NO. 4 DRAFT PICK
Ann Williams Alvez
College: Texas Business School, University of Texas at Austin
Age: 33
Hometown: Tucson, Ariz.
Other Degrees: Master of public affairs, LBJ School, UT Austin, 2000; B.A. in linguistics, Stanford University (dossier), 1989
E-mail: amwa@onebox.com
Web Site: www.bus.utexas.edu
RESUME AT A GLANCE
Before Williams Alvez started evaluating business plans for SSM Ventures, an Austin, Texas, venture capital firm with $160 million under management, she consulted for local Internet startups while at business school. But it's her former life in the nonprofit sector - as assistant program director for a Corporation for National Service program - that taught her the most valuable lesson in the Internet industry: Make the money last.
HOOP DREAMS
With a wealth of experience in Latin America - from consulting to the director of strategic initiatives in Motorola (MOT)'s Latin American trade division to teaching in Lima, Peru, when the country was under attack from Shining Path guerrillas - Williams Alvez is ready to work for an Internet company looking to capitalize on Latin America. "I think the Internet is applicable to Latin America in terms of connecting people and in terms of getting people access to goods and services that they wouldn't normally be able to access," she says.
That's why you won't find her working at any company that describes itself as a "play." She thinks such language "implies their company is just that - a play or gamble instead of a solid innovation to serve a compelling customer need."
The worst business model she's ever heard of is paying people to track their behavior online: "Who subscribes? Poor students, Internet junkies or people willing to sell their privacy for a few free CDs."
THE JUDGES SAY
"She differentiates herself by having identified a trend early on and making gutsy career moves," says Cheryl Eisen.
Rating: 7
Salary: $87,500
