Malala Fund co-founder to deliver 2017 Oswald Lecture

LAWRENCE — Shiza Shahid, entrepreneur and co-founder of the Malala Fund, will deliver a lecture at 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at Capitol Federal Hall as part of the University of Kansas School of Business Charles Oswald Executive Leadership Series.

Shahid will discuss how to leverage philanthropy, venture capital, technology and entrepreneurship to drive social impact. Her talk will be presented in conjunction with the business school’s celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, which runs from Nov. 13-19.

The event will be held in the Dicus Family Auditorium (Room 1111) in Capitol Federal Hall and is free and open to the public. However, space is limited, and registration is required to attend.

Shahid co-founded the Malala Fund with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and led the organization as founding CEO, focusing on creating access to high-quality education for children around the world. She also launched NOW Ventures in Silicon Valley, in partnership with AngelList, the largest venture capital platform in the world. A graduate of Stanford University, Shahid invests in mission-driven technology startups that are solving the world’s most pressing challenges through innovation and high-growth business models.

Shahid is the founder of The Collective, a community of leading entrepreneurs who come together to build collaborative change, and the host of the new USA Today show “ASPIREist,” which inspires millennials to take action on issues. She has received numerous awards for her thought leadership and been named one of Time magazine’s “30 Under 30 People Changing the World,” Forbes' “30 Under 30: Social Entrepreneurs” and a Tribeca Institute Disruptive Innovator. Shahid is a member of the WEF Global Agenda Council and has been featured by various media, including Fast Company, Elle, Glamour, Town and Country, The Edit, CNN, ABC, Al Jazeera and MSNBC.

The Charles Oswald Executive Leadership Series was established by Charles Oswald in 2010 to bring scholars and leading business experts to the KU community to interact with students, faculty and business leaders. Oswald earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from KU in 1951, and he was the chairman of Minnesota-based Rotherwood Investments LLC. He previously had served as chairman and CEO of National Computer Systems, later known as NCS Pearson, from 1970 until his retirement in 1994. Oswald was a trustee emeritus of KU Endowment and an emeritus member of the business school’s Dean’s Board of Advisors.

Each November, the KU School of Business and its Center for Entrepreneurship participate in Global Entrepreneurship Week activities, which celebrate innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare. The week serves as an opportunity to cultivate innovative thinking across the KU community.