[5] Finney first made her mark as a tech entrepreneur when she sold “The Budget Fashionista” after running the site-turned-media company for 11 years.

[7] Finney's pioneering leadership in creating diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystems has been recognized by press outlets including The Wall Street Journal,[8] Forbes,[9] USA Today,[10] Marie Claire,[11] and Vanity Fair.

[12] She was named a recipient of PayPal’s inaugural Maggie Lena Walker Award,[13] which recognizes and celebrates women who have created opportunities for economic advancement in underserved communities.

In 2003, Finney launched her financial fashion blog, The Budget Fashionista, where she successfully helped to shape the influencer space to what it is today.

Greenhouse invests into three main areas: Restructuring the flow of capital in Black communities, building healthy environments, and fostering connectivity and belonging.

In 2022, Finney released her second book, Build the Damn Thing, a guide for under-resourced founders on starting a successful business.

[33] In April 2020, Kathryn founded The Doonie Fund, which is named after her grandmother, with a $10,000 personal donation to support Black women entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 crisis.

[39] The report was covered by several major business and tech publications for shining a spotlight on the untold story about women of color founders and their startup journey.

[44] Finney started "The Budget Fashionista," in April 2003 as a hobby before turning it into a media company and full-time career in June 2004.

[48] Finney is considered a social media icon and pioneer,[49] having earned the monikers of "master of cheap chic"[50] and "Scheherazade of the sales rack.

[57] In March 2021, she was named a recipient of PayPal’s inaugural Maggie Lena Walker Award,[13] which recognizes the achievements of underrepresented women who have blazed new paths in their industries.

Finney is also a Falk Marques Group “Rising Star Award” winner as well as a fellow of numerous institutions, including Eisenhower, French-American Foundation, and Echoing Green.

In 2021, Finney was appointed by FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks to serve on the DOER (Digital Opportunity Equity Recognition) Advisory Board.

She serves on the board of PRI International[71]–a global non-profit media company focused on the intersection of journalism and engagement to effect positive change in people's lives.

She has also served as an advisor for All Star Code, an organization focused on developing technical talent in young Black men, and MentorMe Inc., an SaaS based mentorship platform.

Finney is on the U.N. Goalkeepers' Advisory Group, a global collective of collaborative and diverse changemakers led by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

[72] The Goalkeepers is a community dedicated to achieving the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development, an ambitious blueprint for reimagining a better future for all by 2030, agreed upon by member states of the U.N. [73] Finney is credited with coining several major shopping and internet marketing terms, including "The Budget Fashionista"; the term "Love what you buy and buy what you love," meaning that shoppers should focus on purchasing items that make them feel and look great; and "blogroots," which is a term meaning to aggressively market a product, book, or idea through networking with blogs.