Venture:F

This week we bring to you a special year-end wrap-up joint episode with fellow podcast host Marcia Dawood of the Angel Next Door Podcast and author of Do Good While Doing Well. We had a great conversation reflecting on everything 2024 had to offer, the inspiring guests, the lessons learned, and the topics that resonated with our listeners. From game-changing conversations with leading experts, investors, founders and change-makers to surprising behind the scenes stories. We’ve pulled back the curtain on what it really takes to create and sustain a weekly podcast. LISTEN ON APPLE https://lnkd.in/e89CkRaH LISTEN ON SPOTIFY https://lnkd.in/dvt4KZQm LISTEN ON VENTURE:F https://lnkd.in/gVhZh_Rw 2024 was a big year for Venture:F, we launched in January with a mission to help women invest in women. We’ve reached thousands of women who have told us that our bite-sized, easy-to-digest podcast episodes and our weekly newsletters that provide a skim of the latest financial and investing news have built their confidence and opened their eyes to the possibility of building wealth and investing, especially when it comes to investing in women. We hope you enjoy this episode as we look back on the year, share a few laughs, and offer a glimpse of what we have In store for 2025.

Halle Kaplan-Allen is the Director of Growth at Sydecar an innovative platform that helps you start and run your investment vehicles — so you can focus on making deals, not spreadsheets. In this conversation we talk about Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV), how to angel invest alongside other women, how SPV's help founders add more angels to the cap table, and Sydecar’s solutions for founders and fund managers. LISTEN ON APPLE https://lnkd.in/g6wntEJ5 LISTEN ON VENTURE:F https://lnkd.in/gVhZh_Rw

Kimberly Smith is the Chief Capital Formation Officer of Andalusian Credit Partners a solutions-oriented middle market direct lending platform. In this conversation we discuss private capital versus private equity, building opportunity and access to dealflow, women in private capital and finance, and why diverse leadership is important in finance. LISTEN ON APPLE https://lnkd.in/gtqwEQj4 LISTEN ON SPOTIFY https://lnkd.in/gQHh4quW LISTEN ON VENTURE:F https://lnkd.in/geeAQ98F Kimberly was previously the Chief Capital Formation Officer at Techstars, where she led the strategy and execution of fundraising, deal sourcing, and investor relations for the global network of entrepreneurs and mentors. Prior to her role at Techstars, Kimberly was a Partner and the Director of Marketing and Investor Relations at Owl Creek Investment Management, where she managed the communication and relationships with existing and prospective investors, as well as the firm's branding and marketing initiatives. She also previously held roles at Davidson Kempner Capital Management and ABN AMRO Bank. Kimberly serves as an Honorary Trustee of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School after completing a five-year term as Chair of the Board. She is also a trustee of the Bridge Golf Foundation and Group for the East End, and serves on the advisory board of MeshEd, an EdTech company based in New York.

Marisa Warren is the Founder & Managing Partner of ALIAVIA Ventures and Founder of ELEVACAO. Marisa invests in female-founded tech startups across the U.S. and Australia. A leader in enterprise software sales at Microsoft and SAP, Marisa left the corporate world to launch ?ELEVACAO a global pre-accelerator for women tech founders. Fast forward to today and ELEVACAO has empowered 175 women across the U.S. and Australia, who have raised $120m+ and produced 5 Exits. In this episode we discuss female mentorship, why building community among women matters, and how that led Marisa to launch her fund and focus on investing in women-led ventures. LISTEN ON VENTURE:F https://lnkd.in/dfwZ4maJ LISTEN ON APPLE https://lnkd.in/dTa9gBt8 LISTEN ON SPOTIFY https://lnkd.in/dvt4KZQm Beginning her career in enterprise software sales in 2001, Marisa went on to build the Microsoft Partner Development Centre for Australia and Southeast Asia. Marisa's efforts resulted in customer acquisition targets exceeding 230% and as a result she received the Microsoft Global Best-Practice award. At SAP Australia, Marisa conceptualized and built the SAP Partner Sales Academy, a program supporting partners to source, train and deploy SAP-qualified and revenue-ready salespeople into the channel. Marisa's efforts resulted in receiving an Innovation Excellence Award for developing the SAP Sales Academy program, growing the customer base from 140 to 850 in 3 years and a 100% Sales Club Award. Marisa left big corporate in 2015 to pursue her passion for early-stage businesses. She founded ELEVACAO a global pre-accelerator for women tech founders. Fast forward to today and ELEVACAO has empowered 175 women across the U.S. and Australia, who have raised $120m+ and produced 5 Exits. In 2020, Marisa co-founded ALIAVIA Ventures, a California-based venture capital firm investing in early-stage female founders building world-changing technology companies in the United States and Australia.

Welcome to Episode #40! In this episode we chat with Jennifer Pullen and Zain Pirani about their capital advisory service Zenn Capital and how they are guiding founders and fund managers in their fundraising process. LISTEN ON APPLE https://lnkd.in/gVp-Keva LISTEN ON VENTURE:F https://lnkd.in/g2reMawe Jennifer Pullen and Zain Pirani are the co-founders of Zenn Capital a strategic partner for growth companies, providing a suite of services designed to propel success in today's dynamic business landscape. Prior to starting Zenn Capital, Jenn was the COO and CFO of Hello Bello a consumer brand and parenting platform in the natural baby care space, a company she co-founded with celebrities Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard. For 18 years prior to launching Hello Bello she was a Managing Director at Ares Management Corporation focused on investing in mid-to-large size companies across various sectors, including Consumer, Food & Beverage, Gaming, Cable, Power, and Technology. Jenn earned her Masters of Business Administration from UCLA and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Information Systems and a minor in International Relations from USC. Zain Pirani spent the last 4 years in consumer products and start-ups, most recently founding a skincare brand. Prior to pursuing entrepreneurship, she spent 14 years in finance, 11 of which were at Ares Management Corporation . During her finance career, she primarily focused on fundraising and business development across various funds (both public and private) in LA, New York and London and across strategies (Private Equity, Private Debt and Liquid Credit). Zain earned her Bachelors in Science in Finance and Management Information Systems with a minor in International studies at Boston College. Zain is also the host of her own podcast called Beti Power, which elevates women's voices across various backgrounds and cultures and brings their stories to the forefront.

Nyakio Grieco, Co-founder of thirteen lune and Founder of Relevant: Your Skin Seen is a beauty entrepreneur and advocate for clean, inclusive beauty that suits all skin types, tones, and needs. As a veteran beauty founder and trusted industry voice, Nyakio has launched two successful businesses: her award- winning brand nyakioTM, based on her family’s Kenyan roots and beauty secrets that launched in 2002, and inclusive beauty e-commerce destination, Thirteen Lune, launched with co-founder Patrick Herning in 2020. In this episode we discuss Nyakio's founder journey, the mission of Thirteen Lune as a destination for inclusive beauty, community among founders, mentorship, and more. LISTEN ON APPLE https://lnkd.in/gVZJvsEU LISTEN ON VENTURE:F https://lnkd.in/g8yGJrVQ Thirteen Lune launched as the first of its kind, e-commerce destination designed to inspire the discovery of beauty brands created by BIPOC founders that resonate with people of all colors. Thirteen Lune has since partnered with retailer JC Penney for inclusive beauty shop-in-shop locations in over 600 stores nationwide. Continuing her commitment to inclusive beauty, Nyakio created Relevant, a clean, science-led skincare brand that works for all skin tones and types. Working with top labs to ensure a diverse mix of chemists, Nyakio formulated each product with superfruits and actives in efficacious percentages to create products that truly perform. Most recently, the brand expanded into the cosmetics category with six color and complexion products. All products in the range are formulated with skincare benefits and serve and celebrate every skin tone, while hyper prioritizing consumers who have been underserved. Most recently, Nyakio Grieco has been honored with the CEW 2023 Female Founder Award, the Beauty Matter 2023 Future50 Award and included on the Inc. Magazine 2023 and 2024 Female Founders 200 List. She was recently recognized by Beauty Industry West as the 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year.

Dr. Nikki R., is the CEO of Harper Slade Advisors, WBENC Certified and Founder of the RAARE Woman Collective.??As CEO and founder of Harper Slade one of the fastest-growing and most highly recognized race, inclusion, equity, & diversity advisory firms in the country, Nikki’s work focuses on helping organizations cultivate environments where black and brown talent can thrive. Nikki also founded the RAARE Women Collective, a global coaching program for “inclined” white women who want to become better racial equity advocates in their homes, workplaces, and communities. In this episode we discuss racial inequity in the workplace, entrepreneurialism and the path to generational wealth, and the RAARE Woman Collective helping women have difficult conversations to impact positive change. LISTEN ON APPLE https://lnkd.in/gyyQpaQD LISTEN ON VENTURE:F https://lnkd.in/gNM3tqMR Nikki's commitment to advancing racial equity isn't just a career choice—it's in her DNA. Born into a family deeply rooted in the civil rights movement, Nikki's upbringing on the campus of Hampton University instilled in her a profound sense of duty to champion the rights of black communities. As a three-time Chief Human Resources Officer in both the private and public sectors and a former executive with the Federal Reserve, Nikki is a highly sought-after speaker, trainer, and thought leader on the future of work, race, and economics. She has been featured in Ebony Media, Forbes, Essence, USA Today, CNBC, PBS, Today’s Woman, Tops Magazine and countless podcasts, Nikki earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law, a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Hampton University and holds a certification in Collective Bargaining from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Laura (Bordewieck) Rippy, is a Managing Partner and Board Member at Alumni Ventures. She runs the Women's Fund, the Harvard-focused fund (The Yard Ventures), and the Dartmouth-focused fund (Green D Ventures) which she grew to be the largest fund at Alumni Ventures. Alumni Ventures is America's Largest Venture Firm for Individuals with more than 10,000 individual accredited investors investing in their funds and is considered by PitchBook to be the #1 Most Active US Venture Firm and #3 Globally with over $1.25B+ raised & more than 1,300 portfolio companies since 2014. In this episode we discuss Laura’s path to venture, including her years as a 3x CEO of a tech company and the funds she leads at Alumni Ventures. We explore the unique offering of Alumni Ventures, how they make it possible for thousands of individuals to invest in funds, and their winning investment strategy. LISTEN ON APPLE https://lnkd.in/gnPivpiR LISTEN ON VENTURE:F https://lnkd.in/gJMEAsX9 Prior to Alumni Ventures Laura was a three-time CEO, Board Member, and executive in many tech startups in Boston, Seattle, and DFW. She has previous experience at Microsoft across enterprise software and founding startup teams over seven years. Laura did strategy consulting in Germany during the economic unification of West and East Germany. Laura Rippy holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB in Government from Dartmouth College.

Jenny Just, co-founder of PEAK6 and Poker Power, is a visionary powerhouse, and one of the few self-made female billionaires in the United States. From the days of cutting her teeth on the trading floor in Chicago to now running a fintech empire, she has started and/or turned around more than fifteen companies. In this episode we discuss how she started and built PEAK6, her investment strategy,?and the work she does to help women excel personally and professionally including her goal of teaching millions of women to play poker through Poker Power. LISTEN ON APPLE https://lnkd.in/e8kNX5MR LISTEN ON VENTURE:F https://lnkd.in/egyBDPXB A few tips from Jenny: ???Understanding a range of outcomes is what’s interesting about poker ???Playing poker helps you learn to negotiate and take risks ???The key to building wealth is time. Start early. It’s better to invest yesterday than today. ???It’s important to learn how to buy and sell stock. You will fail succeed, fail succeed but then you will start to understand what’s happening in the market and it will help you to know what to ask your financial advisor when making a plan.?

Linnea Roberts is the Founder & CEO, of GingerBread Capital a venture fund launched in 2016 to build and invest in women’s entrepreneurial success and support the growing ecosystem of emerging funders who share a vision of a more equitable and inclusive landscape for female and diverse founders. Linnea, believes that women-led businesses are changing the world for the better and that they are also really smart investments that are too often overlooked and undervalued by investors. In this week’s episode Linnea Roberts shares why she launched her fund, GingerBread Capital. We talk about why who controls capital matters, why women need to take control of their finances and make their own financial decisions, why women are better investors, why investing in women is a smart strategy, and how to invest in funds and alongside funds. This is a not to be missed episode! LISTEN ON APPLE https://lnkd.in/g_nKZHWT LISTEN ON VENTURE:F https://lnkd.in/gGwf5ubb Today, GingerBread Capital has invested in more than 75 women-led startups in a variety of industries. GingerBread Capital is also a Limited Partner in more than 25 emerging venture capital funds led by women and underrepresented managers. Previously, Linnea enjoyed a 30-year career in investment banking, the latter half as a Partner in the technology sector at Goldman Sachs, where she led many a start-up from launch to IPO. She also served as Goldman’s diversity ambassador to bring more women in finance into leadership roles. Linnea has been profiled in Entrepreneur, Forbes, The Skimm, and other major media outlets. She has served as keynote speaker and featured panelist at numerous special events and conferences including The Milken Institute Global Conference, Fortune Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit, The Child Mind Institute, and Teach for America, among others. KEY TAKEAWAYS ?? Women drive 85% of consumer spending decisions and 90% of healthcare decisions ?? When 2% of the spend is going to towards 52% of the population something is off ?? Venture capital is long tail investing - its not day trading - you are in it for the long haul ?? 98% of the market has invested in predominantly male companies ?? What will ultimately change these statistics is the fear of missing out when we see some of these women monetize this over time ?? If women are 51% of our population and driving 85% of our economy shouldn’t at least half of our wealth be managed by women? ?? A lot of women are investment curious but don’t know where to start ??Know your worth and know your wealth ?? 62% of women when they inherit wealth through the loss of a spouse change their wealth advisor because they’ve never been spoken to or included in the conversation ??It's never too late to be in charge of your finances and start investing Thanks to our partners at All Places for your support of Venture:F! Our partners enable us to do the work we do. Discover ways to support us at https://www.venturef.com.