Applied Real Intelligence (“A.R.I.”) Hires Kathryn Bohn to Bolster Venture Lender’s Industry-Leading Efforts in ESG, Diversity & Inclusion

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Applied Real Intelligence (“A.R.I.”), a venture debt investment firm that provides innovative debt financing solutions to successful venture capital-backed companies, announced the hiring of Kathryn Bohn as Director, Business Development, Marketing, Diversity & Inclusion. Ms. Bohn will report to Zack Ellison, A.R.I.’s Founder and Managing General Partner, and will be based in Los Angeles, California, where she will manage A.R.I.’s business development initiatives related to Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”).

“I have known Kathryn for many years, and it is a great pleasure to welcome her to A.R.I.’s team. Her extensive professional experience and strong existing relationships with members of A.R.I.’s leadership will be instrumental in facilitating A.R.I.’s rapid growth and emergence as the ESG and DEI investment leader in venture debt. She will play a key role in furthering A.R.I.’s mission to democratize access to capital for women and other underrepresented company founders as A.R.I. continues to lead the way in promoting an inclusive venture investment ecosystem,” said Mr. Ellison.

Ms. Bohn will create, maintain, and deepen A.R.I.’s partnerships with key stakeholders, including founders, investors, corporations, universities, incubators, service providers, government entities, and industry organizations, who share A.R.I.’s mission. Ms. Bohn will also develop and lead key initiatives related to ESG and DEI, including internal and external educational and training programs aimed at creating more equitable and efficient access to capital for founders.

“I am delighted to join the A.R.I. team and execute on creating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the venture capital ecosystem – including our team, investors, portfolio companies, and the communities we all serve. This is a very exciting time to be joining A.R.I., given the firm’s compelling mission, differentiated investment strategy, and top-tier leadership team are all firmly in place. I look forward to supporting A.R.I.’s marketing, business development, and diversity and inclusion efforts as we enter the next stage of institutional fundraising and capital deployment for A.R.I.'s Venture Debt Opportunities Fund,” said Ms. Bohn.

Prior to joining A.R.I., Ms. Bohn worked for a decade at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, broadly recognized as one of the top 10 global law firms. Most recently, she was a Specialist in the Business Development and Marketing department of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Los Angeles, California, where she supported nearly 300 lawyers in the firm’s top-ranked Labor and Employment practice. In this role, she composed internal and external marketing collateral and communications; planned and executed live and virtual seminars and events; drafted and coordinated responses to requests for proposals and presentations; and developed and maintained client information.

Previously, Ms. Bohn worked as an American Bar Association-certified paralegal, focused on personal injury and insurance litigation, for over five years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. She began her career managing multiple food and beverage outlets for Hyatt Hotels in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Ms. Bohn earned a BS in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech and an MBA from Wilmington University. Currently, Ms. Bohn is pursuing advanced training in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School. This training aims to enhance organizational culture and improve employee engagement by recognizing unconscious biases, understanding the dimensions of diversity that matter most to organizations, improving psychological safety, and developing strategies for implementing ethical standards.

About Applied Real Intelligence LLC (“A.R.I.”)

A.R.I. is a Los Angeles-based venture debt investment manager focused on providing financing solutions to innovative, high-growth, VC-backed companies in recession-resistant sectors and underserved regions in North America. A.R.I. has dual missions of: (1) democratizing access to capital for all founders; (2) providing A.R.I.’s investors with access to “innovation” as an asset class, superior risk-adjusted returns, security of capital, and strong portfolio diversification benefits. To learn more, please visit www.arivc.com.