Ita Ekpoudom's mission is to engage, educate, and elevate the next generation of successful women business leaders and investors. As the Founder & CEO of Tigress Ventures, an advisory and consulting firm she started in 2014, Ita tapped her considerable network to bring together visionary entrepreneurs with seasoned professionals to help women scale their businesses and hone their leadership skills. Tigress Ventures hosted a monthly speakers series featuring thought leaders and industry experts and provided private consultations with individual clients.

Ita also served as Venture Partner at Plum Alley Investments, where she oversaw investment opportunities and pipeline for high-growth female-founded and gender-diverse startups.
Previously, Ita held product management roles at TravelClick and American Express. She began her career at Goldman Sachs as an analyst in Credit Capital Markets and then as an institutional trader of preferred stock.

Ita holds an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; and earned a Bachelor’s degree cum laude in Psychology, with a certificate in Finance, from Princeton University. She is a member of the board of All Raise, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate the success of women and nonbinary investors and founders to build a more prosperous and equitable future. She previously chaired its New York Chapter as well as co-chaired the 2024 All Raise VC Summit. She is also a Kauffman Fellow.