Sharon Schneider

Entrepreneur in Residence, GoodCity Chicago

Chicago

Sharon Schneider is an entrepreneur and consultant to social impact organizations.

Most recently, Sharon was the co-founder and CEO of e-commerce innovator Moxie Jean, the online destination for gently used clothes that provides a convenient and fashionable alternative to the destructive power of fast fashion. Moxie Jean was voted by moms as the "Most Awesome" resale site through the Red Tricycle Awards, won a Chicago Innovation Award in 2013 and was a 2012 portfolio company of renowned tech accelerator Excelerate Labs (now Tech Stars Chicago). Moxie Jean was acquired by Schoola in August 2015.

Sharon is also an instructor in entrepreneurship (with a focus on emotional intelligence) at The Starter League and was a member of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Technology Diversity Council. Building off her roots in the philanthropic sector, she was a founding advisor to Impact Engine, the Chicago-based accelerator for social enterprises that make a profit while making a positive impact. She recently helped launch Women Tech Founders, which brings together hundreds of women at quarterly events to highlight role models and provide mentoring and inspiration to plug the leaky pipeline of women leaving tech.

Before starting Moxie Jean in 2011, Sharon spent 12 years as a staff member and consultant to private foundations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and dozens of small family foundations all over the United States, on issues ranging from strategic planning and outcome management to engaging your family in philanthropy. For four years she wrote the influential blog "The Philanthropic Family," which provided inspiration and resources to integrate philanthropy into everyday life.

Sharon has an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. (summa cum laude) from the University of Toledo. She lives in Chicagoland with her husband, a high school science teacher, and their three children, ages 11, 9 and 5.