Colleen Wong: Fostering Harmony and Empowering Others

In this week’s episode, Apollo is joined by Colleen Wong, the VP of Development at Venture for America, a nonprofit organization that is devoted to building a future of entrepreneurship. With extensive experience in neuroscience, comparative religion, and social science research, Colleen has dedicated her career to supporting entrepreneurship and enterprises that align with socially conscious values. In the conversation, she sheds light on her career and the role leadership played in shaping it.

Acknowledging her strengths in leveraging resources, Colleen agreed with her Achievement Assessment results which highlighted that she seldom executes tasks directly but rather mobilizes others to get tasks done. She stated that her strong leverage mindset enables her to tap into various knowledge bases and create robust solutions.

Colleen emphasizes the importance of practicing a collaborative approach to leadership. Using concrete examples from her professional life, she outlines her strategies for bringing stakeholders from various sectors together to achieve common goals. This approach not only ensures all stakeholder voices are heard but also addresses competing priorities efficiently and effectively. Colleen firmly believes in sharing stories and experiences as a crucial component in fostering meaningful connections and collaborations.

In spite of facing grim realities in her quest for social impact, Colleen shares her thoughts on maintaining focus and motivation. She acknowledges that achieving change isn’t easy and requires determination, resilience, and a robust support system. Though goals may not always be met and challenges abound, she advises leaders to be realistic and grounded in their approach, yet unafraid to dream big.

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Guest Bio

Born and raised in San Francisco, Colleen was initially allergic to, but not immune to the tech and startup fever that infiltrated the city. It wasn’t until she participated in a traveling hackathon as an adult that she realized the power of business as a vehicle for scaling change and social transformation.

Prior to joining VFA, Colleen led programs and partnerships at various organizations focused on supporting entrepreneurship including the Global Entrepreneurship Network, Endeavor Global, StartupBus, and the American Sustainable Business Network. She has also worn multiple hats with social enterprises, think tanks, and corporate social responsibility programs including research, communications, business development, and strategy for IBM Blockchain, JP Morgan Chase Advancing Black Pathways, ConsenSys, SAP Next-Gen, Mercy Corps, Amnesty International, New America, Ascena Retail Group, Johnson & Johnson, and ViiV Healthcare.

With a unique interdisciplinary background in neuroscience, comparative religion, and social science research, she is insatiably curious about what drives behavior, always seeking to uncover data-informed, actionable insights. She believes in harnessing the power of holistic storytelling, inclusive strategy, and stakeholder engagement to steer private and public sector organizations towards socially conscious values and practices.

During her free time, she enjoys writing, hiking, gardening, urban exploration, and bringing people from all backgrounds together through food and shared experiences. A first-generation Burmese American, she hopes to raise capital for an early-stage fund and venture studio in Southeast Asia.

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Guest PLE Score

• Leverage - 64%
• Prioritize - 32%
• Execute - 4%

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Guest Quote

“Staying focused in this work requires a lot of grit and perseverance. I tell my colleagues and peers in this space to not burn out, and to continue doing the best that we can. At the end of the day, we feel good that we're doing because we have tried our best, and that's what keeps me going in this space.”