34 Facts About Kathryn Finney

Kathryn A Finney is an American author, researcher, investor, entrepreneur, and businesswoman.

Kathryn Finney is founder and Board Chair of The Doonie Fund, a social platform that provides micro-investment to Black women entrepreneurs.

Kathryn Finney's pioneering leadership in creating diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystems has been recognized by press outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, Marie Claire, and Vanity Fair.

Kathryn Finney was named a recipient of PayPal's inaugural Maggie Lena Walker Award, which recognizes and celebrates women who have created opportunities for economic advancement in underserved communities.

Kathryn Finney was named one of America's Top 50 Women in Tech by Forbes.

Kathryn Finney is a 2016 Echoing Green Fellow and the recipient of numerous other awards and recognition, including The White House Champion of Change Award, the Anita Borg Institute's Social Impact ABIE Award, EBONY Power 100 List of the Most Inspiring African-Americans, and AOL's Top Ten Women in Money.

Kathryn Finney was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Kathryn Finney's father, Robert Finney, was a brewery worker who went on to become a senior engineer at Microsoft and later EMC.

Kathryn Finney led the development of one of the first high school computer-based technology academies at St Louis Park High School.

Kathryn Finney graduated from Minneapolis' Washburn High School where she was her Class President, inducted into the National Honor Society, served as a delegate to Girls State and Girls Nation, and received the Washburn High School Service Award.

Kathryn Finney was selected to be the commencement speaker for Washburn's 2019 graduating class.

Kathryn Finney received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in Women's Studies and Politics.

Kathryn Finney was voted by her graduating class to receive the class of 1998 Alumni Award for Outstanding Scholarship and Community Service.

Kathryn Finney earned a Master of Public Health degree with Honors from Yale University where she was a member of the Yale Women's Rugby Team, led the Yale Domestic Violence Conference, and received the Courtland Van Creed Prize for Academic Scholarship and Community Involvement.

Kathryn Finney received the Weinerman Fellowship for her work as an international epidemiologist in the South African region.

In 2003, Kathryn Finney launched her financial fashion blog, The Budget Fashionista, where she successfully helped to shape the influencer space to what it is today.

In 2022, Kathryn Finney released her second book, Build the Damn Thing, a guide for under-resourced founders on starting a successful business.

Kathryn Finney founded digitalundivided in 2013 after hosting the first FOCUS 100 conference in October 2012 in New York City.

At the close of the final FOCUS 100 conference in 2014, Kathryn Finney announced the expansion of its FOCUS Fellows program into an incubator for Black women-led startups under the DID organizational umbrella.

Kathryn Finney started "The Budget Fashionista," in April 2003 as a hobby before turning it into a media company and full-time career in June 2004.

Kathryn Finney was the first blogger to be credentialed for NYC Fashion Week, and one of first bloggers to receive a major book deal.

From 2006 to 2008, Kathryn Finney was a frequent contributor to NBC's The Today Show.

Kathryn Finney was the first blogger to appear on the popular morning show.

Kathryn Finney has appeared in numerous publications including Essence, USA Today, The New York Times, LA Times, and Redbook as a style expert on looking fabulous for less.

From 2012 to 2014, Kathryn Finney was the Editor-at-Large at BlogHer, a global media group representing over 40 million women.

Around this same time, Kathryn Finney sold her media company for an undisclosed amount.

Kathryn Finney has received numerous accolades and widespread recognition for her work in building tech ecosystems in urban communities.

Kathryn Finney was named a 2021 Fellow of the Finance Leaders Fellows Program and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, a worldwide community of more than 3,000 high-integrity, entrepreneurial leaders from business, government and the nonprofit sector in over 50 countries.

Kathryn Finney is a much sought after keynote speaker at large-scale conferences, summits, and events.

Kathryn Finney is currently associated with the American Program Bureau.

Kathryn Finney has served as an adviser and board member to numerous startups and organizations.

In 2021, Kathryn Finney was appointed by FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks to serve on the DOER Advisory Board.

Kathryn Finney is a trustee of The Robert Finney Foundation, a foundation she started with her mother and brother to honor her late father.

Kathryn Finney has served as an advisor for All Star Code, an organization focused on developing technical talent in young Black men, and MentorMe Inc.