The Lake Champlain Chamber has announced a recent staff change that furthers the Chamber’s mission of celebrating business ownership and entrepreneurship.
Cathy Davis, President of the Lake Champlain Chamber, announced that Lauren Bass has been hired as the new Director of LaunchVT, a division of the Chamber that works with community partners to provide business acceleration programs and resources that empower Vermonters to solve problems and create economic opportunity in their communities
Before joining the Chamber, Bass worked as a consultant at the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC), advising clients in family business, succession, sustainability, and early-stage startup strategies. She is also an affiliated researcher at the Family Business Institute at the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business.
Before settling in Stowe, Bass lived in Hong Kong for over a decade, where she started a business with two co-founders. Sourcing initial funding for the business through a pitch competition, she learned firsthand the power of a compelling pitch and the impact it can have during every step of the startup process – from idea conception to a final signature on a shareholder’s agreement.
"I'm thrilled to join a proven team that has already delivered so much value to our state. Entrepreneurship is the key to ensuring a prosperous future for Vermont, which I think is especially true when you consider who our entrepreneurs and funders are; we are home to many visionary founders who see their ventures as forces for doing good. I believe Vermont is uniquely positioned to leverage this distinctive business ecosystem to inspire and attract new entrepreneurs. Thanks to the education and opportunities offered by LaunchVT, I expect we'll see many more resilient, adaptable, values-driven startups coming down the pipeline."
Bass is a graduate of UVM’s Sustainable Innovation MBA, completed an MA in Gender Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and earned a BA in Economics from Boston University. When she isn’t behind her desk, she prefers to be out on fresh snow with her downhill or Nordic skis and is particularly pleased when her husband and border collies join her.