Mara Zepeda

Mara Zepeda is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Zebras Unite, a co-op creating the capital, culture, and community for the next economy.

Prior, Mara was the founder of Switchboard (now Hearken). It was through her experience as an entrepreneur of a different stripe that she co-authored,“Zebras Fix What Unicorns Break,” a manifesto which launched the movement that now has 10K+ online, 200+ member-owners, and over 30 chapters around the world.

Mara also co-founded and was the founding board chair of both Business for a Better Portland (a next-generation business organization) and XXcelerate (which provides education and funding to Oregon womxn entrepreneurs).

Mara speaks from her experience as an economic reporter, calligrapher, and daughter of spiritually curious artists. She holds a BA in Russian from Reed College and an MS in Journalism from Columbia University. She grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico.