Gabriella Draney Zielke

Gabriella Draney Zielke has a diverse and extensive work experience. Gabriella is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Back To Space, a company that aims to inspire the next generation by honoring American heroes and advancing educational opportunities. Before that, they worked as a Science Fiction Author at The Wild Rose Press, where they focused on angel investing in founding teams that were at least 50% female.

Prior to their role as an author, Zielke was the Founder and Partner at Tech Wildcatters, a company they co-founded in 2009. Gabriella later became the Founder and CEO before leaving in January 2018. During their time at Tech Wildcatters, Zielke also served as a Founding Member at F6S, a US launch partner for the organization.

Before their entrepreneurial ventures, Zielke worked as an Associate at HP Growth Partners, a seed stage fund investing in North Texas-based companies. Gabriella gained experience in evaluating business plans and assisting with due diligence. Additionally, they served as an Associate Intern at Silver Creek Ventures, where they evaluated business plans, met with entrepreneurs, and contributed to due diligence efforts.

Zielke started their career as an Analyst at Robertson Opportunity Capital, a hedge fund that specializes in in-depth research on public companies. Gabriella also worked as an Analyst at Astoria Energy Partners, where they conducted due diligence on alternative energy companies and wrote a business plan for a fuel cell project.

Zielke's work experience also includes a role as VP Operations at Pointcast, where they initially wrote the business plan for raising capital and later took on various responsibilities in business development and operations. Before that, they owned TLC Foods, a specialty retailer that offered sugar-free, gluten-free, organic food products, as well as specialized meal plans and shakes.

Overall, Zielke's work experience spans across various industries, from technology and investing to writing and entrepreneurship.

Gabriella Draney Zielke pursued their education with a focus on finance and entrepreneurship. Gabriella first attended the University of North Texas from 1998 to 2002, where they obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree, majoring in Finance. Following this, from 2006 to 2008, Zielke went on to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Finance and Strategy & Entrepreneurship from the Southern Methodist University - Cox School of Business. Currently, Zielke is furthering their education at Harvard University, where they are expected to earn an ALM degree in Creative Writing & Literature from 2020 to 2024.