Vanessa Stephens is a venture capital and private equity attorney who serves as an attorney and advisor at GwC. Vanessa has a wealth of experience representing early-stage founders, venture capital funds, private equity firms, and corporations in complex investment transactions and strategic partnerships. Her practice spans all stages of investment, including lead investments, add-on investments, exits, and wind-downs. Vanessa counsels clients through direct investments in startups and provides legal expertise in structuring equity deals to maximize returns.
Before joining GwC, Vanessa held significant legal and investment roles at BlackRock, BAM Elevate, and Kirkland & Ellis, where she managed both fund formation and acquisitions for high-profile private equity funds, including high-profile private equity deals for major firms and corporations specializing in software, technology, and diversified industries. She has also advised on corporate governance, M&A transactions, and venture capital investments in tech companies like MasterClass, OpenAI, Klarna, and MACRO Media. Vanessa is also an investor at CapitalizeVC, a 10 million dollar early-stage fund investing at the intersection of commerce and technology.
Inspired by her grandmothers, pioneering businesswomen in Haiti, Vanessa is passionate about using private capital to build generational wealth for her investors and founders. Beyond her professional endeavors, she mentors aspiring impact investors as part of the Emory Impact Investing Group Advisory Board, serves on the boards of Girls on the Run Georgia and Savvy Ladies NYC, and is on the steering committee of the Unlocked Foundation.
Education
- Johns Hopkins, Carey School of Business, M.B.A. (expected)
- Howard University School of Law, J.D., Cum Laude
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A.
Community Service and Leadership
- Director, Girls on the Run Georgia
- Member, State Bar of Illinois
- Advisory Board Member, Emory Impact Investing Group
- Associate Board Director, Savvy Ladies NYC
- Steering Committee Member, Unlocked Foundation
- Mentor, TechStars
