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United States Kristi Dula is a Deputy Director leading the Office of Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Technology at the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, where she drives business growth through strategic partnerships and support for tech entrepreneurs.
Kristi Dula led Network Relations at Pritzker Group Venture Capital, fostering connections between portfolio companies and key industry partners.
Kristi Dula was a founding team member at 1871, a top-ranked private business incubator, where she built strategic partnerships to support tech entrepreneurs.
Kristi Dula served as a strategic executive for Kapow, an online marketplace and corporate event provider, where she developed sales and solution processes to manage top tech accounts including Adobe, Apple, and Google.
Kristi Dula was a Founding Board Member of the Women in Entrepreneurship Institute at DePaul University, focusing on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the startup ecosystem.
Kristi Dula was a Founding Board Member of Chicago:Blend, an organization focused on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the startup ecosystem.
Kristi Dula is a Deputy Director leading the Office of Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Technology (EIT), driving business growth through entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology.
Kristi Dula serves as a Deputy Director at the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO), where she leads the Office of Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Technology (EIT). In this role, Dula focuses on fostering business growth through supporting entrepreneurs, innovators, and small businesses by providing them with necessary information and resources for launching and expanding within Illinois. Her responsibilities include advancing strategic initiatives to cultivate a dynamic ecosystem for emerging businesses across the state.
Prior to her current position at DCEO, Dula played a key role in the venture capital sector at Pritzker Group Venture Capital as their Network Relations lead. In this capacity, she was responsible for building relationships between portfolio companies and industry partners, and connecting them with a network of experts and potential customers. Before her work at Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Dula was a founding team member at 1871, a business incubator recognized as a top-ranked private facility globally. At 1871, she developed strategic partnerships designed to support technology entrepreneurs. Earlier in her career, Dula held a strategic executive position in the technology sector for Kapow, an online marketplace and corporate event provider. There, she developed sales and solution processes for managing accounts, including significant tech companies such as Adobe, Apple, and Google.
Her career demonstrates a consistent focus on supporting growth and innovation, particularly within the technology and startup communities. Dula has also contributed to initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the startup ecosystem, serving as a Founding Board Member of the Women in Entrepreneurship Institute at DePaul University and Chicago:Blend. Her work spans both the private and public sectors, with a career marked by the development and implementation of strategies to enhance collaboration and resource accessibility for businesses.
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