Lisa Calhoun is a recognized and experienced leader in venture capital. Lisa was recently named Atlanta Investor of the Year by Startup Atlanta and highlighted among Business Insider’s Top 30 Women Early-stage Investors in the U.S. She is the founder of Valor Ventures, the South’s first woman-led, institutional venture capital firm, now investing its third fund. Valor funds are backed by notable institutional investors including Delta Airlines, Georgia Tech Foundation, and the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Under her leadership, Valor has built a high performance portfolio of AI and SaaS software companies based in the South. Valor is known for developing Vic, a visionary AI-powered investment management platform integrated with industry leaders like Salesforce, Carta, and PitchBook.
Lisa is a Kauffman Fellow (Class 23), recipient of the Kauffman Fellows Leadership Award, and frequent keynote speaker. She’s spoken recently for NASDAQ, SuperReturn, and the Kauffman Leadership Summit. Her insights have been featured in Forbes, Inc., and the Venture Capital Journal. She also shares insights as a co-host of the Atlanta Startup Podcast.
Philanthropically, Lisa’s passion for discovering top investments from visionaries from all backgrounds led her to establish the Startup Runway Foundation, now the nation’s largest nonprofit for introducing underrepresented founders to their first investors. Startup Runway is underwritten by leading nonprofit endeavors including individuals, the American Family Institute, NCR Foundation, Cox Enterprises, and the National Science Foundation.
Prior to founding Valor, Lisa founded a digital marketing agency that was recognized by HubSpot as a top 10 firm for startups. She helped guide hundreds of founders to successful exits through developing meaningful sales funnels and communication platforms. Earlier in her career, Lisa specialized in enterprise IT software as a consultant for leading IT departments from the Hartsfield Jackson Airport to UPS.
Lisa holds an MBA in management science with a concentration in statistics from the University of Texas and a BA with honors from Baylor University, which she attended on National Merit Scholarship. Lisa recharges by spending time alone. Her hobbies include gardening and dressage. She’s an FEI competitor and can be founded most weekends in the arena building connection.
