Kay Koplovitz
Kay Koplovitz, the founder of USA Network and first woman network president in television history, negotiated the first cable coverage contracts for sports franchises including the NBA, the NHL, and Major League Baseball. A true visionary, she designed the cable network business model still in use today.
After selling USA Networks in 1998, Koplovitz turned to venture capital funders to raise money for new business ideas. She found that over 95% of venture capitalists in America are male_x2014_and most of their money goes to men. To even the playing field, she co-founded Springboard Enterprises, an organization dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs break down the barriers to equitable venture capital funding. Alumnae from the Springboard program have become successful in all fields and have gone on to found companies that include Zipcar, ConstantContact, AgraQuest and iRobot.
Koplovitz is the author of <i>Bold Women, Big Ideas</i>.