Lisa Calhoun

Lisa holds an MBA in management science with a concentration in statistics from the University of Texas. Her BA with honors is from Baylor University, which she attended on National Merit Scholarship. Her hobbies include vibe coding, yoga, dressage, and gardening. She’s a USDF Bronze Medalist and FEI competitor.

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Lisa is Chair of the Startup Runway Foundation and sits on several private company boards, including Sho.AI, SmartCommerce, and Goodfynd. She is a Trustee of the Woodruff Performing Arts Center, the fourth largest in the country.

Lisa Calhoun founded and leads Valor VC in Atlanta, Georgia, and leads first rounds in B2B AI startups across the South. Lisa was named Atlanta Investor of the Year 2024 by Startup Atlanta, a Top 10 Female Founding Managing Partner by Bridge Funding Global in 2024, and ranked among  Business Insider’s best 30 women seed investors in 2023. Valor is the only pure focus first round lead fund in the region and one of the only venture capital firms fully committed and focused on the South.

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Lisa is a Kauffman Fellow (Class 23), recipient of the Kauffman Fellows Leadership Award for Class 23, and frequent speaker. She’s spoken recently for NASDAQ, SuperReturn, KPMG, the Kauffman Leadership Summit, WPO, and Venture Atlanta. Her insights have been featured in Forbes, Inc., and the Venture Capital Journal. 

Lisa is mentored by Michael Kim, founder of Cendana Capital, and Michael Mansfield of Mansfield Oil, ranked #46 in Forbes private companies. She is "benevolent dictator" of Class 23, serving her fellowship at Valor VC. She sponsored Peter Teneriello into Class 22.