Patti Leahy leverages over 25 years in private equity, capital markets, and strategic leadership to help advance South Carolina’s innovation economy. As Board Chair of SC Launch, Inc., she guides seed- and early-stage investments in promising startups to accelerate growth of the innovation economy and create higher-paying jobs in the state. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), helping to oversee programs that drive more than $1 billion in economic impact across the state.
Patti’s investment perspective is shaped by her experience on the board of Enterprise Investors, Central and Eastern Europe’s most experienced private equity firms, where she focuses on mid-market succession-driven buyout transactions and expansion financing for high-growth enterprises. Earlier experience in investor relations, investment banking, and M&A in New York, London, and Frankfurt refined her ability to connect companies with capital and craft valuation-ready narratives.
Operationally, Patti led a $160 million communications services business unit through a successful restructuring—experience that informs her work with founders facing pivotal growth decisions. At Benefitfocus, she launched a startup accelerator that helped early-stage ventures secure initial customers and follow-on funding. She also chairs the board of Build Carolina, which is focused on expanding the state’s tech talent pipeline.
Proficient in German and holding an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Patti brings an international outlook to regional economic development. She earned a BA from Oklahoma State University and has lived in Charleston since 2010 with her husband and two sons.