Kelly Dane

Co-founder, Start-up & Venture Investing

Kelly co-founded the firm and leads venture and direct company investing.

Kelly has a diverse background as both an investment banker and investor, focusing on buyout transactions. As an investment banker Kelly structured and underwrote transactions for Private Equity led deals, before switching roles and becoming an investor in the deals herself. At Defiant Capital Group Kelly leads due diligence and structuring for direct company investments and venture capital funds.

Kelly most recently served as an Executive in Resident at the University of Pittsburgh’s Innovation Institute where she co-lead the development of the Venture Capital outreach team and worked with Founders and Entrepreneurs on the development, commercialization, and monetization of University-founded intellectual property. In this role she actively connected institutional capital (venture capital, family offices, and private investors) with University technology, and worked closely with Founders in the Life Sciences sector to help them structure firms and implement proper governance.

Kelly previously worked at Incline Equity Partners in Pittsburgh, and in New York City at Jefferies on their Leverage Finance team. She started her career at PNC Bank in their Corporate Banking Group. She was previously a Junior Board Member for the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association. Kelly holds a BS in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh.