Board Bio:
KAY KOPLOVITZ
Co-Founder & Chairman, Springboard Enterprises (Forbes 50 over 50) and Springboard Growth Capital.
Founder & former Chairman & CEO of USA Networks, the SyFy Channel (formerly Sci-Fi Channel), and USA Networks International.
Primary location:
New York, NY
Current:
Since 2000, Kay has served as Chairman of Springboard Enterprises, where under her leadership, the non-profit venture-catalyst accelerator has been bringing women founders leading transformational businesses to full parity in raising capital. The value of Springboard Enterprises has been validated by a strong 24-year track record of success, having created over $61 Billion in value, including 237 in M&A transactions and counting 28 IPOs.
Companies in the portfolio include technology and life sciences, and in 2014, Ms. Koplovitz co-founded the New York Fashion Tech Lab bringing promising technology companies in collaboration with the fashion and retail industry.
In 2016, Kay co-founded Springboard Growth Capital to bring growth-stage investment to women-led companies emerging from Springboard Enterprises' ecosystem. Springboard Growth Capital is leveraging the strong brand, deep entrepreneurial relationships, and the extensive network of experts, investors, and mentors built by Springboard Enterprises for the past 24 years.
Previous:
Kay Koplovitz is the founder and former Chairman & CEO of USA Networks, the SyFy Channel (formerly Sci-Fi Channel), and USA Networks International, today a multi-billion-dollar cable television network. Ms. Koplovitz ran the network for 21 years before stepping down in 1998, at which time was sold for $4.5 billion. As founder of USA Networks, Kay is the visionary who created the business model for cable networks by introducing the concept of two revenue streams: licensing and advertising.
Current boards:
Springboard Enterprises - Chairman of the Board
Previous boards:
Athena Consumer Acquisition Corp - SPAC: Board of Directors, Audit Committee
Athena Technology Acquisition Corp - SPAC: Board of Directors, Chair Audit Committee
Veniam: Board of Directors: Compensation Committee
ION Media Networks: Compensation Committee, Governance and Nominating Committee, Audit Committee (until E. W. Scripps acquisition)
CA Technologies: Compensation & HR Committee, Chair, Mergers & Acquisitions Committee (until Broadcom acquisition)
TIME Inc.: Compensation Committee, Governance and Nominating Committee (until Meredith acquisition)
Kate Spade: (formerly Liz Claiborne Inc.)
Additional Boards: Oracle, Instinet, Nabisco, General Re
CURRENT & Previous Non-profit boards:
Accenture Ventures: Black Founders Development Fund: Inaugural advisory council member
The Paley Center for Media (formerly The Museum of Television and Radio); Trustee Emeritus
The International Tennis Hall of Fame; Trustee Emeritus
The University of Wisconsin-Madison, College of Letters and Science; Board of Visitors
Education:
M.A., Communications, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 1968 (National Merit Scholar)
B.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1967 (Phi Beta Kappa)
notable accomplishments:
President Clinton appointed Kay as Chairman of the bipartisan National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) in 1998. During that time, Kay discovered that there were few venture capital and funding options for women entrepreneurs.
Author:
She is the author of Bold Women, Big Ideas: Learning to Play the High-Risk Entrepreneurial Game, a book she wrote to inform and inspire women entrepreneurs. She more recently published Been There, Run That, an anthology of best practices from Springboard Enterprises’ expert network of thought leaders.
Public presence:
Kay is a speaker and a thought leader often called to deliver keynote speeches and opening remarks, talk on panels, and participate in fireside chats. She is an expert media contributor and is frequently interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Inc., CNBC, MSNBC, Bloomberg TV, Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street on the Fox Business Network, and Financial Times. Listed on the inaugural Forbes 50 over 50 list for her work with Springboard Enterprises.
