Melissa Withers

Founding Partner, RevUp Capital

RevUp Capital Managing Partner Melissa Withers is an experienced fund manager and business builder with 120 + investments under management. Melissa created RevUp in 2016 after many years working as an early stage equity investor. The transition to a revenue-based model was driven by a passion to broaden the financial toolkit available to founders and transcend the “exit or bust” constraints of equity-only investing. Melissa began her career working at the intersection of science, education, and public policy at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT. She was also co-founder of the Business Innovation Factory, an organization dedicated to the design and testing of new business models in industries of high social significance. She has also worked in government and economic development.In addition to her role at RevUp Capital, Melissa is entrepreneur-in-residence at Tech Stars Boston and a strong advocate for expanding investment in women, people of color, first-time founders and those living outside top-tier markets. Within RevUp Capital, Melissa runs Operation Athena, a program that offers investment and support to women-led companies and those founded by people of color. If not for her family, love of gin drinks, and preference for indoor plumbing, she'd likely spend her remaining days hiking in the mountains.