Karen Wilson

Bio

Karen Wilson is a Senior Fellow at the Kauffman Foundation and is based in Europe, where she has been living and working for the past ten years. Wilson is also founder of GV Partners, a firm she created in 2004 to focus on entrepreneurship in higher education, policy and financing (venture capital). Since starting GV Partners, Wilson has worked with private sector firms, international organizations, foundations, and universities, primarily in Europe. She has spoken at conferences across Europe and has authored and published several papers. Prior to founding GV Partners, Wilson worked with a leading pan-European venture capital firm. Previously, she was part of the senior management team at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland and, before that, served as the executive director of the Global Initiative at Harvard Business School. Her past experience also includes management consulting, primarily in financial services, as well as investment banking. She has traveled extensively for work in Europe, Asia, Latin American, North America, and Africa. Wilson has served on a number of boards and coached many startups. She currently serves as an advisor and board member of the European Foundation for Entrepreneurship Research (EFER) and a member of the European Leadership Council for Harvard Business School.