Entrepreneur and coach Dawn Leaks has been named the new executive director of Collab, a New Haven-based early-stage accelerator.
Leaks, a Hamden resident, is the former CEO of Lioness: For The Female Entrepreneur, an online digital media company. She brought the company to profitability by increasing revenue by 200%, expanded its global audience to over 100,000 and helped broker its sale to Innovation Women in 2020.
Leaks was previously director of communications at the American Red Cross of Massachusetts and served as a facilitator of entrepreneurship programming at reSET, an accelerator in Hartford.
Leaks received an MBA from Bay Path University, and has served as an entrepreneur in residence at the UMass/Valley Venture Mentor Collegiate Summer Venture Program and as visiting assistant professor of social entrepreneurship at Hampshire College.
Collab Board Chair Leela Bhashyam said of Leaks, “We look forward to seeing what amazing things she will bring to fruition at Collab and how she will encourage and challenge us to grow as an organization.”
Founded in 2017, Collab has graduated nearly a hundred early-stage entrepreneurs from its accelerator program.
Seven entrepreneurs were selected for the organization’s recent fall cohort, which attracted 41 applications for those seeking early-stage support.
Collab’s fall accelerator cohort includes:
iinFirm Concierge — stress-reduction for individuals dealing with illness.
Nourish Our Seeds — lactation support centering and provided by Black women.
The Purpose Factory — transformational coaching program.
Urban Empress — a natural hair product line created by and for people of color.
Wàbi Gallery — an artist-run gallery that also seeks to be an educational space and community resource.
Wise Child Puppets — a puppet company that creates original shows that support social-emotional wellness for kids.
Posh Paint — creative art experiences that promote self-confidence and self-esteem.
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
