Location Amherst, Massachusetts, United States Regions East Coast, New England, Northeastern US Gender Female
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Sharon Shepard joined Boston Community Capital in February 2001 as a Managing Director of BCC’s Venture Funds and is responsible for identifying, structuring, growing, monitoring and exiting investments. Shepard brings to BCC 13 years of venture capital and venture development experience as well as 16 years of broad industry operational experience,
primarily in early stage and emerging growth high technology companies.
In her role, Shepard has worked with numerous portfolio companies including Magellan BioSciences, Dynex Corporation, Trek Diagnostics, ESA, Eating Well Media Group, TekCel, Protedyne Corporation, geoVue, Zipcar, and CASTion Corporation among others with board/observer responsibilities for most of these companies. In addition to her venture role, in early 2011 Ms Shepard also took on an operating role in BCC’s SUN Initiative, a foreclosure relief program.
Prior to joining BCC, Shepard was the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Consulting Services for Mass Ventures, a venture development company providing management and financial services to high growth early stage technology companies where she was instrumental in raising nearly $50MM of capital. In addition, she provided business coaching to entrepreneurs, recruited management talent, developed business plans and held interim senior management roles in such companies as Beliefnet and MetaEvents (acquired by Palm). As the CEO or senior manager of three technology-based start-up companies (Sensor Frame, Compunetix, Amerinex Applied Imaging), Shepard played a pivotal role in setting strategic direction, raising capital, developing new products, and designing and implementing operational plans.
She was voted Woman Entrepreneur of the Year by the Pittsburgh business community. Shepard also is an active business community member. She was the founder and Chair of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Pittsburgh for many years. She has served on numerous non-profit boards including the MIT Enterprise Forum (national board), the MIT Alumni Association, the Pittsburgh High Technology Council, and the Western Mass Software Association. She also served as a Member of the MIT Corporation Visiting Committee for Student Affairs & Undergraduates. Shepard earned an S.M. degree in mechanical engineering from MIT.
