About
Gayle Jennings-O'Byrne is the CEO of Wocstar Capital and co-founder of the Wocstar Fund, an early-stage venture capital fund that invests in a new generation of innovative and diverse tech entrepreneurs. Recognized by the New York Times as one of "10 Women Changing the Landscape of Leadership," she has been named one of Forbes "50 Over 50" investors and a "Top Black Venture Capitalist" (Business Insider) and a "Top 10 Woman of Influence in Venture Capital" by Venture Capital Journal. Her track record of identifying and empowering visionary founders has resulted in successful fund exits that have returned investor capital. Gayle also leads Wocstar Academy, a global program that trains CEOs for capital readiness, and oversees a major grant on behalf of Pivotal Ventures and other foundations to address systemic underinvestment in female fund managers.
Gayle has over 30+ years of Wall Street, technology, philanthropy, training, and professional speaking experience. She is a former mergers and acquisitions banker at JPMorgan. She led the capital/planning effort for the Cinema High School, the 1st public high school of its kind. She began her career at Sun Microsystems.
She is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, the University of Michigan, and an attendee of the National University of Singapore and the City of London Polytechnic.
She is the former President of The Nantucket Project Academy and a former board member of Tri Delta Foundation Board, Women.NYC, NYC Economic Development Corporation, and board member of BE.NYC (Black Entrepreneurs), NYC Department of Small Business Services. Gayle is a 2022 recipient of the U.S. Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2021 Tri-Delta Woman of Achievement Award. Gayle invests in art and artist. She was a Co-Producer on August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone (2026); Associate Producer of "Thoughts of a Colored Man" a Broadway play (October 2021) and investor in "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf" (April 2022) on Broadway. She is also acts as investor in several films and media projects.
Gayle has over 30+ years of Wall Street, technology, philanthropy, training, and professional speaking experience. She is a former mergers and acquisitions banker at JPMorgan. She led the capital/planning effort for the Cinema High School, the 1st public high school of its kind. She began her career at Sun Microsystems.
She is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, the University of Michigan, and an attendee of the National University of Singapore and the City of London Polytechnic.
She is the former President of The Nantucket Project Academy and a former board member of Tri Delta Foundation Board, Women.NYC, NYC Economic Development Corporation, and board member of BE.NYC (Black Entrepreneurs), NYC Department of Small Business Services. Gayle is a 2022 recipient of the U.S. Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2021 Tri-Delta Woman of Achievement Award. Gayle invests in art and artist. She was a Co-Producer on August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone (2026); Associate Producer of "Thoughts of a Colored Man" a Broadway play (October 2021) and investor in "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf" (April 2022) on Broadway. She is also acts as investor in several films and media projects.
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