Katie Rae is a veteran of the startup and early stage investor world. She cofounded Project 11 Ventures, a venture fund that invests in and assists early stage companies in forming a bold vision and building a strong foundation. Prior to Project 11, she was the managing director of Techstars Boston, where she led investments in more than 70 high-growth startups across a broad range of sectors. At Techstars, Katie built a strong community of founders and helped to propel Techstars into a global brand. She is a founder of the Startup Institute, and currently serves as its chairman. 

Prior to being an investor, Katie spent her career building significant Internet businesses in the community, self-publishing, and search spaces. This included being the head of product for Microsoft Startup Labs and senior vice president of product at Eons. Rae pioneered early freemium business models at Lycos for the Tripod and Angelfire communities. She learned the ropes of product and business development at AltaVista, RagingBull, Zip2, and Mirror Worlds. 


Katie is deeply devoted to helping founders build their companies and reach their dreams and is a frequent mentor, speaker, and advocate for the New England innovation region. She has garnered many accolades for her work in the startup community. She won both the Rising Star Venture Capitalist award from the New England Venture Capital Association and the Innovation Catalyst award from the Mass Technology Leadership Council, and was named one of the “Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company. She holds a BA in biology from Oberlin College and an MBA from Yale University.