Marina Middleton

CEO and Partner, Create & Cultivate

Marina Middleton is the CEO and Partner of Create & Cultivate, the largest events and media platform advancing women through access to resources, connections, and opportunities. Within six months of becoming CEO, she raised nearly $3 million in venture capital—a rare achievement for a first-time CEO and first-generation Egyptian immigrant, particularly in a landscape where women of color receive just 0.39% of VC funding. A former corporate strategist turned bootstrapped founder and now VC-backed CEO, Marina has led the launch of the world’s largest festival for women in business and developed CONNECT, the largest AI-powered matchmaking platform for women, transforming how women network and collaborate.

Prior to acquiring Create & Cultivate in 2023, she built digital media campaigns at Yahoo! and Tumblr and advised hundreds of female founders on scaling their businesses. Based in Boston, Marina is a wife and mother who has been featured in Forbes, Inc., and Business Insider, and regularly speaks on entrepreneurship, venture capital, business growth, and building inclusive communities.