Co-Founder of Searchfunder

Managing Director of Stretch Strategies

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Karen Y. Spencer is an ecosystem builder, strategist, and mentor focused on expanding who gets to own and lead businesses. Through Fetch Strategies, she works hands-on with entrepreneurs, teams, and organizations to turn promising ideas into focused strategies, stronger businesses, and meaningful results. Her work centers on the infrastructure of entrepreneurial follow-through: the tools, communities, pattern recognition, and support that help people move from possibility to execution.

 

Karen co-founded Searchfunder, a collaborative community that helped expand access to Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (EtA). She has spent more than a decade mentoring aspiring searchers and business owners and creating practical resources for the journey. Through Fetch Strategies, she provides full-lifecycle support for entrepreneurs through offerings that include VAULT, ETA Hub, ETA PitchRef, Deal Huddles, Searcher Circles, and the Challenge Point CEO Roundtable. She is particularly committed to supporting women, BIPOC entrepreneurs, and others historically underrepresented in business ownership.

 

Previously, Karen served for nine years as counsel for Nike Golf, advising on business, intellectual property, licensing, litigation, and strategic planning. She holds an M.S. in Management from Stanford Graduate School of Business, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT. She is a registered patent attorney and a member of the California and Oregon bars, practicing SMB M&A.