This interview is part of a 3-part Mentor Spotlight series. Check out the other two interviews with IW mentors Ted Wiese and Natasha Dartigue.
Patti Chandler is the VP of Finance & Administration at the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) and has been a dedicated mentor within the Innovation Works (IW) Mentor Network since 2019. In addition to serving as a mentor, she is also a member of the Board and Investment Committee for Ignite Capital.
Prior to joining BCF, Patti was a business owner and faced numerous challenges and glass ceilings as a woman in business. Check out the interview to hear about how she overcame those hurdles and now uses her experiences to support social entrepreneurs (SEs) in Baltimore who are facing similar challenges and barriers to credit. Patti’s support, specifically in the realm of financial management, has proven incredibly beneficial to the numerous SEs she has supported in the IW Pipeline. Most recently, she has mentored SpreadKarma through the IW GSBI 6-Month Accelerator. Patti raves about the dedication of the SpreadKarma team and the profound levels of success she sees them achieving in the coming years.
Interview Questions:
0:30 — What led you to join the IW Mentor Network?
1:36 — What guidance do you provide as a mentor?
3:26 — What has your experience been like as a mentor for SpreadKarma?
8:25 — What impact do you see Ignite Capital making in Baltimore?
10:32 — What challenges do you see SEs face in receiving access to capital?
14:08 — How has being a mentor enriched your professional life?
15:15 — What would you say to a prospective mentor?
This interview is part of a 3-part Mentor Spotlight series. Check out the other two interviews with IW mentors Ted Wiese and Natasha Dartigue.