Wendy Lea – Leading Expert in Digital Innovation Strategy and Ecosystem Development and CEO of Energize Colorado – Episode 243
Today, I'm honored to introduce you to Wendy Lea, a leading expert in digital innovation strategy and ecosystem development and the CEO of Energize Colorado. She has so much wisdom to share with us about creating impactful businesses that thrive and I'm excited for you to hear from her on Extraordinary Women Radio. In this episode: Celebrating International Women’s Day and CBS4 Colorado’s Week of Women Why women’s wisdom and the power of our stories are so important right now Wendy’s “My Fair Lady” journey from small business apprentice to full-fledged Silicon Valley entrepreneur to business advisor and ecosystem builder in Cincinnati and Colorado How Energize Colorado supports small businesses that most need support The importance of resilience, especially social resilience, to your business’s success and to the broader economy Wendy’s shares her secret sauce for female founders Wendy Lea is a leading expert in digital innovation strategy and ecosystem development. As an experienced CEO, board director, and strategist, she advises government, public/private partnerships, and global enterprises on growth through innovation. Recognized for work across industries and regions, Wendy is a maximalist who is equally well-versed in helping large enterprises systematize innovation as she is in creating vibrant startup innovation ecosystems that grow city, regional, and state economies. An active mentor and advisor for tech accelerators, Wendy leverages a global network of entrepreneurs to catalyze economic resilience. As CEO of Energize Colorado, Wendy mobilizes resources and relief for small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals recovering from the economic impact of COVID-19. She leads a team of inspired innovators from Colorado’s private, public, nonprofit, and academic communities to revive and invigorate Colorado’s economy. Wendy also serves on the Danaher Water Innovation and Technology Board, the P&G Ventures Advisory Board, and select venture-backed startup boards. In the State of Kentucky, she advises the Department of Community Economic Development, the public-private partnership LEAP (an initiative aligned with LHHC), and serves on the board of regional innovation hub Amplify, based in Louisville. Wendy provides corporate innovation subject matter expertise to Techstars’s ecosystem development partnership with the Country of Taiwan. She also serves university innovation and entrepreneurship programs, including Miami University’s John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship and the University of Colorado Boulder’s Engineering and Applied Science Advisory Board. Wendy was named a “Woman of Influence” in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. Recently she was honored with the Signal Excellence Award in 2018 by Procter & Gamble and the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business Distinguished Service Award. Wendy is a graduate of the University of Mississippi in Business Administration and has lived and worked around the world. She lives in Boulder, Colorado. “Really develop a deep sense of self-awareness. Stay in touch with who you really are and what is required to fill you up.” – Wendy Lea To learn more about Wendy and her work, check out her website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Let's meet Wendy Lea. Wendy Lea Show Notes @media screen and (max-width: 1023px) {.thegem-vc-text.thegem-custom-67608affb96648322{display: block!important;}}@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {.thegem-vc-text.thegem-custom-67608affb96648322{display: block!important;}}@media screen and (max-width: 1023px) {.thegem-vc-text.thegem-custom-67608affb96648322{position: relative !important;}}@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {.thegem-vc-text.thegem-custom-67608affb96648322{position: relative !important;}}