About me
Y. Elaine Rasmussen is a on-air personality, futurist and change agent who has consulted with over 400 small business owners of color through her no-nonsense approach and to the entrepreneurship across Minnesota. Elaine also worked with Fortune 500 companies and is most noted for building courageous leaders grounded in equity. With over 5,000 hours of crisis management and mediation, Elaine uses her experience to support women leaders in developing healthy boundaries that bring more joy into their life using AI-based tools.
Rasmussen is the founder & CEO of ConnectUP Institute, a social finance and enterprise development studio located in Saint Paul. https://linktr.ee/ConnectUPInstitute
Rasmussen holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and international business and a master’s degree in conflict analysis and resolution. In addition, she is a MN Black Collective, Cordes Fellow and RSF Social Finance Integrated Capital Fellow, where her Integrated Capital Fund project was named a MetLife Foundation Inclusion Competition semi-finalist. Rasmussen was featured in Fearless Commerce, Bold Journey, and Finance & Commerce Magazines and received the 2025 Radical Leadership Award for her work on impact investing & economic development. For 25 years, she has proven her capacity for compassion, growth, and action through her work in mainstreaming impact investing, business development, and creating the first of its kind event the ConnectUP! MN Summit (www.connectupmn.org) which promotes and grows inclusive and equitable entrepreneur ecosystems that drive positive, sustainable social impact grounded in economic justice.
Check out her podcast: Do Different Better
website: www.dodifferentbetter.com
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dodifferentbetter
She enjoys serving her community by serving on public and private boards such as Opus Group and Swift Foundation.
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