Desiree Vargas Wrigley

Desiree Vargas Wrigley is a mother of three, avid Zumba enthusiast, and Chicago native. As a graduate of Yale, Hurricane Katrina, in 2006, inspired the entrepreneur and philanthropist in Desiree Vargas Wrigley. Watching the footage of Louisiana following Katrina, Desiree thought there must be a way to help those people directly. At the time, the only safe means of assisting Katrina victims was to donate to one of the many large fundraisers working to help victims, but there were not many methods to help families directly. Sitting on this idea for seven months, Desiree thought about the ins and outs of crowdfunding—before crowdfunding became a mainstream option. By 2008, Desiree could wait no more. In January of 2008 GiveForward was launched. Desiree partnered with a co-founder, Ethan Austin, who was also interested in crowdfunding too.

The dynamic duo started their endeavor in Chicago. Pairing their great ideas with the assistance of Excelerate Labs. Excelerate Labs provided services and guidance to startups and entrepreneurs. Vargas and Austin did not have the means to accomplish their goals alone, but with the help of Excelerate they perfected their practices at GiveForward.

Desiree, an instinctive risk taker, had to learn the responsibility of managing a company from top to bottom. She found bumps along the way, experiencing some financial hardships in 2011, but her smart risks are responsible for raising over $119 million in medical fundraising.

Working as a CEO, Desiree has learned the balance of being both a mother and businesswoman. She has sacrificed her gym membership, and opted for an elliptical and more time at home. She commits herself to carving out time for her children, explaining, “The most important thing is always being there for your children, and always finding a way to prioritize them. “ She continues to work hard as CEO and co-founder at GiveForward to this day, raising money and saving lives.