Donna Harriss

Partner, 1776

Washington, D.C.

Donna Harris is Co-Founder of 1776, a comprehensive initiative to convene and accelerate startups from around the world, by connecting them to the political, intellectual, social and financial capital that makes Washington, DC unique.Previously, Donna served as Managing Director the Startup America Partnership, where she designed and led the Startup Regions Initiative; this program focused on the formation of vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems across the US, and connected these communities into a national ecosystem.

Before Startup America, Donna was Vice Chair of Interpoint Group, a government markets, government relations, and public affairs strategy and management firm, which generated nearly $8 billion in revenue. Interpoint supported/defeated legislation and executed public affairs campaigns for corporations, non-profits, foundations, and governments globally.

Earlier in her career, Donna was the Founder and CEO of Kinderstreet, which sold SaaS solutions company in the municipal, education, sports and recreation markets. She was also Vice President of Strategic Planning, Marketing, and Product Management for Centromine, a provider of web-based clinical/fiscal systems in the Health and Human Services industry. In addition, Donna previously held a variety of roles at Oracle Corporation and at EDS.

Donna is an alumna of Springboard Enterprises, a non-profit focused on scaling high-growth, women-led businesses. She is also a founding member of FounderCorps, a Washington, DC non-profit made up of experienced tech entrepreneurs working to promote a broader and deeper technology entrepreneurial community in the Washington metro region.

Donna received her bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and her MBA from The University of Michigan Ross School of Business. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and son.