Denise founded ApplePie Capital to create a new, more efficient source of capital for franchise businesses. As CEO and Chairman of ApplePie, she has raised over $45 million in equity and overseen loan originations of over $1.6 billion to franchisees across the United States.
Denise has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience in business and market strategy development. Her public and private company expertise spans the financial services, technology, healthcare, hospitality and online services industries, and she has led companies backed by leading venture capital firms, including QED Investors, Kleiner Perkins, Mohr Davidow and Sequoia Capital.
Denise has founded three other companies, and held executive and management positions with SharesPost, Healthiest You, Navigenics, LesConcierges, OffRoad Capital, Onyx Microcomputer, Post Communications, Kao Infosystems, and National Semiconductor.
She has been a guest lecturer at both the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley.