Desiree Vargas Wrigley
Desiree Vargas Wrigley is a Latina serial entrepreneur and Chief Innovation Officer of P33, Executive Director of TechRise by P33, and a founding partner of The Josephine Collective, an angel group focused on empowering women and people of color to become investors. As Executive Director of TechRise, she has helped over 300 BIPOC and Women Founders, who have collectively raised over $90M in follow-on funding and helped secure a multimillion-dollar federal grant from the MBDA.
Previously, she founded Pearachute, a children’s activity marketplace. Prior to launching Pearachute, Desiree co-founded GiveForward, the world’s leading crowdfunding platform for people facing a major life event. The company was founded by firms like First Round Capital, Founder Collective, and Techstars. Under her leadership, GiveForward helped friends and family donate nearly $200M to loved ones in need.
After graduating from Yale, Desiree worked at the Kauffman Foundation as a specialist in entrepreneurship and at Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors. She taught New Venture Discovery at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Desiree has been named Inc’s 30 Under 30, Crain’s 40 Under 40, one of Parents Magazine’s Most Inspiring Moms, one of Forbe’s Women to Watch, and has appeared on Shark Tank, closing one of the largest deals on the show to date.
When not working, she enjoys spending time with her 2 young sons, stepdaughter, and crime-fighting husband.