Melissa L. Bradley, a respected entrepreneur, is the visionary behind 1863 Ventures. As the Founder, she has not only established a platform offering content, capital, and connections to New Majority entrepreneurs but also set a clear vision for the organization. Her overarching vision is cultivating responsible entrepreneurship, redefining the support and narrative around their potential and needs, and instigating significant change in the entrepreneurial landscape.
She is also an exited founder, a board member of Eat the Change, and a trustee of the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Melissa's influence extends beyond her entrepreneurial ventures: She is a member of the Milken Institute Inclusive Capitalism Executive Council, Goldman Sachs’ One Million Black Women Advisory Council, the Small Business Administration’s Investment Capital Advisory Committee (ICAC), and the National Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE). In Fall 2024, Melissa was named to the Smart Business Dealmaker Hall of Fame for her successful and sustainable record in investing in the DMV and beyond.
Aside from her entrepreneurial endeavors, Melissa is a distinguished Professor of Practice at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Her academic contributions have been widely recognized, earning her numerous awards, including the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Alliance Excellence Award for Impact, a spot on the Forbes 50 over 50 list for social entrepreneurship, and a place on the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100 list. In 2024, Melissa was honored with the John Carroll Award, a testament to her volunteer and civic achievements among the 200k+ Georgetown alumni worldwide. Her commitment to excellence in teaching has been acknowledged with the Entrepreneurship Faculty Excellence Award, the Joseph F. LeMoine Award for Undergraduate and Graduate Teaching Excellence, the Peter W. Gonzalez, Jr. Award for Excellence in Adjunct Faculty Teaching, and The Ideas Worth Teaching Award, which celebrates exceptional courses that are preparing future business leaders to tackle society’s largest challenges and create a more inclusive, just, and sustainable version of capitalism. Melissa has also made significant contributions to academia with two major research projects, Small Business Survivability Study for New Majority Entrepreneurs and Cost of Being a New Majority Entrepreneur.
Additional professional experience includes serving as CEO of Tides, working in the administration of Presidents Clinton and Obama in the Office of Thrift Supervision and the White House Social Innovation Fund, respectively, and being the former Vice President at UBS Private Client Services.
Melissa's educational journey began with graduating from Georgetown University in 1989, earning a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the School of Business. She furthered her academic pursuits with a master’s degree in business administration in Marketing from American University in 1993.
Academic Appointment(s)
- Primary
- Professor of the Practice, MSB - Management Area