Managing Dir
DreamIt Ventures
Managing Director Community Development Erica Duignan Minnihan is a NYC based Managing Director for DreamIt Ventures focusing on Community Development. DreamIt Ventures runs programs in Austin, Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia and Tel Aviv. In the last 5 years, DreamIt has helped 127 companies and over 400 entrepreneurs turn their ideas into business. She is also Managing Partner of seed-stage investment fund Fortuna Ventures, which invests in technology-enabled early stage companies. Prior to her work with DreamIt, Erica was Executive Director and a founder of STAR Angel Network, a membership organization for professional athletes and celebrities making investments in high growth potential, early-stage private companies. Erica was also the first Executive Director of Golden Seeds, a national early-stage investor group, where she managed deal sourcing and screening, due diligence, and investment processes for the group. Prior to joining Golden Seeds, Erica has held a variety of roles in the Investment Banking sector, working for firms including Cantor Fitzgerald, Citigroup and Credit Suisse. Erica herself is an entrepreneur, having founded a beverage company that produces products for mothers focused on healthy lifestyles in 2009 which was subsequently sold to a consumer and media investment group. She has also worked with a variety of early stage and start-up companies providing expertise as a consultant for equity fundraising and general capital strategy. In addition, she has been a regular on-air contributor to MSNBC’s “Your Business” and CNBC’s “Crowd Rules” as a small business expert. Erica received her MBA in finance and real estate with honors from Columbia University and a BA in Business Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles. She currently lives in Tribeca with her husband and 3 children.