Tracy Gray

Tracy Gray is the Founder/Managing Partner of The 22 Fund, an impact, growth venture capital firm with a job creation mission and investment strategy to increase the export capacity of Southern California manufacturing companies, targeting women- and minority-owned businesses. She is also an Executive in Residence at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and chairs LACI’s Diversity in Entrepreneurship Advisory Council. In addition, Ms. Gray is the founder of the nonprofit We Are Enough (WAE). WAE’s only mission is to educate ALL women on how and why to invest in women-owned, for-profit businesses or with a “gender lens.” Ms. Gray was named one of the 50 “Women of Influence” in business in Los Angeles and is featured in the recently released book “200 Hundred Women: Who Will Change the Way You See the World”.

Prior to The 22 Fund, Ms. Gray was senior advisor of international business and marketing for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, where she led strategies and initiatives to help small- and medium-size enterprises expand internationally. Ms. Gray was also an advisor to the Mayor’s Office of Small Business and managing director of marketing and communications in the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Business Policy.

Prior to the Mayor’s Office, Ms. Gray was managing director and co-founder at the Collaborative Equity Partners (CEP), a venture catalyst consulting firm. As a consultant, Ms. Gray raised over $30 million in equity investments for capital projects. Before her tenure at CEP, Ms. Gray worked as the director of retail policy at the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE). At LAANE, Ms. Gray played a central role in the strategy, strategic planning and research for several economic development policies and campaigns in Los Angeles County, including leading a successful multiyear campaign. While at LAANE, Ms. Gray authored articles and a nationally released report offering comprehensive strategies for communities to gain a greater voice in economic development decisions.

Prior to joining LAANE, Ms. Gray worked at Zone Ventures, where she identified and recommended new investment opportunities, researched economic development policies and served on the Zone III fundraising team. At Zone, Ms. Gray focused on wireless infrastructure, software, Internet, enterprise software/SaaS and digital media. Her first investment decision, DivX, had a market capitalization of $435M at IPO and was Zone’s only company to go public. In addition, she served as a board observer for five portfolio companies where she helped with growth and marketing strategies. Ms. Gray also ran her own digital media consulting firm, where she worked with early-stage digital media companies. In addition, Ms. Gray has worked as a systems analyst for the City of Los Angeles and a systems engineer with the Space Shuttle program.

Ms. Gray is an advisor to Exergy Inc. and Isidore Recycling (Sold to Homeboy Industries). She serves and has served on several non-profit boards of directors and advisory boards, including Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Make it in LA, Urban Manufacturing Alliance, CHINAWEEK, the Los Angeles Regional Export Council, Southern California Chapter of the National Association of Securities Professionals, Center for International Business Education and Research – University of Southern California and Women in International Trade LA. Ms. Gray has traveled to over 35 countries, studying international business and economic development in Asia, Latin America and Africa and volunteering for two months in Ghana.

Tracy holds a B.S. in Mathematical Science with an aeronautics emphasis from the University of California, Santa Barbara and dual MBAs from Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley specializing in private equity, international business and corporate social responsibility.