What do Great Books have to do with venture capital? A lot, Notre Dame alumna Elizabeth Davis would say. On Thursday, September 8, 2022, Davis spoke to students in the Sheedy Family Program at the first of the program’s monthly Dinner and Dialogue series. Davis earned her BA from Notre Dame and her MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. She is currently a Principal at the Female Innovators Lab at Anthemis Group. She joined the Sheedy Family Program to discuss her experience as an Arts and Letters graduate in the field of venture capital.
She emphasized the opportunities that exist in venture capital for A&L students, especially when one considers a non-linear career path and the importance of taking calculated risks. She encouraged students to recognize “the power of the ask.” She shared how, after graduation, she began emailing influential people at the companies for which she thought she may like to work. Through these contacts, she landed an internship in sustainability at Coca-Cola, which eventually led to her first job.
After her talk, students in the Sheedy Program asked her thoughtful questions about her experiences in the field of venture capital. Some of these questions included:
- How to balance risk and reward in one’s career
- How to find fulfillment through both one’s job and personal life
- Curiosity about the nature of venture capital
- And her experience as a woman in the field.
The Sheedy Family Program is grateful for Davis’s contribution to our community’s ongoing education and formation as scholars who seek not just to study business, but to find meaning in it.