Ross Baird

Ross Baird is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Blueprint Local, a Venture Partner at Access Ventures, and an Innovator-in-Residence at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. He previously developed the core concept and founded Village Capital in 2009, a pioneering venture capital firm where he directed global programs to support underserved entrepreneurs. Baird is also the author of the best-selling book The Innovation Blind Spot and maintains board roles with the University of Virginia Alumni Association and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership. His academic background includes a Master of Philosophy from the University of Oxford as a Marshall Scholar and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia as a Truman and Jefferson Scholar. Baird maintains a primary professional focus on impact investing, community development, and structuring venture capital platforms to fund historically overlooked markets.