AK

Ayanna Kerrison

Principal at Acumen America

San Francisco Bay Area

Overview 

Ayanna Kerrison is an experienced early-stage investor and community leader based in the San Francisco Bay Area, currently serving as Principal at Acumen America. With a background in investment banking and corporate finance, she has excelled in roles at Credit Suisse and BMO Capital Markets, demonstrating strong skills in financial analysis, due diligence, and business strategy. Ayanna has made significant contributions to the investment industry, leveraging her expertise to support startups in hardware, analytics, consumer internet, and enterprise sectors. She has successfully navigated roles at reputable organizations like Precursor Ventures and Credit Suisse, showcasing her leadership, analytical skills, and commitment to fostering innovation within the community.

Work Experience 

AA

Acumen America

  • Principal

    2024 - Current

Acumen America makes pre-seed and seed investments by backing entrepreneurs tackling poverty and building a more equitable future for all

acumenamerica.org
PV

Precursor Ventures

  • Investor

    2019 - 2024

Precursor Ventures invests in people over product at the earliest stage of the entrepreneurial journey.

precursorvc.com
NA

NATALIA ALLEN

  • Consultant, Business Operations

    2017 - 2018

    Partnered with the Founder to execute a variety of operations and marketing tasks in order to increase customer awareness of the brand, drive e-commerce sales and secure venture capital funding/strategic partnerships with notable retail brands.

Natalia purposefully create clothes that combine our minimalist style, human-centric values and playful personality.

nataliaallen.com
CS

Credit Suisse

  • Assistant Vice President, Chief Operations Officer (Prime Services)

    2015 - 2017

    Spearheaded the assessments of core business and operational processes, resulting in increased operational efficiency and reduced financial risks. As well as, developed comprehensive financial reports and executive presentations that detailed the financial impact of strategic growth initiatives for senior management, and lead the production of annual budgets for all business/product groups.

Credit Suisse Group is a financial services company that advises clients in all aspects of finance.

credit-suisse.com
BC

BMO Capital Markets

  • Associate, Business Management (Financial Sponsors)

    2013 - 2014

    Boosted revenue by 10%; I redesigned the deal fee sharing process by developing a mapping framework that linked relationship managers to all deals executed across the investment bank involving their clients. Moreover, I consulted Co-Heads on strategies to win M&A and ECM business by providing actionable insights on different approaches internal industry and product partners should take in order to achieve better positioning on deals.

CS

Credit Suisse

  • Analyst, Technology Financial Planning & Analysis

    2010 - 2013

    Produced monthly detailed expense reports that identified variances in actuals, forecasts, and budget, and explained the root cause of changes in IT operating expenses/headcount globally. Additionally, I enhanced the annual budget planning process by creating standardized templates to record projected expenditures, as well as streamlined the communication of budget adjustments.

Credit Suisse Group is a financial services company that advises clients in all aspects of finance.

credit-suisse.com

Education 

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