Alexsis de Raadt St. James


Alexsis de Raadt St James is the Founder and Chairman of The Althea Foundation a social venture fund based in San Francisco and London. Her diverse business background, which spans 20 years and 25 countries, includes technology, medicine, energy and international business development. She is a senior executive with extensive management and finance experience both domestically and internationally as CEO, investor, investment banker and board member. Alexsis founded The Althea Foundation in 2003 to address the lack of funding and medical research associated with the treatment of mental health disorders like Autism, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Depression. She and her foundation team designed pioneering software in the mental health sector that is used by the U.S. Army, Scotland Yard, and the Ministry of Defence (UK). Over the last 8 years the foundation has expanded funding to include 13 initiatives in education, medicine and technology. The foundation funds nonprofit initiatives such as high-growth women-led startups in technology and life science ($750,000 million raised), mental health web based tools for adolescents (57,000 viewers a month), accessible and affordable psychiatric treatment for adolescents through the University of California Medical School in San Francisco and an internet based children’s newspaper that promotes education, literacy and civic importance through journalism for children ages 9-13 (8 million downloads a year).

One of Althea’s initiatives has been nationally recognized by The White House, The Kidscoop Foundation( 2010). Another initiative, Youth Business America ( 2008), was funded by the Clinton Global Initiative the first year it was established.

Prior to creating The Althea Foundation, Alexsis worked as Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President at Commerce One where she had global responsibility for marketing and corporate strategy. She spent 13 years with Shell International Ltd. and Royal Dutch Shell in London and Holland in various management position including; Director of Mergers and Acquisitions, Senior Treasury Advisor and Investment Manager in the Shell Pension Fund, Holland. In these roles she developed an expertise in M&A, finance, treasury, international investing, operations management and venture capital. Before joining Shell, Alexsis worked for the investment-banking firm, Kidder Peabody in London and Boston as an Institutional Investment Advisor.


Education:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) M.S., Erasmus University, Holland, M.B.A.
University of Texas at Austin, B.A.

Board Positions:
Osher Center for Integrative Medicine University of California Medical School, San Francisco
International Business Leaders Forum (UK)
Astia - Women in Technology and Life Sciences (US & European Advisory Council)
Youth Business America

Distinctions:
Scotland Yard Commendation 2007, Astia Inspiring Woman Award 2008