# Bobby Franklin

> Bobby Franklin is president and CEO of the National Venture Capital Association, a role he has held since September 2013. An Arkansas finance graduate who came to Washington for a six-week Capitol Hill internship, he worked for Senator David Pryor, represented land-grant universities, and held government affairs and leadership roles at Alltel and CTIA before joining NVCA. His work combines startup policy advocacy with support for venture education and access through Venture Forward.

- **Role:** President & CEO at National Venture Capital Association
- **Organizations:** National Venture Capital Association, Venture Forward, CTIA - The Wireless Association, Alltel, Office of Senator David Pryor
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Finance and Banking, University of Arkansas
- **Known for:** Led NVCA as President and CEO since September 2013., Helped lead the 2020 public launch of Venture Forward to support venture education, inclusion, research and history., At CTIA, helped manage a $58 million budget and 90 employees, according to his 2019 biography.

## Career timeline

- **1989** — Graduated from the University of Arkansas; his account describes a subsequent six-week Capitol Hill internship that led to a Washington career.
- **—** — Worked in Senator David Pryor’s office and on matters involving Senate Agriculture, Finance and Governmental Affairs committees.
- **—** — Spent a year and a half as a consultant representing land-grant colleges and universities.
- **1998** — Joined Alltel as Vice President of Federal Legislative Affairs; later became Vice President of Federal Government Affairs and head of its Washington office.
- **Before 2013** — Spent ten years at CTIA, serving as Vice President of Government Affairs and then Executive Vice President under Steve Largent.
- **2013-09** — Became President and CEO of NVCA.
- **2020-06** — NVCA publicly launched supporting nonprofit Venture Forward on June 16.

## Achievements

- Led NVCA as President and CEO since September 2013.
- Helped lead the 2020 public launch of Venture Forward to support venture education, inclusion, research and history.
- At CTIA, helped manage a $58 million budget and 90 employees, according to his 2019 biography.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Listed as a scheduled speaker, alongside Benchmark’s Jill Jarrett, at the October 14-15 NVCA Strategic Operations & Policy Summit; this event is upcoming as of October 10.
- **2026-05** — His Corporate Venturing Insider interview with Nicolas Sauvage was released as a podcast episode on May 21; recorded March 18, it covered exits, corporate venture capital and AI policy.
- **2026-04** — NVCA published its 2026 Yearbook, including its 2025 review and a Nasdaq photograph featuring Franklin, Aziz Gilani, Shauntel Garvey and John Neis.

## Links

- Website: https://nvca.org/team-members/bobby-franklin/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bfranklindc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/bobby-franklin
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-10