Krista Covey
Krista Covey
CEO/President, First Flight Venture Center, Research Triangle Park, NC
Krista is the President of First Flight Venture Center (First Flight), whose mission is to propel early staged science focused companies through the delivery of comprehensive resources and to empower innovators to transform good ideas into great successes. First Flight is the longest standing science and technology focused business incubator in North Carolina located in the heart of the Research Triangle Park. First Flight offers resources such as offices, labs, equipment, business education, funding support, community and mentoring, in addition to offering programmatic support across the state of North Carolina and globally.
Previously, Krista oversaw Innovation and Economic Development Initiatives for Life-Science and emerging technology companies looking to start, locate or expand in the U.S.A. for an international center of innovation in San Antonio, Texas, VelocityTX. She also assisted in the development of a twelve-acre complex that included an incubator and international seed accelerator with a focus on the life sciences, biotech, military medicine and disruptive technologies.
Krista also worked in a traditional Economic Development role and started the SMARTstart Business Incubator program serving Florida’s, Tampa Bay entrepreneurs as a “bottom-up approach” to economic sustainability. SMARTstart more than doubled in size and expanded to two locations within a year. She also launched and managed a micro-loan fund for early-stage and small businesses that could not access traditional sources of capital. She also coordinated an entrepreneur assistance network, providing free help for small businesses. She managed the Economic Gardening program for established high-growth businesses and facilitated Founder/CEO roundtables. While in Florida, she was the Tampa Bay Times' “Top 20 who made the Tampa Bay economy better in 2014."
Before embarking on her Business Incubation and Economic Development career, she had over 7 years of commercial finance experience working in corporate lending. Also an entrepreneur, she has also grown her own successful finance business with a profitable exit and built multiple businesses from the ground up. She is also an investor and has served on multiple start-up boards. Krista holds a B.S. in Business Marketing from Southeastern University and her Masters in Business Administration from Saint Leo University.
Krista is a certified Business Incubator Manager with the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA) and served as past Chair of the InBIA Executive Board of Directors. She is also proud to serve on the Board of Directors for NC IDEA, to help people achieve their entrepreneurial potential. She is part of the Startup Champions Network, driving long-term change by supporting innovation and entrepreneurship and working to reduce barriers for entrepreneurs.
Krista is passionate about start-ups, good food, building things, wild adventures, and traveling to (and serving in) developing countries. Most of all, her favorite activity is spending time with her two daughters, one who aspires to own/operate an equine therapy ranch serving children with special needs and the other to be President.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristacovey/ Twitter: @KristaCovey