Vicki W., Southern

Karen is like an "elevator pitch whisperer". I first saw her spin her magic at the 2010 Southeast Venture Conference. We were networking during the happy hour and she asked me for my elevator pitch, asked a few questions, and after listening to me stammer and babble for 20 minutes, she played back to me what my elevator pitch should have been... "So what you are trying to say is that you are in the business of....." I thought "Wow, that sounds really good." She has an uncanny ability of quickly understanding a business model and turning it into something that investors and potential customers would understand in a few minutes rather than the half hour it usually takes me to explain my business. I saw her do this repeatedly at one of her pitch- workshops. The entrepreneurs in attending were almost like school kids "do my pitch next"! When I engaged her for a few strategic advisory sessions and to review my business plan, she gave me such invaluable insight worth 10x what she charged me. I gained actionable steps to build value in my business and make it attractive to angel investors. As a result of her advice, I was able to secure major industry players to be on my board of advisers and modify my business model to get to revenue 12 months sooner. She has allowed me to attend her investor events as an observer and it is amazing the in depth questions her investors ask in trying to determine if they want to go to the next level with a company. She is tough because she tries hard to keep a company from wasting time and money chasing investors that they aren't ready for and to avoid burning their bridges. I wish I had listened to her before I wasted $2000 to pitch to the Gathering of Angels. If I had invested that same $2000 with her instead, I'd have an investor pitch that investors understood and would be compelled to learn more about and I'd be preparing to close on investors now rather than still looking. She is the very definition of a "Compassionate Capitalist".