MANAGING PARTNER

Madeline is a relationship-driven investor whose passion is supporting founders from the earliest stages of growth. Madeline’s experience lays at the intersection of consumer and tech, having spent the past decade as an operator, advisor, and investor in leading brands.

From her early days as an Apple Campus Rep and starting a business in her dorm room, to advising $1B initiatives at Fortune 500s, and becoming a GP at a leading consumer VC firm, Madeline has seen companies across every stage of their development and experienced many of the common scaling challenges firsthand.

A proud global citizen with multi-cultural heritage, Madeline is particularly excited to support diverse founders and funders. Madeline is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and earned her MBA from Harvard Business School.

VENTURE PARTNER

Jenna Birch is the Founder and Principal at SISU, a creative communications consultancy serving both venture capital firms and startups. She specializes in PR, media relations, media training, thought leadership, pitch coaching, and cross-channel messaging and distribution.

Prior to SISU, Jenna led communications functions at venture capital firms in Silicon Valley. She was the VP of Narrative and Communications at NFX, as well as the Head of Content and Communications at Forerunner. In these roles, she worked as an advisor to portfolio companies in addition to building the profiles of well-known venture capitalists.

Additionally, Jenna co-founded VC Brand Leaders, a community of women platform, marketing, and communications professionals in venture capital. Jenna is a graduate of The University of Michigan.

VENTURE FELLOW

Sarah Shields is a Venture Fellow at Kaya Ventures, bringing her diverse experience from the commercial real estate, data analytics, and business sectors to the exciting world of venture capital.

Sarah is spearheading Kaya Venture's first Impact Report. Her enthusiasm for exploring the intersection of her data analytics background and venture has been an exciting and eye-opening opportunity.

Sarah's current role in commercial real estate also complements her budding interest in venture as a natural builder, leader, and business-minded creative. She is thrilled to be a part of a fantastic company like Kaya Ventures that focuses on investing in overlooked demographics.

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Olive Santiago is an Executive Assistant at Kaya Ventures. She studied computer engineering at The Technological University of the Philippines and went on to continue her studies in graphic design.

Olive is an accomplished EA with a proven track record of providing administrative support to executives and senior management teams. With more than 2 years of experience in fast-paced corporate environments, she adeptly manages calendars, social media, emails, and handles confidential information with utmost discretion and professionalism.

Equipped with a creative flair and analytical mindset, Olive excels at developing compelling content that resonates with target audiences. She is skilled in managing social media channels, adeptly utilizing tools and analytics to optimize performance and track key metrics. She is thrilled to be a part of Kaya Ventures' incredible team.