSW, at corporations including JPMorgan Chase and Target, at organizations such as the Madison Chamber of Commerce, and at institutions like Harvard Business School. She speaks to entrepreneurs about the craft of building under pressure. She speaks to leaders about resilience without dressing it up as inspiration, because leading through hard seasons is its own discipline. She speaks to investors and corporate audiences about the economics of overlooked markets, where much of the next decade of growth is sitting in plain sight. And she speaks to all of them about what it takes to build inside this new economy, where AI, capital, and culture are reshaping the rules at the same time.
The result is the rare keynote that holds a room from the first slide to the last question, and sends people back to their teams with sharper questions than they walked in with. If you are building a moment that needs to land, and a message that needs to move, reach out below to start the conversation.
Her key speaking topics include:
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
An inspiring discussion of 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
Kathryn discusses the difference between mentorship and sponsorship, and how this impacts diversity at your organization.
Investing in the Future
An engaging presentation on how to invest in diverse entrepreneurs for amazing returns.
What Hosts Are Saying
“Kathryn Finney is luminous. She brought sage insight and courageous stories to Concordia College, helping us recognize how we too can be builders of great, enduring, and good things.”
“Kathryn Finney's participation as a speaker at Goalkeepers 2023 was truly inspiring. She is a staunch advocate for investing in women with a sharp lens on what it takes to elevate economic power.”
“Kathryn did an incredible job at our conference. She was extremely engaging! Our audience learned a lot and left feeling empowered.”
“Kathryn Finney's presentation on the midday panel at Chicago Dealmakers was truly inspiring. She provided our audience of senior dealmakers and investors with insights that were engaging and relevant to the challenges they're seeing day to day.”
“Kathryn Finney is a trailblazer with an intimate understanding of what it takes to build a successful business, both from the founder and from the investor side. Her natural charm and uncanny ability to authentically connect with people made her the ideal speaker at a sold-out event we recently hosted.”
“The Female Quotient loved having Kathryn Finney speak at our Equality Lounge at SXSW 2023. The panel conversation she joined was a highlight in the program. She brought unique perspective and solution-oriented ideas around raising funding during a recession.”
“Kathryn Finney's vibrant energy and expertise was a gift to our DO GOOD X Startup Accelerator. Her story and insights resonated deeply with our early-stage founders. They left inspired, with practical knowledge, and even more determined to succeed.”
