Managing Director
Community Development
Erica Duignan Minnihan is a NYC based Managing Director for DreamIt Ventures focusing on Community Development. DreamIt Ventures runs programs in Austin, Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia and Tel Aviv. In the last 5 years, DreamIt has helped 127 companies and over 400 entrepreneurs turn their ideas into business. She is also Managing Partner of seed-stage investment fund Fortuna Ventures, which invests in technology-enabled early stage companies.
Prior to her work with DreamIt, Erica was Executive Director and a founder of STAR Angel Network, a membership organization for professional athletes and celebrities making investments in high growth potential, early-stage private companies. Erica was also the first Executive Director of Golden Seeds, a national early-stage investor group, where she managed deal sourcing and screening, due diligence, and investment processes for the group. Prior to joining Golden Seeds, Erica has held a variety of roles in the Investment Banking sector, working for firms including Cantor Fitzgerald, Citigroup and Credit Suisse.
Erica herself is an entrepreneur, having founded a beverage company that produces products for mothers focused on healthy lifestyles in 2009 which was subsequently sold to a consumer and media investment group. She has also worked with a variety of early stage and start-up companies providing expertise as a consultant for equity fundraising and general capital strategy. In addition, she has been a regular on-air contributor to MSNBC’s “Your Business” and CNBC’s “Crowd Rules” as a small business expert. Erica received her MBA in finance and real estate with honors from Columbia University and a BA in Business Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles. She currently lives in Tribeca with her husband and 3 children.

Kathleen Utecht is the Entrepreneur in Residence in the New York office of Comcast Ventures investing in and working closely with portfolio companies of the Catalyst Fund, CV's seed-stage fund investing in minority entrepreneurs. Prior to joining Comcast Ventures, Kathleen worked in venture capital for Core Innovation Capital and WVP Ventures. Prior to her venture roles, Kathleen invested in and led Green Rock Entertainment, an online / offline commerce startup whose main product was Cahootie. Before her operational adventure, Kathleen was an investment banker in the financial services group of Raymond James and a graduate of General Electric Capital's Financial Management Program. Kathleen holds a bachelor's degree from Babson College and an MBA from the Wharton School.