Marie Rocha has 20-plus years of experience in business and technology as a software engineer and serial entrepreneur. She is the founder of Realist Ventures, an ACT-based venture fund investing in early-stage SaaS, cloud, mobile and biotech startups with diverse teams solving scalable problems. Before her foray into venture capitalism, she founded and managed IMAK Software, a startup building software and platforms for small businesses and nonprofits. She is a champion of women entrepreneurs and one of HAYVN Hatch/Launch’s founders, a quarterly women-centric incubator and pitch event to support women founders seeking funding, exposure, marketing and growth. In 2020, she co-founded The 99 Problems Super PAC for GenZ and millennials’ civic engagement. She has served on several startups and nonprofit boards (Greenwich Academy, Shipsi, HAYVN, Vest, StamfordNext, James Vick Foundation, Rise2gether, Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich), supporting entrepreneurs and children.