Nominee Name: Outstanding Tech CEO Award: Kristen Sonday, Paladin
Award category:Outstanding Tech CEO
About the nominee:Kristen Sonday is the Co-Founder and CEO of Paladin, whose mission is to increase access to justice by helping legal teams run more efficient pro bono programs. In her role, she works with AmLaw200 firms, Fortune 500 in-house teams, and bar associations to increase pro bono engagement while decreasing administrative costs. In addition, Kristen currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Legal Services Corporation’s Emerging Leaders Council, working to highlight the value of legal aid in the United States.
Prior to Paladin, Kristen worked on international criminal matters for the U.S. Department of Justice and served on the founding team of a New York City-based tech start-up. As a result of her work to close the justice gap, she has been named an International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) Influential Woman in Legaltech, American Bar Association (ABA) Woman in Legal Tech to Watch, ABA Journal Legal Rebel, and FastCase50 honoree. Kristen also served as a Code2040 Entrepreneur-in-Residence, supporting Black and Latinx founders, and is a co-founder and General Partner at LongJump Ventures, which has invested in over 30 early stage Chicago-based companies since 2021.
Why they should win:Since co-founding Paladin in 2016, Kristen has become a force in the Chicago tech community. Paladin has a team of 16 and has raised over $12M in capital. Under Kristen’s leadership, Paladin’s mission to empower legal teams worldwide to serve more people in need has led to first-of-their kind portals for global disaster relief and relief efforts for Ukrainians affected by the war.
As one of two Latina founders in Chicago to have raised over $1m in VC funding, she’s committed to paying her success forward and works tirelessly to expand the opportunities of those coming after her. serving as a committed mentor within the ecosystem and co-founder/General Partner at LongJump, where she has led investments in a number of sectors including women’s health, web3 and GovTech.