Professional Highlights

SUMMARY

Sara Hand is a visionary leader with a strong and diverse business development background spanning the innovation value chain from idea stage to exit. She is experienced across public and private sectors, industry clusters and early stage investment. Sara finds and leverages unique value propositions to create synergistic partnerships. She believes that people and businesses thrive in communities and has created a global network of thought leaders. Sara is widely recognized for fostering collaboration and driving action-focused agendas for business and community development. Cultivating real and lasting relationships that empower herself and others to continue to grow into their potential are a priority in Sara’s life.

LEADERSHIP ACHIEVEMENTS

Keynote Speaker & Panelist – 2018 CEED Global Conference in Tunis, Tunisia, North Africa:

   “Entrepreneurship as a Vehicle for Social and Sustainable Economies”
   “How to Succeed as a Woman Leader  and Entrepreneur”

TiECon Tampa Bay Program Development and Chair 2019 – 2020

Recipient Keiser University Inaugural Seahawk Community Ambassador Award 2019

Synapse Summit Tampa Co-located “Smart” content with launch of “Toward Smarter Communities” 2019

Development of Smart Cities Accelerator Series and Program Offerings for The Innovators Forum, an initiative
      of The Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard 2017 – 2019

Master of Ceremonies, TiECon Tampa Bay (2017 – 2019) 

Start Up India Rocks Grand Finale in Bangalore – Team Member 2017

Microsoft – Led Regional Director, Most Valuable Professional & Community Influencer Program Workshop 2018

Knight Cities Challenge Finalists 2016 – Top 120 of over 5000 applicants

US State Dept. Friends of Global Entrepreneurship Program 2016

International Business Innovation Association – Leadership Retreat 2016

Purdue Agile Strategy Lab collaboration case study – Leadership Retreat 2016

Dell Women’s Entrepreneurship 2016 Symposium

Canadian Association of Business Incubation (CABI) 2016 – agile strategy workshop

     international partnership development with US State Department SBNA Program

Dell Future Ready Economies 2015 – A Recipe for Thriving Communities at Harvard

Launch Women’s Entrepreneurship Day United Nations 2014

Startup Chicks Launch Florida 2014

Organizational team for several TEDx salons and TEDx 12-12-12

SKILLS/EXPERTISE

Visionary Leader*Catalyst for Creation*Technology Influencer*Global Network*Team building*Self-motivated* Problem-solver*Systems Thinking*Eco-system & Community Development*For-Profit & Not-For-Profit Entrepreneurship*Investor Relations*Multi-Industry Sector Expertise*Agile Strategies* Open Innovation Practices*Corporate Speaker* Collaboration*Partnership Development*Executive Sales Trainer* Yenta/Matchmaker