Carla Fortenberry is a strategic development and fundraising executive with more than 10 years of distinguished experience in corporate partnerships, sponsor engagement, and revenue-generating initiatives within the venture capital and innovation ecosystem. She proudly joins Speedy as Director of Investor Relations and Director of Speedy Barracuda Tank — the company’s ground-breaking new investor matchmaking platform launching within the next 90 days. Marketed as “Shark Tank on Steroids,” Speedy Barracuda Tank will transform how founders and investors connect through a highly curated, high-velocity, technology-driven experience that dramatically accelerates deal flow and capital deployment.
In her dual leadership role at Speedy, Carla is responsible for building and managing investor relationships, overseeing due diligence processes, and driving strategic fundraising initiatives. She will also lead the end-to-end development and launch of the Barracuda Tank platform, leveraging her proven expertise in large-scale investor events, corporate sponsorships, and global partnership ecosystems to create an unmatched matchmaking experience for both investors and high-potential companies. Her immediate focus includes curating premium deal flow, designing investor engagement strategies, and ensuring the platform delivers exceptional value from day one.
Prior to joining Speedy, Carla served as Vice President at SAYJ Global Partners, a global advisory firm that partners with early-stage, growth-stage, and Fortune 500 companies to support international expansion and strategic growth. In this capacity, she established a growing pipeline of international investors and corporate partners, led high-impact global fundraising initiatives through targeted events and engagement strategies, and developed corporate engagement plans that expanded funding pipelines and sponsorship opportunities. She also drove business development and fundraising strategy, ensuring alignment between revenue growth objectives and organizational priorities.
Carla’s most significant impact came during her eight-year tenure at Keiretsu Forum, one of the world’s largest angel investment networks. As Managing Director, she built and managed a robust pipeline of more than 2000 corporate partners, sponsors, and high-net-worth investors, driving sustained revenue growth across the organization. She planned and executed over 600 investor events, conferences, and fundraising programs, successfully aligning sponsors and stakeholders with strategic initiatives. Carla secured and managed high-value corporate sponsorships from leading financial institutions, law firms, recruitment firms, wealth managers, and venture ecosystem service providers. She played a central role in organizing flagship events such as the Angel Capital Expo, which attracted more than 400 investors and featured 20 presenting companies.
In addition to her operational leadership, Carla was instrumental in Keiretsu Forum’s global expansion, contributing to the establishment of 15 new offices worldwide. She forged key partnerships, trained regional teams, and built localized fundraising ecosystems that supported the network’s international growth. Earlier at Keiretsu Forum, she served as Membership and Finance Director where she expanded the investor, sponsor, and donor pipeline by 63% within two years while managing portfolio engagement from prospecting through stewardship and producing critical fundraising and portfolio data for institutional reporting. As Associate of Membership Services, she cultivated relationships with investors, sponsors, and ecosystem partners and supported the sourcing and development of corporate and strategic partnerships.
Carla began her career in private banking at Banco Bradesco in São Paulo, Brazil in 2009, one of Brazil’s largest financial institutions. As a Private Banker, she managed portfolios for high-net-worth individuals and corporate clients, delivering personalized financial strategies, investment solutions, and wealth management services. She built long-term client relationships based on trust and tailored service, consistently identifying opportunities to grow client portfolios and deepen engagement.
Carla holds an International Diploma in Business Administration (Finance) from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, Brazil. She is fluent in Portuguese and English, with intermediate proficiency in Spanish and basic French.
Her core competencies include corporate sponsorship and giving strategy, donor and investor pipeline development, cultivation and stewardship, strategic partnerships and corporate engagement planning, large-scale fundraising events and campaigns, CRM and investor management systems, executive communication, high-net-worth relationship management, and portfolio management with a focus on revenue growth. These skills, combined with her deep understanding of the venture capital landscape, position her exceptionally well to elevate Speedy’s investor relations function and successfully launch the Barracuda Tank platform.
With a career defined by building high-performing investor ecosystems, executing large-scale engagement programs, and driving measurable revenue results, Carla Fortenberry is uniquely qualified to accelerate Speedy’s growth. She is passionate about connecting visionary entrepreneurs with the right capital partners and is excited to bring her global network, operational expertise, and innovative mindset to Speedy’s leadership team. Through her leadership of Investor Relations and the Barracuda Tank platform, Carla will help position Speedy as a leader in both traditional venture funding and next-generation investor-founder matchmaking.
