Karen Kerr, PHD

Karen Kerr is a venture investor and advisor with more than two decades of experience partnering with entrepreneurs to build technology-based companies. She is known for her role as an instigator and strategic supporter of ambitious founders across multiple stages of company formation and growth.

Most recently, Karen served as Executive Managing Director at GE Ventures. She was previously a Managing Director at ARCH Venture Partners and began her career as a Senior Associate at Patricof & Co., where she was also a Kauffman Fellow. Earlier in her career, she was a Director at Intellectual Ventures and helped launch numerous startups as Senior Director of New Ventures and Alliances at the University of Southern California.

Karen holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Chicago and an AB in Chemistry from Bryn Mawr College. She is a member of the Charter Class of Kauffman Fellows and serves on multiple boards, including Kauffman Fellows, mHub, and Clean Energy Trust. She also serves on the University of Chicago’s Physical Sciences Division and Institute of Molecular Engineering Visiting Committees and the Bryn Mawr College Board of Trustees.

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