"MY PASSION PROJECT" --- donna wells
I founded Valencia Ventures as an exclamation point to a 25 year career in Financial Services, FinTech, E-commerce and Software. Over that time, I had the privilege to lead phenomenal teams at both Fortune 500 companies and start-ups and contribute to the digital transformation of three industries. Valencia Ventures is the umbrella company for my continuing work in Digital Innovation and Corporate Governance, Marketing Excellence, and my support for entrepreneurs, women and minorities in Tech.
I currently serve as an Independent Director on the Boards of Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD), Mitek Systems (Nasdaq: MITK), and the FinTech "Unicorn" Betterment. I previously served on the Boards of Boston Private Bank (acquired by Silicon Valley Bank NASDAQ: SIVB), CWT Travel Holdings (acquired by Amex GBTG NYSE: GBTG), and Apex Technology (merged with AvePoint NASDAQ: AVPT). One of the highlights of my decade in Board Service came in September 2025, when I was named to the Directorship 100 by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
My last operating role, from 2010 to 2017, was as President, CEO and Board Director at Mindflash Technologies, Inc., a private, VC-backed Palo Alto company providing a market-leading, cloud-based SaaS platform for corporate and partner training. I'm proud to say that Mindflash was named a Top 50 Small Workplace in the US by Fortune magazine in 2016. Mindflash was acquired by Turn River Capital.
Prior to Mindflash, I was CMO and employee #9 at Mint.com, held senior leadership positions at American Express and Charles Schwab, and led US Marketing for Intuit and Expedia. I was honored to be one of 10 people nominated as Business Role Model of the Year by Information Age in 2018.
I'm excited by artificial intelligence‘s potential to improve our quality of life… and active in leadership and governance circles working to mitigate its potential risks. I was asked to join the Women in AI and Future Technologies Council in 2026 and will be contributing to its June 2027 report and recommendations. There’s never been a more important time to deeply examine and redefine Leadership for What Comes Next.
--- Donna Wells