With over 15 years of diverse professional operations experience, Jennifer is passionate about improving efficiency to make teams hum. Jennifer currently leads the TrustRadius Customer Success team in delivering value to customers via review management programs. Before joining TrustRadius, Jennifer led the Consumer Success team at Dosh where she reduced the overall spend by more than 70% while more than doubling customer satisfaction scores. Prior to Dosh, Jennifer was VP, Client Services – Practices at Bazaarvoice where she led a 500+ team that supported the launch and ongoing operational strategic needs of over 5,000 global clients. Jennifer earned her Bachelor and Masters degree from Trinity University. Outside of work, Jennifer loves spending time with her 2 daughters and having a glass of wine with friends.

Joanna Arras joined Baird Capital in 2014 and concentrates on Technology & Services investments. Joanna is currently a board member of ChurnZero and SourceDay, and was previously a board member of Appcast and Startwire. Prior to joining Baird Capital, Joanna worked as an Equity Research Analyst at Baird, specializing in semiconductor companies. Additionally, Joanna served as an Associate in Baird's Investment Banking and Business Development departments, focusing on strategic investments and initiatives.

Julia Taxin is a Partner at Grotech Ventures and brings over 10 years of experience in venture capital, finance, and consulting. Prior to joining Grotech, she spent time at Sandbox Industries focused on evaluating new investment opportunities and working with portfolio companies and management teams on growth strategies. She began her career as a IT consultant at PwC in Chicago where she focused on Oracle implementations and supply chain optimization.

When I stepped off the plane in the searing summer heat of Shanghai, I knew that the trajectory of my life had fundamentally changed.

I had left a much safer career-start back home in Cincinnati to experience what I believed would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. The playbook for the business I was joining was still being written. The client relationships were new. The products were relatively untested. The team young. Would it work? There was no guarantee. But I knew I would be learning a ton and having a lot of fun along the way.

After five years in Asia, I applied the skills learned in China along with the best practices I would learn while studying at the Booth School of Business. Both experiences would give me the confidence that I could enter into any new environment and be successful.

While studying at Booth, I saw how the world was shifting and that some of the fastest-growing economies were popping up in Africa. With that insight, I co-founded a startup in Nigeria that would take me across the entire continent. I spent several amazing years in Africa launching a telematics platform for agricultural equipment that positively impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of farmers. It was an amazing experience working to fix a broken system in an enormous market.

When I learned of Drive Capital's thesis and the undeniable opportunity in the Midwest...well, you know the pattern of my choices by now.

I never set out to be an expat in China, an entrepreneur in Africa, or a venture capitalist in Columbus. Learning excites me. I love a challenging environment. And I love experiencing life. I am always down for an honest and frank conversation. I have learned along the way that a single conversation can turn into a life-changing opportunity.

And when opportunity calls, you answer.