Project Playground
Whether working in the corporate or non-profit fields, Yolanda Dabrowski has consistently demonstrated leadership abilities. Her passion for helping people is evident in all her endeavors. Yola, as she is sometimes known, was previously the co-founder of the Urban Recreation Fund, a New York City-based nonprofit. The Urban Recreation Fund enjoyed considerable success with its mission to provide playgrounds for underserved communities in the New York City area. Yola Dabrowski was responsible for appointing advisory board members and delegating tasks to the proper project teams. She also developed strategic partnerships with organizations whose objectives extended Project Playground’s values while securing marketing partners that could further the foundation’s efforts. This in turn generated substantial funds through fundraisers and grants, which allowed for successful accomplishment of the organization’s goals. Ms. Dabrowski is also involved in the venture capital and private equity fields. With her two companies—the Kyro Group and Sama Investments—she provides capital for business start-ups, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. This type of arrangement, commonly known as an “angel investment,” typically involves investment of the angel investor’s own funds, which is unlike venture capital that is collected from a pool of investors and managed in a professionally-managed fund. While Ms. Dabrowski’s investments typically reflect her individual investment judgment, the actual entity that provides the funding may be a trust, business, limited liability company, or investment fund. The capital that Ms. Dabrowski provides often fills the gap in start-up financing between friends and family (seed funding) and traditional venture capital. This step in corporate development is critical for a company, because while it is difficult to raise more than a few hundred thousand dollars from friends and family, most traditional venture capital funds will not consider investments under $1–2 million. Yolanda Dabrowski is an active individual who enjoys a variety of interests, from yoga to camping and the martial arts. She resides in Dublin, California.
