Ellen Carnahan

Ellen Carnahan General Information

Description

Ms. Ellen Carnahan serves as Board Member at Built In. She also serves as Board Member at Cybera. She serves as Board Member at Enova International. She served as Special Advisor at Ceres Venture Fund. Ms. Carnahan also served as Senior Advisor at Chicago Ventures. A highly successful investor with over twenty years of venture capital experience as co-manager and lead technology investor at William Blair Capital Partners (WBCP), Ellen Carnahan is now the Principal of Machrie Enterprises LLC. Machrie Enterprises provides angel capital, expertise, and extensive connections to growth businesses, venture capital, and growth equity funds. At Machrie, she serves as a Senior Advisor to venture capital funds, including Chicago Ventures. She also is a board director of private and public companies, including Integrys Energy Group (NYSE: TEG); and, Amplifinity, a venture-backed software firm. Prior to joining WBCP in 1988, she was Vice President of Marketing & Planning at SPSS, a then $30-million software company; and, Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis at Trailer Train Company, the largest operator of railroad flatcars. Active in the community, she serves or has served on non-profit boards including Communities in Schools Chicago (Vice Chair), The Chicago Network (FY' 07 Chair), the State of Illinois Technology Development Fund, the Illinois Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (FY '10 Chair; current PAC Chair), The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship; and, The Metropolitan Planning Council. Ms. Carnahan is a CPA, graduated as a salutatorian from the University of Notre Dame, and received an MBA from the Booth School at the University of Chicago.