William Leonard broke into venture capital from Middle Georgia and Mercer University without traditional Wall Street experience, paying out-of-pocket as a college senior for an 11-week VC apprenticeship at VU Venture Partners in New York while still in school. He developed his investing approach through hands-on startup operations and as Dynamo Ventures' third fellow in Chattanooga's Freight Alley, focusing on supply-chain and mobility deals before joining Valor Ventures as a seed-lead investor targeting underrepresented B2B founders in the Southeast. William Leonard broke into venture capital from Middle Georgia and Mercer University without traditional Wall Street experience, paying out-of-pocket as a college senior for an 11-week VC apprenticeship at VU Venture Partners in New York while still in school. He developed his investing approach through hands-on startup operations and as Dynamo Ventures' third fellow in Chattanooga's Freight Alley, focusing on supply-chain and mobility deals before joining Valor Ventures as a seed-lead investor targeting underrepresented B2B founders in the Southeast.