The Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Lilie) at Rice University is proud to announce the appointment of Sandy Guitar to its advisory board. Guitar is a highly respected leader in the venture and private equity worlds, bringing decades of experience in early stage investing, strategic growth and founder support to advance Lilie’s mission of empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs at Rice.
“Sandy’s deep expertise in venture capital and her commitment to accelerating entrepreneurial ecosystems make her an exceptional addition to our board,” said Kyle Judah, executive director of Lilie. “She’s a brilliant strategic mind but also carries an extraordinary passion for mentoring students, supporting founders and catalyzing the future of innovation in Houston and beyond.”
Guitar’s appointment strengthens Lilie’s ability to bridge the Rice campus with the broader venture capital and startup ecosystems both in Houston and nationally, creating the connective tissue to pave pathways for student entrepreneurs from campus to the community. Her insights will help guide the continued strategic growth of Lilie’s academic and co-curricular programs, including the Summer Venture Studio accelerator and Innovation Fellows research commercialization programs, to expand resources for Rice student and alumni founders and further elevate Rice’s status as a national leader in entrepreneurship and commercialization.
Guitar is the co-founder and managing director of Weathergage Capital, a Silicon Valley-founded venture capital firm with over $1 billion under management that produces superior returns for institutional investors. Guitar was also a general partner and managing director of the HX Venture Fund, a venture capital fund-of-funds fueling the innovation ecosystem in Houston by connecting leading venture capital firms to promising founders and high-potential startups. Additionally, Guitar sits on the board of regents for her alma mater, the University of the South, and is the chair for the investment committee that oversees the university’s endowment. She is also the founder and active member of a supportive network of women investors, Houston Women in Venture Capital.
“I’m honored to join the Lilie advisory board and support the incredible work being done to cultivate entrepreneurial talent at Rice,” Guitar said. “I believe in the power of entrepreneurship to transform lives and communities, and I’m excited to help Lilie and Rice grow their impact.”
For more information about Lilie and its mission to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs, visit entrepreneurship.rice.edu