
BOOK NOW FOR your podcast
Melissa Widner
Chief Executive Officer at Lighter Capital
- Venture Capital
- Executive
- 📍Sydney, Australia
Melissa Widner is the CEO of Lighter Capital, the pioneer and leader in revenue-based financing for tech startups, founders, and companies. Seattle-based Lighter Capital is backed by National Australia Bank and Silicon Valley Bank as well as US VCs.
Previously, Melissa was the Managing Director of NAB Ventures, the VC arm of the National Australia Bank, and a General Partner at Seattle based SeaPoint Ventures. She was the founder and CEO of 7Software, a Silicon Valley based enterprise software company acquired by Concur (Nasdaq: CNQR, acquired by SAP). She was also the CEO of Northwest Industrial Supply. Under her leadership, both companies generated over a 10X return to investors.
She is the co-founder and Chairperson of Sydney-based Heads Over Heels, an organization that supports women entrepreneurs running companies with high growth potential.
read more
LET'S TALK ABOUT REVENUE BASED FINANCING
- What VCs look for
- Challenges facing female entrepreneurs
- Bootstrapping
- Tech Startups
- SaaS
--
Melissa served as a lecturer at the University of Washington's Graduate School of Business where she taught courses on venture capital and entrepreneurship. She was previously on the board of the AIC (AVCAL) and has served on the boards of several venture-backed technology companies in both the US and Australia.
Melissa holds a Masters degree from Stanford University and a Bachelors degree from the University of Washington.
BOOK NOW FOR your podcast
Melissa Widner
Chief Executive Officer at Lighter Capital
- 📍Sydney, Australia
- Venture Capital
- Executive
Melissa Widner is the CEO of Lighter Capital, the pioneer and leader in revenue-based financing for tech startups, founders, and companies. Seattle-based Lighter Capital is backed by National Australia Bank and Silicon Valley Bank as well as US VCs.
Previously, Melissa was the Managing Director of NAB Ventures, the VC arm of the National Australia Bank, and a General Partner at Seattle based SeaPoint Ventures. She was the founder and CEO of 7Software, a Silicon Valley based enterprise software company acquired by Concur (Nasdaq: CNQR, acquired by SAP). She was also the CEO of Northwest Industrial Supply. Under her leadership, both companies generated over a 10X return to investors.
She is the co-founder and Chairperson of Sydney-based Heads Over Heels, an organization that supports women entrepreneurs running companies with high growth potential.
read more
LET'S TALK ABOUT REVENUE BASED FINANCING
- What VCs look for
- Challenges facing female entrepreneurs
- Bootstrapping
- Tech Startups
- SaaS
--
Melissa served as a lecturer at the University of Washington's Graduate School of Business where she taught courses on venture capital and entrepreneurship. She was previously on the board of the AIC (AVCAL) and has served on the boards of several venture-backed technology companies in both the US and Australia.
Melissa holds a Masters degree from Stanford University and a Bachelors degree from the University of Washington.
As seen on
Timeline
Jul 2018 - Present
Lighter Capital
Chief Executive Officer
Jun 2010 - Present
Heads over Heels
Co-Founder & Chairman
Aug 2017 - Present
SchoolSHORE
Executive Director | The Shore Foundation
Mar 2016 - Sep 2020
National Australia Bank
NAB Ventures Managing Director
1995 - 1997
Stanford University
MA, Business & Education
University of Washington
BA
Ask me
What options do founders have when seeking funding? |
What are the advantages and disadvantages of different types of funding sources? |
What does it mean to bootstrap your business, and why are founders choosing to do so? |
What would you tell a founder who is seeking to bootstrap their business? |
What do you feel are the hallmarks of success for a bootstrapped business? |