855 - Katelyn Donnelly, Founder and MD of Avalanche VC

Katelyn's Bio

Katelyn is an investor and entrepreneur. Katelyn is the founder and Managing Director of Avalanche VC, an early-stage venture firm investing early in companies enabling decentralization and empowerment, focusing on how people earn, learn, and own.  

She is also a founder and board member of Delivery Associates, the leading public sector advisory firm implementing technology and large-scale reform worldwide. 

Constantly curious, she has invested in and advised funds, companies, and entrepreneurs who are building companies behind trends that are obviously the future. She has lived and worked globally, including in London, San Francisco, Lagos, and Lahore. Katelyn grew up in Minneapolis and now can frequently be found in New York City and Seattle.

Previously, she co-founded and served as the Managing Director of Pearson Ventures (prior PALF), a $65M venture fund that invests in global EdTech companies. At Pearson, Katelyn served on the board of SPARK schools, APEC schools, Avanti, HarukaEDU, and Omega Schools. She also co-founded the Global Schools Forum, a trade organization for private schools in emerging markets. Katelyn also led the strategy and implementation of Pearson’s global efficacy agenda and was on the founding team of the FT125 Club, a division of the Financial Times. 

Katelyn is a member of Duke University's Learning Innovation Advisory Council, helping Duke imagine the future of learning both on-campus and online.

Katelyn started as a consultant at McKinsey in San Francisco, serving technology companies and large financial institutions. She worked on credit market sustainability with the World Economic Forum and presented at the Annual Meeting in Davos in 2011.