Merline Saintil

Merline is a software engineer turned Silicon Valley COO and investor who has taken six companies through their IPOs – is an active investor in dozens of companies shaping the future of work, e-commerce, and technology. A frequent featured speaker and with her perspectives quoted in major publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and Forbes, Merline is now starting a fund that invests in early-stage companies.

She is a Fortune 500 board member and co-founder of Black Women on Boards, a global organization of 200 executives at market-leading companies who help prepare, place and propel top Black female talent into boardrooms of the most innovative companies. Her Carnegie Mellon master's degree serves her well as the lead independent director of Rocket Lab, a space exploration company. She also advises the C-suite as a committee chair and board member at GitLab, Symbotic, Evolv, and TD Synnex.

Outside of her business interests, Merline is passionate about supporting the next generation! She is also a fan of the Stanford Women's Soccer team, which conveniently plays near her home and includes her daughter, an equally ardent computer science student.