Webinars

Featuring

Annemarie Donegan  Analyst, Custom Research, PitchBook

Annemarie Donegan is a custom research analyst at PitchBook, where she leverages PitchBook's data to produce white-label content for institutional clients. Prior to joining PitchBook, Annemarie worked in commercial banking for venture-backed companies as a senior associate at Silicon Valley Bank. Annemarie holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Stonehill College. She is based in PitchBook's Seattle office.

Renata Aráuz-DeStefano Investor, Pivotal Ventures

Renata has spent the past decade bridging the finance and social impact sectors, having held roles in microfinance, investment banking, social enterprises, and venture capital. Renata is currently an investment manager at Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company, where she backs women-led venture capital funds and makes early-stage investments within the care economy. 

Previously, she was part of the New Capitalism Project, an initiative to coordinate and guide philanthropic investment.  Prior to that, Renata was an investor at Nairobi-based KawiSafi Ventures, where she invested in the clean energy space. 

A proud Toigo alumna of Ecuadorian descent, Renata is passionate about increasing access to capital for diverse GPs and founders and building a bench of future capital allocators who reflect the changing demographics of the US.  She holds a BA in International Relations and French from Tufts University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Rebecca DeGraw Partner, Corporate, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Becki DeGraw practices corporate and securities law in the San Francisco office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and is a co-leader of the firm's emerging companies practice. She serves as outside general counsel and advises technology and growth companies at all stages of development. Becki works closely with entrepreneurs to guide them through initial company formation issues, day-to-day corporate governance matters, financing transactions, and liquidity events. 

Becki has extensive experience counseling investors of all sizes and stages of development, including accelerators, family offices, venture funds and corporate strategic investment arms. As a result, she has full coverage of the marketplace, from seed stage through growth equity. In addition, Becki has spearheaded Wilson Sonsini's specialized investor-focused team in this practice area.

Heather Gates National Managing Director, Deloitte & Touche LLP

Heather Gates is a managing director with Deloitte & Touche LLP and has more than 30 years of experience working in the startup and private company space, including 18 years at Deloitte. She serves as both the national Emerging Growth Company (EGC) business leader and the Audit & Assurance Private Growth leader overseeing the firm’s EGC, Private Equity, and Deloitte Private Audit & Assurance teams. She has spent her career cultivating and maintaining strong relationships throughout the private company and investor communities in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. In her role as the national leader, she brings the power of the firm to key markets throughout the US.

With her vast personal network and knowledge of the industry, Heather has unique insight into the people, institutions, and technologies that shape Silicon Valley. She regularly meets with entrepreneurs and venture capitalists and has expanded Deloitte's services to leading companies based in the Bay Area and nationally. She also serves as a board member and treasurer for the Churchill Club, a leading Silicon Valley business and technology forum.