2026 ACG Boston: Women of Leadership Luncheon

Kristen Craft brings deep startup roots to her role as VP of Partnerships at Fidelity Private Shares. In this role, she's building out Fidelity's startup engagement platform, supporting founders and investors with equity management tools, fundraising strategy, and go-to-market best practices. Prior to Fidelity, Kristen was a founder herself, and then a longtime startup operator. She enjoyed working on strategic partnerships and digital marketing, predominantly in B2B SaaS companies. A Boston-area native, Kristen holds a B.A. from Brown University, an M.Ed. from Harvard University, and an MBA from MIT Sloan. She's particularly passionate about building community, creating connections, and supporting diverse founders.

Michelle is the Founder and Managing Partner of Clearhaven Partners. Michelle founded Clearhaven in 2019 and sets the firm strategy and direction. Michelle chairs Clearhaven's Investment Committee and is responsible for deal origination, execution and portfolio management. Michelle founded Clearhaven in order to create a private equity investment firm centered on unwavering focus and shared values.

Previously, Michelle was a member of the investment teams of Thoma Bravo and Riverside Partners. At Riverside, Michelle was a General Partner and member of the investment committee. Michelle previously worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley.

Michelle holds an MBA, with distinction, from the Harvard Business School and a BBA, magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame. She has studied at l’Université Catholique de l’Ouest in Angers, France and has taught at Erakommertzkolledz in Tallinn, Estonia. She is an Advisory Board member of 51 Vets.  Michelle has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal as one of private equity’s most influential women of today and tomorrow and by Buyouts as one of ten rock stars of private equity’s future. Most recently she was named to the 2025 Boston Business Journal Who’s Who in Private Equity.