| Duke University, B.A. | |
| University of Maryland, MBA | |
| Business |
Mona DeFrawi founded Equidity to solve the biggest problem plaguing the venture industry and economy for the last decade – the lack of primary liquidity, IPOs, and healthy returns – which is blocking the job and growth engine of the US & global economies. Mona’s expertise in fundraising, IPOs, investor relationship management, and corporate development, has guided entrepreneurs and investors for over 20 years. In 2010, Mona was honored as one of the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s “Women of Influence.â€
Previously, Mona was CEO & Founder of InsideVenture, a financial marketing utility offering liquidity solutions. Inside Venture was acquired by SecondMarket in fall 2009, for its private market division, which announced $500M of transactions in January 2011. In 2007, Mona raised CapGen Financial’s first time $500M private equity fund in under 7 months, as Director, alongside Managing Principal Eugene Ludwig, Founder of Promontory Financial Group and former Comptroller of the Currency and Vice Chairman of Bankers Trust/Deutsche Bank. Mona also served as VP of Corporate Development and Director, Investor Relations for USinternetworking, Martek Biosciences, Meridian Medical Technologies & Crop Genetics, helping manage two IPOs, one public, post-merger turnaround, and the investor relations programs for all four companies.
A passionate supporter of innovation, Mona authored legislation in 1998 and successfully lobbied for Maryland pension fund investments in venture capital, that today total nearly $3B. She also served as Maryland’s Technology Commercialization Specialist for DBED, and IP Marketing Manager for the University of Maryland’s Technology Transfer Office. Mona also founded VentureQuest, a fundraising and business development advisory firm, and over her career, Mona advised over a hundred start-up companies, and founded four, two of which were acquired. Mona is an honors graduate of both Duke University (BA) and the University of Maryland (MBA), and also served as an adjunct faculty member of Johns Hopkins University, School of Engineering, where she created and taught the graduate level Entrepreneurship course.
