Kristen Hamilton
Kristen Hamilton is currently an advisor and coach to CEOs and executives at Alongside Advisors, and serves as an advisor at Staircase Ventures and on the boards of STRIVR and Top Hat. She is a multi-time tech founder and CEO with two exits, including one IPO, and brings expertise in advising founding CEOs, corporate leadership, and board governance.
Kristen Hamilton - Multi-Time Tech Founder and CEO
Kristen Hamilton is a three-time technology entrepreneur and CEO with multiple exits, a board director of late-stage startups, and a professional CEO Advisor. She is a General Partner at Enjoy The Work, where she teaches founders to become great CEOs. She co-founded the predictive hiring software leader Koru, and was CEO until it was acquired by UK-based Capfinity in 2019. Kristen grew up near Montreal, and currently splits her time between Seattle and Whistler. She is a mom to two university-aged daughters and a golden retriever, and has deep passion for skiing, biking, rowing, and spending time outdoors in the…
Koru Founder Kristen Hamilton Joins Enjoy the Work as General Partner; Portland Seed Fund Adds Principal Devon Horace
Kristen Hamilton, founder of predictive hiring startup Koru, has joined San Francisco-based startup advisory firm Enjoy the Work as a general partner, focusing on Seattle and beyond. Additionally, Portland Seed Fund added Devon Horace as principal, expanding its leadership team with experienced regional executives.
Madrona’s Elisa La Cava interviews Madrona Venture Labs’ Mike Fridgen and FFA’s Leslie Feinzaig on studios vs. accelerators
This Founded and Funded episode compares two paths to venture funding—startup studios (Madrona Venture Labs) and accelerators (Female Founders Alliance’s Ready Set Raise)—with Madrona investor Elisa La Cava interviewing Mike Fridgen and Leslie Feinzaig about how each model supports different types of companies.
Kristen Hamilton (2x founder, SVP at Guild) on the value of inquiry, overcoming fear, and honesty in the struggle
Kristen is a 2x founder, startup executive, and board member. She co-founded Onvia in 1997 which went on to IPO. Recently co-founded at Koru which sold in 2018. Now an SVP at Guild Education. But through 25 years of building start-ups she was "operating from a place of fear."
Madrona Venture Labs launches Founders Unite to connect startup founders with veteran execs through AMAs during pandemic
Seattle-based Madrona Venture Labs launched Founders Unite, a community and AMA series connecting startup founders with veteran tech leaders for advice and peer support during the pandemic. MVL — which raised $11 million for its third fund last year and has launched around ten companies — organized the initiative after polling 100+ founders about what they value most.
Founded and Funded Episode 2: Amperity CEO Kabir Shahani on Building Culture, Values and Management Lessons
The Founded and Funded podcast interviews Amperity founder and CEO Kabir Shahani about building company culture and values since the company's 2017 launch, including a practical one-hour exercise Shannon Anderson shares for founding teams to create core values. The episode also discusses Amperity's client work, a company-only book that inspired the podcast, and lessons Shahani learned about management and entrepreneurship.
GeekWire Awards preview; brave Amazon employee quizzes Bezos
We're preparing for the GeekWire Awards, our annual event recognizing the best in Pacific Northwest tech and innovation, and on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast we provide an update on past Startup of the Year winners and preview this year's contest. Find out more, submit nominations, and buy tickets at geekwire.com/awards. Plus, a brave Amazon employee asks Jeff Bezos if his tumultuous personal life is distracting from his work, and Peter Sagal of Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me offers his input on getting less input in our lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
GeekWire and MOHAI Host January 22 Event Celebrating Five Years of Seattle 10 Startup Program
GeekWire and MOHAI are hosting a special event on January 22 at MOHAI to celebrate five years of The Seattle 10 program, featuring a panel of past startup CEOs sharing entrepreneurial lessons. The event highlights up-and-coming Seattle startups whose business concepts are showcased on cocktail napkins displayed permanently at MOHAI.
Organizations
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Staircase Ventures Advisor 2023–present · current
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University of Washington - Michael G. Foster School of Business Advisory Board - Center for Entrepreneurship 2022–present · current
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STRIVR Board of Directors 2021–present · current
Education
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Leaders In Tech Fellow, CEOs leading wholeheartedly · 2018–2020
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Ivey Business School at Western University Hons. BA, Business
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CEGEP - John Abbott College CEGEP, Pure & Applied Sciences
