Ellen Carnahan

Advisory Board

Principal, Machrie Enterprises, LLC

Ellen has twenty years of private equity investment experience. She joined William Blair Capital Partners (WBCP) in 1988 after ten years of management experience in the software and financial services industries. During her tenure at four of seven WBCP prior funds, she led the technology investment team and is recognized as “one of the 100 most influential women in Chicago” by Crain’s Chicago Business. Ms. Carnahan has served on the boards of directors of over 25 companies, and currently serves as a director of technology / services companies Vericept, Talent Drive and BPX; and, is a director of Integrys Energy (NYSE: TEG).

Prior to her venture capital career, she was Vice President of Marketing & Planning at SPSS, a then-$30 million applications software company (now public), and Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis at Trailer Train Company, the largest operator of railroad flatcars. Ms. Carnahan is a CPA and holds a BBA from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

She is a Board member of many non-profit and entrepreneurial organizations including the Illinois Venture Capital Association (’09 Chair), the Illinois Technology Development Account investing Treasury funds in Illinois funds (Board), TiE Midwest (Nominating Chair), The Chicago Network (FY ‘06 Chair), and Communities in Schools Chicago (Nominating Chair). She is an angel investor and a member of the Advisory Board of Hyde Park Angels.

Through Machrie Enterprises, Ellen Carnahan provides sound judgment, expertise and extensive connections to growth businesses, venture capital, and growth equity funds. She is an Advisor to WMG Capital, which makes later stage investments in and acquisitions of technology-based service companies; and, Ceres Venture Fund, a venture capital fund dedicated to funding high growth companies located in the Midwest in their early stages of growth.