SSM

According to the American Bar Association, women made up 50.31% of law firm associates but only 23.7% of equity partners in multi-tier law firms. Female partners of color still stand at less than 5%.[Source:?https://lnkd.in/g3iDXpqz] As a law firm founder, woman of color, and a first generation lawyer, I was beyond thrilled to moderate Santa Clara County Bar Association's "Women in Law: Retaining and Promoting Diverse Leadership" panel in celebration of Women's History Month 2025. The 2025 national theme, “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations", highlights the essential role of women as educators, mentors, and leaders. Thank you to Sandra Sepulveda of Berliner Cohen, LLP, Tamara Pow, Business & Real Estate Lawyer of Strategy Law, LLP, Monique Jewett-Brewster of Lathrop GPM LLP, and Nora Frimann of the Office of the San Jose City Attorney for sharing your wisdom and knowledge in line with this year's Women's History Month theme, and thank you to Hilary Weddell of McManis Faulkner for generously hosting us.

Happy International Women’s Day from Stanford Entrepreneurs’ DiscovHer event hosted by 500 Global and Unusual Ventures. Thank you to Stanford Alumni Association Women’s Impact Network Board Member Sophie R. for inviting me to speak on the topic of “Breaking Barriers, Building Futures, How Women Can Redefine Power and Innovation in Silicon Valley” alongside my co-panelists Jenny Xiao of Leonis Capital and Hila Lauterbach of 10x GTM. It was great to speak about my journey cofounding SSM as well as hear about the journeys of my co-panelists as well — as female founders, even across disciplines, some experiences are the still the same. Congratulations to Sophie R. and Alec Walker on a great event, and thank you to Antonia Fore for joining in on the fun!

Thank you to Stanford Entrepreneurs’ Nabila Elassar for inviting me (SSM) to deliver the keynote on venture capital for AI companies at today’s AI For Good Startup Fundraising Conference. It felt great to be back at my alma mater with other Stanford alumni, entrepreneurs, and VCs on campus. Link to PP: https://lnkd.in/gVTiUwa8

Expanding into the US? Structure matters. It can be the difference between unlocking #capital—or getting #stuck. ?? Big thanks to Annika Ahonala at Sand Hill Marketing for hosting at Nordic Innovation House - Silicon Valley and to Lindsey Mignano at SSM for getting my head back into spinning after my 3 day vacay at The Brando last week, and get into this convo alongside amazing peers Anish Srivastava at Swisscom Ventures and Zamir Shukho, MBA at Vibranium Venture Capital. Some key takeaways on What #ForeignFounders Need to Know: ?? #Subsidiary or #Flip? Do you really need to flip into a Delaware C-Corp? Or can a subsidiary work? It depends—on your #investors, #customers, and long-term #vision. Ping Lindsey for the legal side, but if you know the US is your market, start here already if you can. ?? Navigating US Venture Capital from family offices to corporate VCs, understanding who invests (and when) is everything. Early-stage? Do your KYC, get to know smart #angels, and jump into an accelerator that brings real value—investor networks, warm intros, and #founderscommunity. ?? #AI: Hype vs. Reality Investors are shifting—revenue-generating AI is in, hype is out. With #agenticAI moving fast, some solutions are becoming obsolete right now. Stay ahead, or get left behind. ?? Sales vs. Fundraising Smart founders use early sales and #LOIs as leverage. Your first US customers don’t need to be the biggest (logo)—just the ones who prove your #model works. The right setup = better funding, faster traction. What’s been your biggest challenge breaking into the US? ???? Power of network : meeting new folks, and seeing friends Sylvia Flores Calina Thompson Max Gylling Nicholas Gordon May Roen Agneta Rosenberg #VentureCapital #Startups #GlobalExpansion #Fundraising #ForeignFounders #DiverseFounders #SiliconValley

Big thanks to Annika Ahonala of Sand Hill Marketing for hosting us at tonight’s panel and happy hour event, “Flipping for Financing: Corporate Reorganizations for Venture in the US” at Nordic Innovation House - Silicon Valley. It is always great to speak alongside (and learn from!) Anish Srivastava of Swisscom Ventures, Jessica Vaitiare CHIN FOO of Manos Capital, and Zamir Shukho, MBA of Vibranium Venture Capital. For those in attendance, I’ll be in Palo Alto again this week to deliver the key note on VC financing for early stage AI companies at "AI for Good Startup Fundraising: Insights, Best Practices, and Live Pitch" at Stanford University. Join in on the fun: https://lu.ma/8ign9bjs

?Don’t miss this super-panel next week! ? In-house attorneys from Meta, OpenAI, and eBay along with experienced outside counsel from Redgrave LLP and SSM sharing all the latest updates and best practices to enable you to confidently advise clients on their use of AI. Register here: https://bit.ly/40RnFas Thanks to our Barristers Club Intellectual Property & Internet Law section leadership for hosting another timely program. Brennan Gamwell, Esq. Michael Hewitt Gabrielle Sullera Ashar Philson Angela Garcia Grace Davis Fisher Andrea Cristiani Also much appreciation to Barristers Board officer Kevin Benedicto for moderating and to our accomplished panelists: Ernest Hammond III Ashley Pantuliano Nadim Hegazi Phil Omorogbe

Targeting the U.S. market? Do you know what companies seeking funding in the U.S. should consider when setting up their business? Join us on February 24 to hear top VCs Anish Srivastava (Swisscom Ventures), Jessica Vaitiare CHIN FOO (Manos Capital), Zamir Shukho, (Vibranium Venture Capital), and Lindsey Mignano, a co-counder and legal expert at SSM, share their insights on the topic and reflect on the latest trends in the Silicon Valley VC market. ? Only a few seats left at Nordic Innovation House, Palo Alto - or join us virtually from anywhere! ?? Secure your spot now: bit.ly/3EDuZz6

Very excited for this panel! Register now!

Looking forward to the panel. Thank you Annika Ahonala and Lindsey Mignano for the opportunity.

?? Global AI Pitch Summit 2025 Recap - Lindsey Mignano (SSM) ?? At the Global AI Pitch Summit in Silicon Valley, the Bay Area Founders Club featured an inspiring keynote on?"Identifying and Investing in AI-Native Startups."?The session was led by Lindsey Mignano, Co-Chair of the Stanford Alumni Association Women’s Impact Network and Co-Founder of SSM. She shared key insights on how venture capital is evolving in the AI space. Mignano highlighted a major shift in AI investing. Investors now prefer AI-native startups, meaning companies that build AI into their core business, not just as a feature. This reflects AI’s growing role in transforming industries. She also broke down what VCs look for in AI startups. Key factors include: Unique AI technology, Scalability, and Market impact. She emphasized that winning AI startups truly understand both the tech and the industry problems they aim to solve. Mignano also stressed the importance of a strong founding team. Investors favor teams with a blend of AI expertise, domain knowledge, and business acumen. This mix is essential for building and scaling an AI-driven company. Her final advice? Focus on real value, not AI hype. The best AI startups solve real problems in new and innovative ways. This session offered valuable takeaways for entrepreneurs and investors, reinforcing the Bay Area Founders Club’s mission to drive innovation and knowledge-sharing in tech. What AI-native startup areas do you think will thrive in the coming years? Drop your thoughts below! #AIStartups #VentureCapital #Innovation #TechInvestment #ArtificialIntelligence #StartupFunding #BayAreaFoundersClub