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Our Team

Board of Directors

“As you grow older, you discover you have 2 hands.
One for helping yourself, the other for he
lping others.”
— Audrey Hepburn


Chairman of the Board & Founder, Heather Holst-Knudsen

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Heather is located in Sarasota, FL and is passionate about empowering tomorrow's leaders today and activating them in entrepreneurship whether as a founder of a company or a rockstar performer for an employer. Heather is VP of Sales at Feathr, the event personalization platform and is also CEO & Founder, HatchPad, a social learning network and collaboration platform for student entrepreneurs and Founder and Chairman of the Board of KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship. Heather was previously the President and Founder of Manufacturing Enterprise Communications, a B2B eMedia company that connected CXOs in manufacturing with senior leadership in technology. She led and oversaw the strategic direction and growth of a portfolio that included executive level events, peer-based leadership communities, awards programs, magazines, and websites.


​Heather has a BSLL from Georgetown University and an Executive Masters in Publishing from New York University.

Treasurer and Vice Chairman, Renee Farmer

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Renee is located in Sarasota, FL and is Co-Founder and President at Rainmaker Capital Funding, a consulting company focused on healthcare and technology. Renee is also a Managing Director at Oberon Securities, a broker-dealer firm in NYC. Renee was a Vice President in Investment Management at Goldman, Sachs & Co. working with ultra-high net worth investors on their private portfolios. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs., Renee spent 10 years in asset management and business development. She served as Senior General Manager with Westfield Group, a Real Estate Investment Trust that owns and manages regional shopping centers in the US and internationally. Renee earned her EMBA at Georgetown University, and received a BA with Honors from the University of South Florida. She is on the Board of Trustees of Forty Carrots and serves with the BIG initiative of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Renee is on the Board of Advisors for Kidbacker, LLC as well as the University of South Florida Center of Entrepreneurship.

Renee has also been active with the Tampa Museum of Art, Hands on Suncoast, and Junior Achievement.



Board Member, Danielle Strachman

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Danielle Strachman is located in Silicon Valley, CA, and is a General Partner of 1517 Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in startups run by young founders. 1517 supports teams with grants, pre-seed, and seed funding for technology startups. 1517 Fund focuses on makers, hackers, and scientists interested in working outside tracked institutions because they believe that the path geared towards higher education is not for all. 1517 Fund motivates people to work on what they’re passionate about, to learn by doing, and to create new technologies. In 2010, during the founding of the Thiel Fellowship, Danielle joined to lead the design and operations. She is the visionary behind the Thiel Summit series that has been attended by some 2000 young entrepreneurs. Previous to her work with Peter Thiel, Danielle founded and directed Innovations Academy in San Diego, a K-8 charter school serving 350 students, with a focus on student- led project based learning and other alternative programs. ​


KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship Student Ambassadors

US Ambassador Team

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Domenic Aluise
ambassador
Founder, RDM Innovation
​
Freshman
University of Florida
​Brandenton, FL

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Shreyas Parab
Ambassador


​Founder, NovelTie

Junior
Archmere Academy
Philadelphia, PA
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Dean Dijour
Ambassador
Founder, Collarator
​
Freshman
Carnegie Mellon
​Morganville, NJ
​

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Saaket Poray
ambassador
Founder, Foodaba
​
Sophomore
​Clements High School
Houston, TX​
​
​
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John Lang
ambassador
Studies Entrepreneurship
​
Junior
Montgomery Bell High School
​Nashville, TN
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Sharon Lin
ambassador
Founder, StuyHacks
​
Senior
Stuyvesant High School
New York, NY
​
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Cachet Williams
ambassador
Budding Software Engineer

Senior
Georgia State University
​
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Kayla Sedighim
Ambassador
Entrepreneurship Club President

Sophomore
Hebrew Academy
​Miami, FL

Costa Rica Ambassador Team

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Nicole Birkner
ambassador Team Leader
Founder, Fresquiticos
​
Senior
Lincoln High School
Escazu, Costa Rica
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Karina Pozuelo

​Ambassador
Studies Entrepreneurship
​

Junior
Lincoln High School
Escazu, Costa Rica
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Lucia Matamoros
ambassador

Entrepreneurship Student
​
​Sophomore
Lincoln High School
Escazu, Costa Rica
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Valentina Fountainhaus
ambassador
Studies Entrepreneurship
​

Sophomore
Lincoln High School
​Escazu, Costa Rica
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María José Suárez
ambassador
Entrepreneurship Student
​

​Junior
Lincoln High School
​Escazu, Costa Rica
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Javier Saenz

ambassador

​Studies Entrepreneurship
​
Sophomore

Lincoln High School
​Escazu, Costa Rica
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Isabel Odio
Ambassador
Loves Entrepreneurship
​
Sophomore
Lincoln High School
Escazu, Costa Rica
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Fernando Gonzalez
Ambassador
Entrepreneurship Student
​

Junior
Lincoln High School
Escazu, Costa Rica
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Daniella Neurohr
ambassador
Entrepreneurship Student

Sophomore
Lincoln High School
Escazu, Costa Rica
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Maria Jose Beeche
ambassador
Loves Entrepreneurship
​
Sophomore

Lincoln High School
Escazu, Costa Rica
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Joaquin Picado
ambassador
Studies Entrepreneurship

Sophomore
Lincoln High School
​Escazu, Costa Rica
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Julian Goldner
ambassador
Loves Entrepreneurship

Sophomore
Lincoln High School
Escazu, Costa Rica
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Julianne Maynard
ambassador
Loves Entrepreneurship

Sophomore
Lincoln High School
​Escazu, Costa Rica
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Sophia Batalla 
ambassador
Entrepreneurship Student

Sophomore
Lincoln High School
​Escazu, Costa Rica
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Alexa Soffia
Ambassador
Entrepreneurship Student

​​Sophomore

Lincoln High School
Escazu, Costa Rica
​

The KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation under the Internal Revenue Code. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained by the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll free within the state (1-800-HELP-FLA) or from the website: www.freshfromflorida.com. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state. 
Contributions to KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
  • Home
  • MAKE AN IMPACT
    • Donate
    • Puerto Rico Fundraiser
  • Young Entrepreneurs
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    • Scholarships
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  • Blog
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Our Three Year Plan
    • Team
    • Contact Us