MARY LEMMER

Hello! I'm an entrepreneur, improviser and comedian, and recovering venture capitalist tech person. I have helped dozens of companies, including Plenty, Ozlo (Acquired by Facebook), True Link Financial (YC S13) and Fixed (YC S14, Acquired by Lawgix), SoFi, and other ventures with growth, marketing, business development, fundraising strategy, and culture.

Before I got a concussion (i.e. got some sense knocked into me) I was a Director at SoFi, a multibillion-dollar online lender, where I led a marketing team, built out the business development team, and ran SoFi’s entrepreneur program and investments in startups. Prior to SoFi, I worked at RPM Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm, concentrating on investments in online marketplaces, e-commerce, and automotive IT.

 

I am the author of "Straight From the Investor's Mouth: 111 Pieces of Advice for Entrepreneurs" (because 100 wasn't enough), the founder of Improv4, a collective of improvisers applying improv techniques and philosophy to train business leaders, and the founder of Iorio Gelato, a gelato producer and retail cafes I started in 2004. I am a founding board member of a philanthropic fund that helps entrepreneurs make contributions to good causes they care about in addition to the founder of The Collective 30, a philanthropic giving circle where individuals commit to donating 1% of their wealth, annually, for 30 years.

I graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor's in Business Administration, Minor in Environmental Science, and Certificate in Entrepreneurship from the College of Engineering. I also studied improv and comedy writing with some of the most talented people (and probably some future SNL cast members) at The Second City and The Annoyance in Chicago, UCB and People's Improv Theatre in NYC, EndGames Improv and Bay Area Theatre Sports in San Francisco, and other workshops with Groundlings, Vancouver Improv Festival, among others. I have performed improv and comedy all over the country, including at Gilda Radner’s Laughfest, The Punch Line in San Francisco, and the Lady Laughs Comedy Festival.

 

When I am not improvising, telling jokes, selling gelato, or helping a startup, I am illustrating food puns and sharing them on Instagram @ProducePuns.