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Michelle Maryns

Founder

Founder & CEO at We Sparkle

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

FoundedWe Sparkle

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About

Michelle Maryns is President of the Minnesota Council on Foundations and founder of We Sparkle Co. She has advised startups including Boosted Boards, Skip Scooters, and Zaarly, and has completed contract projects for clients such as Greater MSP and WORKSHOP. Maryns teaches a social entrepreneurship course at Metropolitan State University, was named a Bush Fellow in 2021 and a Global Good Fund Fellow in 2022, and is a member of the Northeast Investment Cooperative.

Founder & CEO at We Sparkle

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We Sparkle's investors · 2

GROOVE CAPITALMinneapolisTechstarsBoulder · $220K checks

Co-founders at We Sparkle

NWNick Weber
Nick WeberCo-Founder & CTO

Experience

  1. Minnesota Council on FoundationsPresidentcurrent2025 — present
  2. We SparkleFounder & CEOcurrent2018 — present
  3. Women's Foundation of MinnesotaVice President, Innovation & Strategic Communications2023 — 2025
  4. GREATER MSP (Minneapolis - Saint Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership)MSP Hello Coordinator2018 — 2019
  5. Meda - Metropolitan Economic Development AssociationChief of Strategic Initiatives2016 — 2018250 Second Avenue South, Suite 106, Minneapolis, MN 55401
  6. American Academy of NeurologyAssociate Director, Digital Strategy & Innovation2013 — 2016201 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55415
  7. Rêve ConsultingStrategy Consultant2013
  8. U.S. Department of JusticeCommunity Relations Specialist2011 — 2013
  9. U.S. Department of StateForeign Service Officer & Public Affairs Specialist2005 — 2011Bureau of Consular Affairs, Washington D.C.
  10. Public Broadcasting ServiceZygo Television Show Host1998 — 2002Wichita, Kansas Metropolitan Area
  11. Breakthrough CollaborativeTeacher (English, Entrepreneurship)2001Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

Skills & more

InspirationIdentifying IssuesCommunicationAnalytical SkillsTeam ManagementStrategy41Public Speaking23Strategic Planning12Writing5Leadership5Resource AllocationExecutive Visibility
+12 moreCoachingCommunity Development FinanceArtificial Intelligence (AI)Web DevelopmentWeb Application DevelopmentMobile Application DevelopmentWeb DesignProduct DevelopmentSoftware DevelopmentSocial Impact StrategyEarly-Stage StartupsInformation Technology
  • 2021 Bush Fellow — Bush Foundation
  • FINNOVATION Fellow — FINNOVATION Institute
  • 2022 Global Good Fund Fellow — The Global Good Fund
  • Just Economy Institute Fellow — Just Economy Institute
  • United for America x Luminary Fellow — Luminary
  • Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant on Option B: Building Resilience — LinkedIn
  • Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship — Stanford University Graduate School of Business
  • Mini Doctor of Medicine (Mini Medical School - U of M Academic Health Center) — Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
  • Design Thinking Crash Course — Skillshare
  • Supervision Part 1: Fundamentals of Leadership — MRA (Formerly Trusight)

From Michelle's professional profile.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Michelle Maryns?
Michelle Maryns is President of the Minnesota Council on Foundations and founder of We Sparkle Co. She has advised startups including Boosted Boards, Skip Scooters, and Zaarly, and has completed contract projects for clients such as Greater MSP and WORKSHOP. Maryns teaches a social entrepreneurship course at Metropolitan State University, was named a Bush Fellow in 2021 and a Global Good Fund Fellow in 2022, and is a member of the Northeast Investment Cooperative.
Where does Michelle Maryns work?
Michelle Maryns is Founder & CEO of We Sparkle.
What companies did Michelle Maryns found?
Michelle Maryns founded We Sparkle.
Where did Michelle Maryns go to school?
Michelle Maryns studied at University of Oxford (Executive Diploma in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Business, Artificial Intelligence); Harvard Kennedy School (Master's degree, Public Policy); The University of Kansas (Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Slavic Languages).

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