Bridgette L. Smith is the Founder & CEO of Founder Playbook, a micro-accelerator helping diverse founders become investor-ready, get access to capital and scale.

She is also the Founder & CEO of Investor Playbook, a micro-accelerator for investors. Her popular Investing With Confidence workshops empowers and educates women on how to invest in private companies & build generational wealth. Since launching in May 2023, more than 3,000 women have participated and 51 have become Limited Partners in VC funds.

In 2021, she started with zero knowledge and zero investments in venture capital. Today, her global portfolio includes investments in multiple Venture Capital Funds, Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds and multiple alternative assets.

She recently launched 2 new angel groups: Investing With Confidence Angels and Investing With Confidence Future Angels. IWCA includes over 200 accredited women investors. Together, the group leverages their collective financial & social capital to invest in and support startups and emerging VC funds led by diverse founders.

When she is not democratizing and normalizing investing for women, she serves as Chair of the Berkeley SkyDeck DEI Committee ($60M fund), serves on the Advisory Council of Impact Innovation Foundation, Inc., provides leadership to several women-led organizations such as CHIEF, Golden Seeds, 50/50 Women on Boards & Executive Council Network, and serves as a valuable resource to multiple founders as a Board Advisor.

Mrs. Smith worked in tech for 25 years - starting as a Tech Writer, working up to the C-Suite and then landed in a senior leadership role at Google and later retired.

Prior to corporate America, she shined in journalism. Her journalism career includes:

• Working as a Print Reporter for the Business Journal

• News Reporter & On-air Commentator at ABC & NBC News

• Talk Show Host

• Campaign Spokesperson and PR counselor to the Mayor of Milwaukee

• Creator and EP of an independent television talk show.

To-date, she has earned over 100 awards including:

• 6 Gracie Awards from Alliance for Women in Media

• Silver World Medal from the New York Film and Television Festival

• 5 Communicator Awards

• 5 Eric Sevareid Awards

• 5 Wisconsin Broadcaster Awards

• 4 Marcom Awards

• 3 Davey Awards

• 2 Telly Awards.

She has also been featured in several publications including the cover of the inaugural edition of Who's Who in Black Milwaukee and The Small Business Times Magazine.

Her educational background includes UW Milwaukee School of Engineering, Yale School of Management, Harvard Business School, and UC Berkeley School of Law.