Meet Catherine Williams: Judge at Missouri Startup Weekend 2024

Behind the Judge: Catherine Williams

Joining the judging panel at this year’s Missouri Startup Weekend is Catherine Williams, an investor at Dundee VC, entrepreneur, finance expert, and avid runner. Catherine has gotten to sit on both sides of the table as both an operator and an investor. Having been a principal at two VC firms and entrepreneur at an early-stage startup, not to mention the board she sits on for the Bridle Trails State Park, she’s bringing a wealth of experience and a passion for innovation.

She started her career strong, investing, on average, $15 million per check at Kayne Anderson, a later-stage $700 million private equity fund focused on midwest startups. She then went on to help lead finance and strategy at Asignio, an early-stage startup based out of Seattle that offers a passwordless browser-based handwriting biometric sign-in. Instead of passwords, Asignio uses letters, numbers, and symbols drawn on a touch screen to uniquely authenticate users. Her leadership played a pivotal role in securing a successful $10 million funding round for the company, solidifying her reputation as a savvy operator in the startup sphere.

In 2021, Catherine returned to her venture capital roots, this time focusing on early-stage investing at Dundee VC, a seed-stage fund committed to supporting entrepreneurs and ecosystems often overlooked by traditional VC firms. As a principal at Dundee VC, she helps write ~$1 million checks for the $40 million fund.

Catherine's extensive experience in entrepreneurship and VC brings a wealth of knowledge to the table, making her an invaluable addition to our judging panel at Startup Weekend.

Catherine studied finance and theology at Notre Dame. In undergrad, she ended up taking a class with the university endowment where learned about venture capital. Since then, she has been on a mission to support and grow startups across the nation, leaving an indelible mark on each venture she touches. When she’s not shaping the future of businesses, Catherine can be found either running, reading, or studying theology.

Excitement buzzes as Catherine prepares to lend her expertise to the Missouri Startup Weekend judging panel. "Startup weekends are the best way to truly get to know a local startup ecosystem," she affirms, eager to witness the innovative spirit and boundless potential of aspiring entrepreneurs.

Q&A

What are you most excited about for Startup Weekend?

Always most excited to meet the founders. Great founders make you want to run through walls to support their vision. Nothing is more fulfilling!

What top 3 pieces of advice would you give to Startup Weekend competitors?

1. Be concise
2. Lead with the customer
3. Even though this is a weekend event, it will always pay off to be long-term oriented… approach the weekend thinking in decades.

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

Coffee! With Reeses, of course.

What’s your favorite running/hiking trail you’ve been on?

Pacific Crest Trail, Section J. If you ever visit Seattle, I’m more than happy to be your trail running guide!