Karen Krause-Bencal, Managing director

Karen (KK) is the founder and Managing Director of K2C Ventures. She is a seasoned entrepreneurial professional specializing in growth initiatives for emerging technologies with dual-use national security, government and commercial applications.

Over the course of her career, she has played key roles in the capture of new federal government business generating over $500 million in contract research and development and new start procurement contracts from DOD, DOE, DOT, DHS, NASA and EPA. She is a trained capture manager and program manager for RDT&E government programs, as well as a seasoned dual-use industry analyst covering a wide range of emerging technology market sectors - from surveillance systems and trusted microelectronics to sustainable materials and advanced power & energy storage

At K2C, Karen works as an advisor to corporate venture groups, research institutes, accelerators and private capital-backed small businesses commercializing dual-use emerging technologies. Previously, she managed a portfolio of dual-use deep tech startups in Activate’s DARPA INNOVATE program, a component of DARPA’s Embedded Entrepreneurial Initiative (EEI) and led corporate innovation/venture initiatives for Battelle Memorial Institute and Raytheon Technologies. Before entering the defense industry, she was the CEO of a public sector engineering services firm managing new technology pilot and funding programs for aviation, maritime, and mass transit transportation agencies.

Karen received her B.S. in Environmental Technology from the Biological and Environmental Engineering Department of Cornell University and her MBA in Entrepreneurship from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College.

Karen is an activate advisor and angel investor and supports accelerator/pitch programs with a mission for advancing underrepresented entrepreneurs. She is also a strong advocate for women in STEM and a co- founder and past president of Women in Defense Greater Boston Chapter (WID-GBC).