Helen MacKenzie
Chief Financial Officer
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Helen MacKenzie has over 20 years experience managing high-level financial strategies, focused on helping leading venture capital firms and their portfolio companies generate maximum returns. As a hands-on advisor to early-stage companies, Helen has helped dozens of startups build their revenues on their way to market dominance, IPO or acquisition. Her strengths include the ability to analyze and execute on general business issues that include financial and growth strategies, governance, team dynamics, strategic planning, marketing alliances and partnerships, merger or acquisition candidates and liquidations. An organizational and financial expert with a strategic and results-oriented approach to problem solving, Helen has helped venture firms and early-stage companies establish and maintain appropriate financial, operating, marketing, compliance and personnel policies.
Venture Capital
Helen has worked in financial operations and senior management in the venture industry for over 20 years. She has been as president of her own company Co-Capital Partners, serving as Chief Financial Officer and/or Operations Officer for dozens of venture firms and their portfolio companies. In her roles as CFO and COO, Helen has been directly responsible for establishing, managing and closing or liquidating venture funds, individual limited or general partner interests and portfolio companies. She has overseen more than 120 audits and 150 tax returns for over 25 venture funds and their corresponding general partner and management company entities, all completed on time without any adjustments.
Prior to Co-Capital Partners, Helen was managing director of SOFTBANK Technology Ventures, where she oversaw financial and operating responsibilities for the group’s 350 limited partners and over 80 technology investments. All in all, she managed 11 different technology funds for SOFTBANK with a collective value of $2B under management. She managed financings of all portfolio companies and documented investments, returns and exits for each. Prior to Softbank, Helen had been the CFO of Peregrine Ventures, where she had wider responsibilities for portfolio and investor relations than at Softbank but a smaller fund. Prior to Peregrine, Helen was a Vice President at Bank of America.
Entrepreneurial Experience
Helen has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs to help them drive maximum revenue from their smart ideas. Helen knows how to apply practical financial objectives to innovative ideas – helping entrepreneurs shape their visions into profitable companies. As a COO and CFO, she deeply understands the financial fundamentals that make a startup successful, and offers hands-on guidance to entrepreneurs as they build their companies from the ground up. Having accompanied dozens of high-growth companies on the journey from startup through to exit, Helen offers a clear perspective on how to leverage business acumen and strategic partnerships into financial success.
Operating Experience
Helen has deep operational experience in the venture and finance industries – wearing many operational and management hats outside of the scope of most CFOs. Helen started her career at Bank of America, where she became a Vice President and honed her operational skills by directing a $250M loan portfolio with credit authority, personnel and profit and loss responsibilities. During her tenure, she brought in a customer, who became the most profitable account for the California Division for 10 years. She also evaluated credit portfolios of bank lending units and potential bank purchases. Her recommendations resulted in Bank of American adopting several new bank-wide loan policies. When Helen went on to serve as CFO or COO for several leading VC firms, their partners, investors and portfolio companies, she was able to leverage her operating experience in the financial sector to offer keen practical guidance.
Board Memberships and Affiliations
Helen has served as a board member or board observer on numerous technology and media companies. She has experience representing investors in hundreds of financings, and has helped negotiate several high-profile acquisitions.
She is also a member of several industry, entrepreneurial and venture capital organizations, including VCBC, NVCA CFO Task Force, Financial Executives International and AAUW.
Philanthropy
Helen is an active member of several charitable organizations. She was a board member and a member of the finance, investment and development committees for the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. She also served as a board member and treasurer of the Junior League of Palo Alto*Mid Peninsula, and its Endowment Fund. She is President and board member of the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden and was the Treasurer for the Stanford-Cal 100th Big Game Auction, which netted $1M. She is also founder and chairman of the Philanthropic Way Foundation, a non-profit organization that was formed to allow individual employees who give small gifts through payroll deductions aggregate and disburse in a professional manner.