50 on Fire will bring together D.C.'s best and brightest to recognize the disruptors, luminaries and visionaries that are pushing our city forward. Buy your tickets now and join us on Dec. 1 at Howard Theatre for the celebration and winners reveal.
The right investor can turn a good idea into a massively successful innovation. Brilliant ideas and a lot of hard work don't automatically mean the rest will happen naturally. Inspiring the right investor to put time, energy and, of course, money into a startup is often the difference between an obscure reference and a household name. But investment can mean more than that. Those who know and understand finances are often the ones best suited for creating the companies that extend that knowledge and aid others in becoming financially successful.
The D.C. area is home to many of both, supporting and creating innovation of all types. Check out the ones who claimed a spot as a 50 on Fire finalist this year below.
Donna Harris - 1776 - Donna Harris wears a lot of innovation hats. Along with fostering innovators as co-founder of tech startup incubator 1776, she helps run the 1776 seed fund and is an angel investor at K Street Capital and in her own right. She also serves as a mentor and for many entrepreneurs, offering non-monetary resources and guidance.
Julia Taxin - Grotech Ventures - Julia is involved with many Grotech all over, including prominent D.C. startups like Optoro and Contactually. She also works as a mentor for entrepreneurs and with women innovator groups like the Vinetta Project.
Jason Towns - Groundwork VC - Towns’ startup consulting firm The Towns Group is pulling $10 million to launch Groundwork, an investment fund for minority founders. He's also a regular advisor for a host of D.C. startups, helping them navigate the complicated world of funding.
Harry Alford - Humble Impact - Harry Alford founded the cooperative Humble Impact and Bunker Labs DC. With those groups and independently, he's advised startups on how to get funding and how to build a company that will attract investors.
Rick Gordon - MACH37 - The managing partner at cybersecurity startup accelerator MACH37, Gordon has taken an initial investment from the state of Virginia and turned it into a self-sufficient machine for fostering startups, 35 so far. Several have started to attract funding and the accelerator is now sponsored by major tech companies thanks to Gordon's work.
Ted Leonsis - Monumental Sports Group - As a partner at Revolution, Leonsis has invested in a range of companies this year. And Monumental, at the same time, has seen a wealth of new investments and projects. This year, Leonsis invested in two Arena Football League teams and an e-sports team. He also announced a new fund for sports tech through Monumental.
Dayna Grayson - New Enterprise Associates (NEA) - Grayson is a partner at NEA, one of the most active venture capital groups in the area, and one that's participated in dozens of local companies over the years. She mentors and advises many startup founders and is cited by several women in the D.C. tech scene as someone they admire and look up to as a role model.
John Backus - New Atlantic Ventures and PROOF - Backus is a partner at New Atlantic Ventures, playing a role in many investments. This year, he and two other VCs also founded PROOF, the 'pro-rata opportunity fund,' to partner with venture capital companies that invest in early-stage startups and support them in funding larger rounds.
Brett Gibson - NextGen Venture Partners - NextGen co-founder Brett Gibson has spent the year extending NextGen's reach as it transitioned from an angel network into a venture capital firm with a $20 million fund in the works.
Donn Davis - Revolution Growth - Donn Davis took the lead for Revolution Growth, helping close the $525 million Revolution Growth III fund this year, which went well beyond the $450 million they had originally planned. Going for large, later-stage investments, the fund has already invested in a few companies including artificial intelligence and seen the successful exit of previous portfolio companies.
Justin Howell - Rize - Howell heads up fintech startup Rize, which created an online savings platform aimed at millennials and doing remarkably well with a pay-what-you-think-its-worth model.
Fred Schaufeld - SWaN & Legend - Schaufeld is frequently cited by entrepreneurs and others in the D.C. innovation scene as an inspiration and role model. He's been part of funding investments in many successful startups like Framebridge and is the only local VC who can count MC Hammer as an investor.
Matt Fellowes - United Income - Well-known in the D.C. tech community for founding HelloWallet, a fintech company acquired by Morningstar, Fellowes founded United Income this year with investment from the larger company. United Income offers digital financial planning tools for those who are getting close to or have already reached retirement.
Ross Baird - Village Capital - Ross Baird is executive director at non-profit venture capital firm Village Capital, working to find and support social entrepreneurs all over the world. Village Capital took another big step in its mission earlier this year when the company's affiliated VilCap Investments fund raised $17.7 million to invest in 75 peer-selected startups working on energy, health and related areas.
Andy Lustig - Cooley LLP - Andy Lustig has worked over the years to draw innovative companies and investors to the D.C. region in his role at Cooley, boosting industries like in areas like cybersecurity, drones and data analytics. He regularly advises entrepreneurs and investors about innovation and startup growth, helping connect companies with government agencies to spur innovation in both the private and public sectors.
