Bridging the Gap

Danielle Shoots is an analytical mastermind and trusted financial executive who has managed the finances and operations of national corporations and some of Colorado’s most impactful organizations. Her extraordinary industry perspective and expertise are helping to bridge the wealth gap while eliminating economic disparities for underfunded, underestimated and often overlooked groups.

With over a decade of history-making leadership under her belt, the dynamic, ultra-insightful businesswoman is just getting started.

Youngest CFO in Colorado History

After graduating from University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver), Shoots was hired as a financial analyst by Denver Health Medical Center, implementing the self-taught grant, contract and budget management skills she acquired while studying for her undergraduate degree. At age 26, she became the youngest chief financial officer in state history, advancing to an executive leadership position with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

She continued to climb the corporate ladder, serving as the vice president of finance and business operations for Comcast Corporation’s West Division, and managing a billion-dollar portfolio while successfully navigating mergers and acquisitions across seven states. In 2019, she was appointed vice president and chief financial officer of The Colorado Trust, a foundation dedicated to achieving statewide health equity for vulnerable populations through policy and public information. She expanded the foundation’s endowment from $430 million to nearly $600 million, and launched an investment portfolio composed of local media, real estate and small businesses.

Today, Shoots sits on the Denver Health Medical Center Board of Directors and the Women’s Foundation of Colorado Board of Trustees. In 2020, she received a mayoral appointment to the Prosperity Denver Fund, and she has served as the chief economic equity advisor to State Senator James Coleman, and State Representative Leslie Herod.

Statistical reasoning, financial planning, nonprofit leadership and budget analysis have outlined Shoot’s path to business and philanthropic ascendance, though the most remarkable underlying detail to her journey makes her success even more admirable.

At 16 years old, Shoots gave birth to her first child, and by the time she made history as the youngest CFO in Colorado history, she was a young mother of two beautiful children.

According to the Center for Disease Control’s report on teen pregnancy, only about 50% of teenage mothers receive a high school diploma by the age of 22, and less than 2% receive a college degree by age 30. Worse, the children of teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of high school or face any number of poor outcomes.

Shoots overcame the negative statistics and beat all odds, raising a son who is studying engineering at the prestigious Colorado School of Mines, and a stunning teenage daughter who excels in ballet. She never gave up on her dreams, and frequently shares her life’s lessons in keynote addresses throughout the country. Now, she is helping others pursue their own dreams and fight against even bigger odds.

The DEMI Fund

Shoots’ most recent venture is a testament to her strategic stewardship and vision for a more equitable distribution of resources in the domestic emerging market. Unlike traditional venture capital funds, The Domestic Emerging Market Investments (DEMI) Fund is a “value capital fund,” which invests in scalable, value-based, early and mid-stage companies.

“[DEMI] is structured as a venture fund, but I’m not a venture capitalist, because fundamentally I don’t believe in it as an investment class. It’s a bit of a pyramid scheme; it’s really hard to win in venture capital. In fact, people who have funds like mine are betting that one out of 10 or 20 investments they make is actually going to work,” she explains.

“I do this game much differently – it’s structured like a venture fund, so that I can still invest in early stage companies that may not have years of proven model, but we really want to be a partner and grow and scale a business and build value into the company. I’m not going to say, ‘You’re worth more,’ just because I need it to be worth more. We’re going to put points on the actual board.”

DEMI features a diverse network of investors and entrepreneurs, creating opportunities for high-growth, high-margin businesses centered around infrastructure, workforce development and technology, health and wellness.

As the fund’s founding partner and managing director, Shoots takes an innovative approach to investment, data and analytics, believing that non-discretionary investments to founders of color should be used to increase economic equity. She acknowledges that for minority and women-owned businesses, traditional fundraising practices are less viable, noting that investors often assign more risk to these ventures. To counter opportunities for bias within DEMI’s network of investors, she targets companies with significant growth potential, considerable volume and the ability to solve real-world problems, such as housing shortages and environmental problems, often overlooked by conventional investor groups. 

Amid recent controversy surrounding investment funds that dedicate financial resources to underrepresented groups, Shoots discusses the importance of equitable opportunities for people impacted by discrimination. “I don’t think it’s just important. I think it’s necessary,” she says. “The way that systems are designed for the complete and utter failure of anyone who’s not already in the machine of wealth, it’s painful. It’s hard for me to even keep doing it some days.”

Going on to explain how wealth in the United States is being concentrated in an unsustainable way, she illustrates, “70% of the country is women and people of color. White women have $.56 on the dollar of wealth; Black women have $.05 on the dollar of white men’s wealth. The younger generations that are entering the workforce (and in the workforce) are Black and brown. Nearly 50% of women are staying single, which makes their wealth profile much less. 86% of Black women are the breadwinners of their households…We’re putting money into a machine as boomers are retiring who made a dollar. There were a lot more white men in the boomer generation…You have a whole working class that’s now putting cents on the dollar into the machine.”

In 2021, a Crunchbase analysis revealed that Black women receive less than .35% of the total venture capital spent in the U.S. Reflective of her SistahBiz t-shirt that cites this number along with the slogan, “The Math Ain’t Mathin,” Shoots says, “The math doesn’t even work. We’re in a really bad spot. The debt in this country isn’t just because we spend too much. It’s because we have a revenue problem; and that revenue problem is based in racism and sexism.”

Finding Solutions Together

Despite recent attempts to increase diversity through increasingly equitable hiring practices, Black women are historically underrepresented in the finance industry. For Shoots, whose early interests led to the study of economics, behavioral data and macro conditions, the lack of representation meant that she was often one of the only Black women in the room. She successfully navigated corporate structures and environments with the support of mentors who believed in her and encouraged her to believe in herself.

The benefits of mentorship inspired Shoots to become a mentor to others, beginning at age 25. “To this day, I learn the most when I’m trying to teach somebody else,” she says. “We have a lived experience that somebody else is going through at that moment, so there’s always something to give. Whenever I give, that’s when I learn the most about myself. In good ways and hard ways – all the ways, because it forces you to look in the mirror.”

After giving a TED Talk in 2017, email requests for advice flooded Shoots’ inbox, leading to the creation of The Daily Boss Up, a subscription-based software platform that provides mentorship and coaching from the entrepreneurship expert herself. Starting with quotes and podcasts about topics like confidence and imposter syndrome, the platform evolved along with Shoots. Now, the technological mentorship tool features thought-provoking tips, guidance, motivation, and impactful daily messages with advice for leaders at every phase.

In addition to helping others, Shoots is mastering the practice of taking care of herself. By transitioning away from the tendency to people-please, and implementing self-care and self-awareness, she is fully liberating herself to enjoy the human experience.

“What do I want out of this life? How do I want to feel when I wake up in the morning?” she asks, modeling the process of self-analysis she underwent in order to change the pace and direction of her life. “That’s the journey I’m on.”

Shoots’ journey includes a long list of accolades in addition to the advancements she experienced throughout her career. In 2017, she received the Denver Business Journal’s “40 Under 40 Award;” and in 2019, she was named one of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce “Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business.” She has been named Woman of the Year by the National Diversity Council; and in 2020 she was named as an Emerging Leader in Philanthropy from A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities (ABFE).

Shoots’ success and impact are memorialized on the campus of CU Denver through the artistic vision of local artist, Detour. Like the colors in his breathtaking mural, her vibrant journey and brilliant advancements in business and philanthropy are an inspirational reflection of her beautiful spirit and the impact she has made on the world.

“I really like the person who’s doing the things,” she says. “Versus, ‘I’m doing it because I want everyone else to like the person who’s doing the things.’”

Editor’s Note: Listen to the full interview with Danielle Shoots on Denver Urban Spectrum’s YouTube channel, Spectrum Talk with Ruby.

To learn more about the DEMI Fund, visit www.demifund.com.