Baird Capital Announces Venture Team Partner and Principal Promotions

CHICAGO – Feb. 2, 2021 – Today, Baird Capital, the direct private investment arm of Baird, announced Joanna Arras's promotion to Partner and Managing Director, and Amy Len Kobe's promotion to Principal and Director. Both Arras and Kobe are members of Baird Capital’s U.S. Venture Capital platform and are based in Chicago.

Joanna Arras joined Baird Capital in 2014 and is a member of the Technology & Services investment team. Joanna is currently a board member of ChurnZero and SourceDay, and was previously a board member of Appcast, Startwire, and Autobooks. She has also previously served as a board observer of HouseCall Pro, Hireology, NowSecure, Datica, and Sittercity. Before joining Baird Capital, Joanna worked as an Associate in Baird's Investment Banking and Business Development departments, focusing on strategic investments and initiatives. Additionally, she previously served as an Equity Research Analyst at Baird, specializing in semiconductor companies. Joanna earned a B.S. in Management and International Business from Indiana University and holds an MBA from The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School with majors in Finance and Entrepreneurship.

"Baird Capital’s Venture Team and the group as a whole is fortunate to have a leader like Joanna on the team," said Gordon Pan, President of Baird Capital. "She is an esteemed example of someone who has built their career at Baird and has grown naturally and quickly within Baird Capital. We are deeply proud of Joanna’s many achievements and are excited about what we'll continue to accomplish together."

Amy Len Kobe joined Baird Capital in 2018 and is a member of the Healthcare investment team. Amy is a board observer for Jumpcode Genomics, Upfront Healthcare, Oncology Analytics, Apervita and AiCure. Before joining Baird Capital, Amy was a venture investor with Baxter Healthcare, focusing on medical devices, monitoring and health IT opportunities. Before that, she was with Healthbox, focused on tech-enabled products and services for payer and provider systems. She was also previously a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and began her career at Genentech. Amy earned a B.S. and M.S. in chemical engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management with majors in finance and decision sciences. She is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

"Amy's contributions to our Healthcare investment practice are remarkable," added Pan. "We are proud of her well-deserved promotion and know she will help keep our business moving onwards and upwards in 2021."

About Baird Capital

Baird Capital makes venture capital, growth equity and private equity investments in strategically targeted sectors around the world. Having invested in more than 320 companies over its history, Baird Capital partners with entrepreneurs and, leveraging its executive networks, strives to build exceptional companies. Baird Capital provides operational support to its portfolio companies through teams on the ground in the United States, Europe, and Asia, a proactive portfolio operations team, and a deep network of relationships, which together strive to deliver enhanced shareholder value. Baird Capital is the direct private investment arm of Robert W. Baird & Co. For more information, please visit BairdCapital.com.

For additional information, contact:

Rachel Berkowitz
Baird Public Relations 
414-765-7250
rberkowitz@rwbaird.com