In conversation with Michele Romanow

Last week, I was delighted to host Clearbanc co-founder and serial entrepreneur, Michele Romanow, for a virtual Q&A with Manulife’s global leadership team.  

Here are 3 key takeaways and how they relate to our journey.

1. Customer expectations are changing faster than ever before, and we need to be relentless about their experience.

In large organizations, it’s easy to spend a lot of time on fixing internal processes when really, it’s critical for us to continuously focus on the customer experience and the products we provide. Every day our teams are focused on how to provide our customers with new and innovative solutions to make their lives better. 

2. Artificial Intelligence reinforces the value of non-biased decision making.

In the last two years, Clearbanc has invested in 8 times more women than the venture capital industry average. The company has also invested in entrepreneurs in all 50 states in the US and all provinces in Canada. In comparison, across 2019, 80% of total venture capital dollars were deployed in four states – New York, California, Texas, and Massachusetts.

Using data to challenge our assumptions will create new growth opportunities and improve decision making. More importantly, it will remove bias to create more diverse and inclusive platforms and workplaces.

3. Anyone can learn to be tenacious.

Experiencing failure is a certainty in any business, but it’s how you react to it that counts. A lot of people will hang up their gloves and give up when they confront failure, but those who find the grit and determination to persevere often end up winning. Taking ideas through an iterative cycle of failures and successes is what fuels innovation and disruption. 

Michele is an incredibly passionate, energetic and optimistic person. I wish her and the team all the best as they continue to change the face of venture capital. 

Roy