Zoë Barry

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• FULL BIO: Zoë Barry

   

  Zoë Barry discovered racing as an adult through venture capitalist track days, transforming from tech entrepreneur to pioneering female racer who co-founded DART Car Team to merge motorsports with art and female empowerment.

  EARLY YEARS

  Barry’s first taste of speed came from her father, who let her drive at over 100 mph at a young age. Her mother’s preference for the gas pedal over the brake planted early seeds, though Barry didn’t realize women could be professional race car drivers until much later. Unlike many professional drivers who start karting as children, she took a decidedly unconventional path to the track, attending Columbia University and building a successful business career before ever considering racing seriously.

  OTHER INTERESTS

  Beyond racing, Barry is a serial entrepreneur and tech innovator. She founded digital health startup ZappRx, which raised over $42 million in venture funding, and later co-founded Hide Supply Inc in 2023, focusing on sustainable leather products. She serves as an angel investor and advisor to multiple women-led startups including FutureFuel and ianacare. When she’s not on the track or building companies, you’ll find her skiing the slopes in Colorado. Her DART Car team reflects her passion for contemporary art, collaborating with artist Mickalene Thomas on custom car wraps and helmets that blur the lines between motorsports and fine art.

  EARLY SUCCESS

  Barry’s racing journey began when she was invited to venture capitalist track day events—initially because she was a woman, not for her business credentials, which “really annoyed” her. That annoyance turned into determination. She bought a race car, took lessons at Monticello Motor Club, and dove into club racing. The transition from complete novice to competitive racer happened quickly, though she admits to battling major impostor syndrome early on. Her athletic background helped, but learning racecraft as an adult meant catching up to drivers who’d been racing since childhood.

  NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

  • RECENT: Multiple podium finishes nationally in Porsche GT4 Challenge
  • RECENT: First woman to podium in International GT (IGT) series
  • RECENT: Won Apex Award for most passes at Circuit of the Americas
  • 2025: Co-founded DART Car Team, debuting at Sonoma Raceway
  • 2025: Racing custom McLaren Artura GT4 in GT World Challenge America

  INSPIRATIONS

  Barry credits her mother’s fearless driving style as an early influence, though she didn’t connect it to racing until meeting Aurora Straus, who became both inspiration and business partner. Straus helped Barry realize that racing could be a serious career path, not just a hobby. Her motivation stems from a desire to prove that “the car doesn’t know the difference” between male and female drivers, and that there’s “nothing physiologically barring us from competing against men on equal footing.” Rather than shying away from femininity like some female racers, she deliberately embraces “feminine colors, pinks and reds” through DART’s artistic collaborations.

  REPUTATION

  Barry is regarded as a pioneering force who’s reshaping how female racers present themselves in motorsports. Her combination of fierce competitive drive and unapologetic embrace of feminine aesthetics has earned respect in racing circles and media coverage focused on breaking gender norms. She’s known for her racecraft—those podiums and passing awards don’t come from luck—and for her leadership in supporting other women in racing and business. Her advocacy work and angel investing in female-founded startups has established her as a mentor figure, though she’s careful to help the next generation avoid the impostor syndrome that plagued her early racing career.

  FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

  As CEO and co-founder of DART Car Team, Barry is focused on expanding the intersection of motorsports, art, and culture while continuing to compete at national and international levels in GT racing series. The team’s mission includes funding and developing the “next generation” of female racers, moving beyond just breaking barriers to actively building pathways for other women. Based in Miami Beach, she’s balancing her racing ambitions with growing her sustainability-focused business ventures, though she’s shown no signs of slowing down on either the track or in the boardroom.

  References:

  KTVU News Interview
  Nantucket Magazine Profile
  The Network Business Feature
  XX Angels Entrepreneur Spotlight
  Spin Magazine Racing Coverage