Ross Baird

Ross Baird, Executive Director

Ross developed the Village Capital concept in 2009. Village Capital sources, trains, and invests in entrepreneurs solving major global challenges, using a peer review process that delivers better results for entrepreneurs and investors. Village Capital has supported over 500 entrepreneurs through programs over the past five years; companies have created 8,800 jobs and raised $140 million in follow-on capital.

Before launching Village Capital, Ross worked with First Light Ventures, a seed-stage venture fund and participated in the founding and development of four education-related start-up ventures: the Indian School Finance Company in Hyderabad, India, the National College Advising Corps in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and two ventures using technology to promote civic participation. He has a MPhil from the University of Oxford, where he was a Marshall Scholar, and a BA from the University of Virginia, where he was a Truman Scholar and a Jefferson Scholar.