Theresa Sexton

During her 14 years working at Massey Burch, Theresa was the driving force behind a variety of projects and was instantly recognized for her unique ability to nurture and encourage entrepreneurs, as well as foster key connections for them within the venture community.

Theresa joined Claritas Capital in 2007 as the third member of the team during its formative years when the firm had $40 million under management. Since then, Theresa has played an integral role in growing the firm into a business platform and brand that has deployed over $1 billion of private capital across equity, real estate, and private credit. In the process, she played a significant role in establishing Claritas Capital’s reputation as one of the most balanced financial service firms, in terms of gender representation, within the private capital community.

Today, Theresa is one of the few women in the Southeast who has the ability to invest $250,000 to $25 million of equity into growing private companies. She spends her time sourcing and evaluating privately held companies seeking venture and growth capital with a focus on investing in healthcare, technology, and beauty and wellness solutions throughout the United States.

Theresa has shepherded multiple efforts toward advancing female-led companies with a solid value proposition and growth potential. Since 2012, Claritas Capital has deployed over $70 million to 13 female-founded or female-led companies. Notably, these 13 businesses represent nearly 15 percent of the overall venture capital dollars deployed from Claritas Capital’s equity program.

This longstanding commitment to advancing and supporting women and female-founded businesses has led Theresa to create The Athena Initiative at Claritas Capital. The Athena Initiative is supported by the entire Claritas Capital team and is a multi-faceted effort that includes events showcasing female founders, networking events for female leaders, support and engagement of several non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing women within the investment industry such as PE-WIN, WAVE, and Women Business Leaders in Healthcare, and much more.

In implementing more programs and platforms within The Athena Initiative, Theresa continues to strive to be an inspiration and champion for women and minorities who want to explore the venture industry, either as an investor, founder, or operator.

Theresa currently serves on the board of directors for Kindbody, Alchemy 43, Forbes Travel Guide, Genomind, Marinalife, Scene Health, and TwelveStone Health Partners. She resides in Middle Tennessee with her husband, young daughter and two adult children.