Shows
Female VC LabE117: Kristina Chapple: 11 Tribes VCDiscover the Human Side of Venture Capital: Why Founder Wellbeing is the Next Big Thing
What if the real secret to startup success isn’t just the business model—but the wellbeing of the founders behind it? In this episode of the Female VC Lab podcast, host Barbara Bickham sits down with Kristina Chapple, General Partner at 11 Tribes Ventures, for a refreshingly honest look at what it really takes to build companies that thrive for the long haul. Kristina shares how 11 Tribes is shaking up the venture world by putting founder health, relationships, and resilience at the hear...
2025-09-1917 min
Female VC LabE116: Eva Yazhari: Beyond Capital VenturesReady to discover how venture capital can drive real impact for emerging markets—and what true leadership looks like in the investment world? In this episode of Female VC Lab, host Barbara Bickham sits down with Eva Yazhari, Managing Partner at Beyond Capital Ventures, for an unfiltered conversation on building a mission-driven VC fund, why conscious leadership matters, and how investing in Africa and India’s rising middle classes creates incredible opportunities for transformation. Tune in to hear Eva share how she moved from finance into venture capital, her relational approach to due diligence, why formalizing informal markets like smal...
2025-07-2517 min
Female VC LabE115: Najada Kumbuli: Visa FoundationStep into the world of impact investing with this captivating episode of Female VC Lab! Host Barbara Bickham sits down with Najada Kumbuli, Vice President and Head of Investments at the Visa Foundation, for an illuminating conversation on reshaping capitalism for the greater good. Discover how Najada’s journey from communist Albania to leading global VC strategies at Visa Foundation fuels her passion for social responsibility, small business empowerment, and inclusive innovation. Find out what’s next in venture capital, why AI and emerging markets are top of mind, and get a behind-the-scenes look at how the Visa Foundation back...
2025-06-2715 min
Female VC LabE114 Erika Aquino AQUINO GLOBAL VENTURES LLCWhat does it take to be a globally minded investor in today's ever-evolving landscape? In this unmissable episode, host Barbara Bickham sits down with Erika Aquino—angel investor, strategic advisor, and head of m Squad—to dive deep into investing with purpose and heart. Erika shares her dynamic journey from boardroom legacy in The Philippines to championing women and minority-led startups worldwide. You’ll hear her sharp insights on the explosive impact of AI, why founder EQ is a make-or-break factor, and how global crises (from disaster-prone regions to food supply) are reframing what impactful investing truly means. Whether you’re...
2025-05-2312 min
Female VC LabE113: Cheryl L. Evans, JD: Lifetime Financial Security (LFS) Program of the Milken Institute’s FinanceUnlocking Lifetime Financial Security & The Future of Wealth | E113 feat. Cheryl L. Evans, JD (Milken Institute)
What does it really take to achieve lifelong financial security in a changing world? In this episode, Barbara Bickham sits down with Cheryl L. Evans, JD—Director of the Lifetime Financial Security (LFS) Program at the Milken Institute—to discuss the evolving landscape of retirement, the impact of generational wealth transfer, and why women need to be at the forefront of financial planning. Whether you’re navigating the start of your financial journey or contemplating legacy and longevity, this thought-provoking conversation is pac...
2025-05-1617 min
Female VC LabE112: Mary King: Aligned Climate Fund 2In this powerful episode of Female VC Lab, host Barbara Bickham sits down with Mary King, vice president at Aligned Climate Fund, to uncover how venture capital is accelerating the global clean energy transition. If you’re curious about the future of climate tech, energy innovation, and how investors are driving decarbonization, this episode is for you!
Mary pulls back the curtain on Aligned Climate Fund’s investment thesis: investing in companies taking real action to decarbonize our infrastructure—including clean energy, resilient infrastructure, electric transport, and sustainable land use. You’ll hear insider stories about backing geotherm...
2025-04-2512 minFemale VC LabHow Marcia Dawood Empowers Women in Venture CapitalEmpowering Women in Venture Capital: The Journey of Marcia Dawood
Marcia Dawood is not just a name in the venture capital world; she is a beacon of hope and empowerment for women entrepreneurs across the globe. As a venture partner at Mindshift Capital, Marcia's mission revolves around elevating women-led innovation in sectors that matter, such as health tech, fintech, edtech, and food tech. This blog post delves into her journey, her investment thesis, and the essential changes needed in the venture capital landscape to foster diversity and inclusion.
From Angel Investing to Venture Capital
2025-02-1410 minFemale VC LabCES 2025: What's Next for Smart Cities: AI for Data, Planning and BeyondFemale VC Lab Show Notes
Episode Title and Number: CES2025: What's Next for Smart Cities - AI for Data, Planning, and Beyond
Name of Session: What's Next for Smart Cities: AI for Data, Planning and Beyond
Date and Time: Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center North - N257
Session Description: The rise of AI-powered Smart Cities is significant. Learn from early adopters who have seen AI capabilities become notable force multipliers in our smartest cities.
Full Panel:
David Shier, Managing Director, Visionary Futur...
2025-01-1831 minFemale VC LabE108: Liz Kukka: Purpose Impact Lending FundExploring Innovative Funding Structures for Affordable Housing: Insights from Liz Kuka
Welcome back to the Female VC Lab Podcast! In our latest episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Liz Kuka, CEO of Purpose for Profit. Liz shared her unique perspective on venture capital, affordable housing, and the innovative funding structures her organization is pioneering.
Who is Liz Kuka?
Name: Elizabeth Kuka
Title: CEO
Fund: Purpose for Profit
The Motivation Behind Venture Capital
When asked what inspired her to become a venture capitalist, Liz succinctly stated, “Money makes the world go round...
2024-12-1310 minFemale VC LabE107: Julia Krieger: Pari Passu Venture PartnersEpisode E107: Julia Krieger of Pari Passu Venture Partners
Guest: Julia Krieger
Host: Barbara Bickham
Summary: In this episode of the Female VC Lab Podcast, Barbara Bickham interviews Julia Krieger, founder of Pari Passu Venture Partners. Julia shares her journey into venture capitalism, the unique structure and thesis behind her firm, and the importance of value-add investors. The conversation covers her current learnings, thoughts on future trends in venture capital, and how PariPassu aims to support founders through their innovative approach.
Key Points:
Inspiration Behind Venture Capitalism:
Julia's...
2024-12-0612 minFemale VC LabE106: Keara Sauber: Sauber CapitalWelcome back to the Female VC Lab Podcast! In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Keara Sauber, CEO of Sauber Capital. Keara shared her journey into venture capitalism, her investment thesis, and her thoughts on the future of the industry. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation.
Who is Keara Sauber?
Keara Sauber has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare and technology sectors. She began her career in big pharma, driven by a passion for making impactful changes in healthcare. Her focus areas include:
Biotech
Diagnostics
Women's health
Health and...
2024-11-0127 minFemale VC LabE105: Kt McBratney: Purpose Rounds® & Renew Venture CapitalEpisode Highlights with Kt McBratney
Welcome back to the Female VC Lab Podcast! In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Kt McBratney, a partner at Renew Venture Capital and the driving force behind Purpose Rounds. Kt shared her inspiring journey into the world of venture capital, her investment thesis, and her vision for the future of the industry.
From Journalism to Venture Capital
Kt path to becoming a venture capitalist was anything but conventional. Here are some key takeaways from her journey:
Background: Kt began her career in journalism before...
2024-10-0416 minFemale VC LabE104: Anne Gherini: SIERRA VenturesShow Notes: Episode E104 - Anne Gherini - SIERRA Ventures
Episode Summary:
In this enlightening episode of Female VC Lab, our host Barbara Bickham sits down with Anne Gherini, the CMO at Sierra Ventures, an early-stage VC firm focusing on the future of enterprise. Anne reveals her journey from being an operator to a venture capitalist, the dynamic role she plays in Sierra Ventures, and her investment thesis centered around B2B SaaS. She also shares her insights on the rapid changes in the venture capital world and the significance of go-to-market strategies.
...
2024-09-2011 minFemale VC LabE103: Katie Quilligan: BankTech VenturesShow Notes: Female VC Lab Podcast
Episode: E103 - Katie Quilligan of BankTech Ventures
Host:
- Barbara Bickham
Guest:
- Katie Quilligan, Investor at BankTech Ventures
Episode Summary:
In this insightful episode, Barbara Bickham chats with Katie Quilligan, an investor at BankTech Ventures. Katie shares her journey from the operator side at American Express to becoming a venture capitalist, driven by her passion for supporting women entrepreneurs and bridging the funding gap. She discusses BankTech Ventures' strategic focus on aiding community banks by providing innovative...
2024-08-1618 minFemale VC LabE102: Keri Findley: Tacora CapitalKeri Findley, is the founder of Tacora Capital, an Austin, Texas based firm which does asset-backed private credit to venture-owned companies. Providing loans to youngish companies is an important part of the VC ecosystem, and Keri takes pride in helping young entrepreneurs grow their startups.
2024-07-2609 minFemale VC LabE101: Corinne Bortniker: Cohen CircleCorinne Bortniker is a Director at Cohen Circle where she supports SPAC deal execution and venture capital investments. Previously, Corinne was a Vice President at Wells Fargo Securities, focused on Technology, Media, and Telecom Equity Capital Markets. She has extensive experience executing equity capital markets transactions, raising proceeds for public and private companies. Prior to Wells Fargo Securities, she was an Equity Capital Markets analyst at Cowen Inc. Corinne holds a B.A. in Business and Psychology from Brandeis University.
2024-07-1908 minFemale VC LabE100: Mary Ellen Iskenderian: Women’s World Banking Capital Partners Funds I and IIMary Ellen Iskenderian is President and CEO of Women’s World Banking, the global nonprofit devoted to giving more low-income women access to the financial tools and resources they need to achieve security and prosperity. Ms. Iskenderian has led the Women’s World Banking global team, based in New York, since 2006 and also serves on the Investment Committees of its two impact investment funds.
Previously, Ms. Iskenderian worked at the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank, and the investment bank Lehman Brothers. Ms. Iskenderian is a permanent member of the Council on Fore...
2024-06-2821 minFemale VC LabE099: Madhu Shalini Iyer: Rocketship.vcMadhu is a managing partner and co-founder of Rocketship.vc. Prior to Rocketship, she was Chief Data Officer for Gojek, contributing to its growth into a $10 billion unicorn. She served as an operating partner at a $150M PE fund building startups across Southeast Asia and was a member of Intuit’s Quickbooks Lending Platform founding team.
2024-06-2121 minFemale VC LabE098: Nicole Valentine: Milken InstituteNicole Valentine is the FinTech Director of the Center for Financial Markets at the Milken Institute with over a decade of financial services, international Mergers & Acquisitions, technology and innovation experience. She leads the FinTech Program with a focus on access to capital, financial inclusion, compliance and transparency.
2024-06-1416 minFemale VC LabE097: Michael Phillips: T.D. Jakes EnterprisesJoin us for an intriguing conversation with Michael Phillips, the dynamic Chief Operating Officer of T.D. Jakes Enterprises. Recorded live from Milken's 2024 Global Conference, Michael dives deep into their social impact venture, Goodsoil, and how it’s making waves for minority businesses. 🌍👥
5 Keys You'll Learn from This Episode
The Power of "Why":
Discover why people don’t just buy your product—they buy WHY you make it. 🧐
Common Barriers for Founders:
Learn about the three main hurdles faced by entrepreneurs: wealth, credit, and trust. 💰🔍🤝
Creating Supportive Ecosystems:
Uncover the importance of building a strong, suppor...
2024-06-0709 minFemale VC LabE096: Alice Pomponio: BrightEdgeAlice Pomponio is Vice President of Innovation and Impact Investing at American Cancer Society and Managing Director of BrightEdge —ACS’s mission-driven venture capital and impact investment arm. She’s an impact investor, social innovation entrepreneur, and patient advocate with extensive experience in life sciences and business and passion for health equity.
2024-05-3114 minFemale VC LabE095: Margot Brandenburg of Ford FoundationSeasoned entrepreneur and resource mobilizer for positive social and environmental change.
2024-05-1711 minFemale VC LabE094: Amy Hepburn: Investor Leadership NetworkIn this episode of the Female VC Lab Podcast, we're joined by Amy Hepburn, CEO of the Investor Leadership Network (ILN). Founded during the 2018 G7 summit, ILN represents 14 major institutional investors with a staggering $10 trillion in assets under management. Their focus areas include climate change, diversity, and private capital mobilization.
Amy shares her unconventional journey to finance from a background in girls' education and gender equality work. She emphasizes how aligning private capital is crucial for advancing causes she's passionate about – stating that it can help "get us across the finish line."
Discussing ve...
2024-05-0911 minFemale VC LabE093: Genia Xasis: Berkana.VCGenia Xasis is the CEO & Co-founder of Berkana.VC, a global community aimed at enhancing gender diversity in VC and tech. She assists seed and Series A companies with raising capital in MENA and is an angel investor focusing on pre-seed, female-led companies with an emphasis on impact and AI. Holds a PhD in Biochemistry.
2024-05-0209 min
Female VC LabE092: Jessica Mah: MahwayJess Mah built her first 6-figure business while still in middle school and has since created three companies that are each valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Among the companies she’s founded are inDinero, a fintech company that helps businesses manage their accounting and taxes; Astonishing Labs, is a biotech firm focused on revolutionizing human health with groundbreaking innovations; and a litigation tech company that has empowered over a thousand individuals to pursue justice, offering resources they may otherwise have been unable to access.
Jess studied computer science at U.C. Berkeley and has been featured on th...
2024-03-2120 min
Female VC LabE091: Jess Hunichen: Shine VenturesJess Hunichen and Emily Ward are the Co-Founders of the global Talent Management Agency, Shine Talent Group, founded in 2015 with offices in Los Angeles, Toronto and London. Built on the premise of collaboration over competition, Shine has grown a reputation for being an ally to both talent and brands bringing impactful campaigns and creative solutions. In 2023 Jess and Emily launched Shine Ventures as a vehicle to share their experience and invest in bold founders with potential for global reach and market disruption.
2024-03-0709 min
Female VC LabE089: Genevieve Gilbreath: Springdale VenturesGenevieve Gilbreath has been an active investor and entrepreneur in the consumer products space in Austin and globally for the last 15 years. Passionate about the success of consumer brand entrepreneurs in Austin and beyond, in 2019 Genevieve became a founding board member and was President of Naturally Austin, a non-profit supporting CPG entrepreneurs. Today, as a founding partner at Springdale, she is a champion of early-stage consumer investing, including investments in Feastables, Mr. Beast’s better-for-you snack brand, better-for-you Mac and Cheese brand GOODLES, and ready-to-drink cocktail BEATBOX which recently signed a deal with eight-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated, multi-platinum singer, songwriter, designer, and...
2024-02-1505 min
Female VC LabE090: Kristin Gunther: Revolution GrowthKristin Gunther is a Partner at Revolution Growth. Kristin brings over 15 years of experience in private equity, finance, and operations to Revolution Growth. Prior to joining Revolution, she spent five years at Perseus LLC, most recently as Vice President, where she worked with portfolio companies and management teams on growth strategies, operating and finance matters, and exit planning. She began her career as an investment banking analyst at Rothschild Inc. in New York, NY and as a research associate at CRT Capital Group in Stamford, CT. She is on the board of Scopely, serves as a board observer for Carbon...
2024-02-1508 min
Female VC LabE088: Dani Tran: KonvoyDani is an investor at Konvoy, a VC focused on the technology, infrastructure, and platforms of the gaming and interactive entertainment industries. Dani joined Konvoy's investment team in 2021 and works across the entire lifecycle from sourcing to diligence to supporting founders as a Board Observer. Prior to joining Konvoy, Dani worked for the Corporate Strategy and M&A team at Activision Blizzard and was a consultant at McKinsey & Company.
2024-01-2510 min
Female VC LabE087: Jennifer Stojkovic: Joyful VenturesJennifer is the founder of the Vegan Women Summit (VWS), a media and events platform of over 60,000 women founders, investors, and advocates. She is the author of the bestselling book The Future of Food is Female, the world’s first book focused on women in alternative protein. Jennifer is an Independent Director of Natural Order Acquisition Co, a publicly-traded company focused on sustainable protein. She built her career under Ron Conway, Founder of SV Angel. Jennifer worked as the industry’s leading lobbyist for the world’s largest tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, and Meta.
2024-01-1811 minFemale VC LabE086: Taylor Jean-Jacques: General AtlanticTaylor is a technology investor at General Atlantic where she sources deals, supports portfolio companies as a Board observer and conducts thematic research. Previously, she was a technology investment banker at J.P. Morgan. Before that, she was a software engineer at Facebook and Instagram. She is a graduate of Princeton University.
2024-01-0408 min
Female VC LabE085: Scott Sewell and Hunter Vielock: NuEnergyNuEnergy is one of the world’s leading suppliers of various high-performance lithium-ion batteries and energy storage technologies. Lithium-ion batteries as a power source are dominating in portable electronics, penetrating the EV market, and on the verge of entering the utility market for grid-energy storage. Our batteries and systems are designed to ensure maximum performance over competitors in the industry.
This is our special Formula 1 Series brought to you by F4P Foundation.
2023-12-2106 min
Female VC LabE084: Bill Wyland: Bill Wyland GalleriesBill Wyland, the driving force behind the gallery’s operations, was born in 1958 in Dearborn, Michigan. He has three brothers, Robert, Steve and Tom, and without even lifting a brush, has given the family name presence in the art world. In the late 1980’s, William A. Wyland, known to most as Bill, opened his first gallery in Hawaii in the rustic town of Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore. That gallery was a showcase of another family member, Robert Wyland, the pioneer of the marine art movement.
Art galleries and retail stores
Retail real-estate development
Builds, manages,creates, distributes and market...
2023-12-1408 minFemale VC LabE083: Mike Dinsdale, CFA: AkkadianMike Dinsdale, Managing Director, Akkadian Ventures
- During 20+ years as CFO, secured over $1.8b in financing, created 100b+ in Value, and created 3 Brands with instant recognition: DocuSign, DoorDash, and Gusto
- Angel investor in 50+ tech companies
- Co-Founder of Plum Partners SPAC Platform
- Currently a board member for various software companies and WildAid
- BS from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from McMaster University
- CFA Designation
This is our special Formula 1 Series brought to you by F4P Foundation.
2023-12-0705 min
Female VC LabE082: Jenna Bryant: Embedded VenturesCo-Founder, CEO & General Partner, Embedded Ventures // Co-Founder, KittyCAD
Jenna Bryant is Co-Founder, CEO and General Partner at Embedded Ventures, a next generation venture capital firm that takes a commercial-first approach to investing in early-stage startups with applications that can serve the Department of Defense. Jenna is also the Co-Founder of KittyCAD, the world’s first and only company to build hardware design infrastructure for the internet. KittyCAD was incubated by Embedded Ventures.
2023-11-3011 min
Female VC LabE081: Joanna Kuang: Illumen CapitalJoanna has dedicated her career to expanding access to capital in pursuit of inclusive justice for and alongside under-resourced people of color. She believes a combination of public, private, and philanthropic capital drives the most meaningful impact when coordinated towards a shared systemic goal.
Prior to Illumen Capital, Joanna advised and built capacity for local, state, and federal governments on driving taxpayer dollars towards meaningful results for overlooked and underestimated communities at Third Sector Capital Partners. She began her career at Wellington Management, defining and managing impact for the institutional asset manager's sole impact investing portfolio.
Ms. Kuang earned a...
2023-11-0221 min
Female VC LabE080: May Li: J20 VenturesMay Li is the founder and managing director of J20 Ventures, a solo woman-run VC firm investing in Zillennial markets. After starting the firm from her dorm room as a junior in 2017, she deployed Fund I straight out of college. As a first-gen AAPI woman, and a Zillennial herself, May’s unique perspective inspires her successful investment strategy.
2023-10-1915 min
Female VC LabE079: Susan Moring: Cortado VenturesSusan Moring is a Principal at Cortado Ventures, an Oklahoma City-based, early-stage VC firm. At Cortado, Susan manages all aspects of the investment process including sourcing, due diligence, and post-investment portco support. A startup enthusiast, Susan has spent her career supporting entrepreneurs and the growth of Oklahoma’s startup ecosystem.
2023-10-1214 min
Female VC LabE078: Claude de Jocas: Volition CapitalClaude is a Vice President of Volition Capital’s internet and consumer investment team. She joined Volition in 2019 and focuses on investments in e-commerce and tech-enabled services, with sector interests in digital health, telco, and consumer subscription services.
2023-09-1417 min
Female VC LabE077: Alison Ryu: Able PartnersAlison has been investing in consumer brands for nearly a decade. Prior to Able, Alison was a General Partner & Managing Director at CircleUp Growth Partners where she led investments in early stage consumer brands. Before CircleUp, Alison was a Vice President at TSG Consumer where she invested in consumer and retail brands and worked closely with the e-commerce investments in their portfolio. She spent a year as an operator on the executive team of Backcountry.com, one of the TSG portfolio companies. Prior to TSG, Alison worked in investment banking at J.P. Morgan in the Consumer & Retail Group. Alison...
2023-06-2915 min
Female VC LabE076: Marcus Glover: Lockstep VenturesMarcus Glover is the Co-founder and Managing Director of Lockstep Ventures, a venture capital firm that seeks to address issues that perpetuate racial inequality in the U.S.
Marcus has a mission to reimagine equity for Black America and is dedicated to investing and advising Black and women-led companies that are often overlooked, underfunded and underserved. As a leader of Lockstep Ventures, he has turned his passion into meaningful change while also inspiring and empowering a systematic shift in tandem with delivering investor returns.
In addition to his work with Lockstep Ventures, Marcus serves on the National Board of Directors...
2023-06-0819 min
Female VC LabE075: Cheryl Evans: Milken InstituteCheryl Evans is a Director in MI Finance at the Milken Institute. She leads the new Lifetime Financial Security Program. Evans is an attorney and has worked in securities, finance, and business. She worked for 10 years at CFA Institute developing content, helping to lead their Future of Finance global initiative, and working in their Enforcement area. She was at Pensions & Investments magazine briefly. Evans spent 11 years at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission working in Enforcement, and also in Trading and Markets and in Examinations. She was a part of the WorldCom team. She spent a number of years...
2023-06-0118 minFemale VC LabE074: Kim T. Folsom: Founders First Capital PartnersA high-tech executive and serial entrepreneur who has been founding, leading and growing innovative companies for more than 25 years. Kim Folsom is the founder of Founders First Community Development Corporation (fka. LIFT Development Enterprises, Inc, small business growth accelerator, and founder and CEO of Founders First Capital Partners, the largest minority and women owned direct investor of revenue-based funding and advisory support, as well as FUUUSE.CMNTY.com the first online community for fueling underserved small business expansion. Our mission to is to fund and growth and advocate for diverse founder led, underserved, revenue-generating employer-based micro small businesses ($50K to $5...
2023-05-2503 min
Female VC LabE073: Olivia Steedman: Teachers' Venture GrowthOlivia is Global Head of Teachers' Venture Growth (TVG). Olivia has led TVG since it was formed in 2019 and was previously a Managing Director in OTPP's Infrastructure team. She began her career as a project engineer.
2023-05-1807 min
Female VC LabE072: Melanie Jordan: Volition CapitalMelanie is a Vice President at Volition Capital who works on the software team. Prior to Volition, she worked as a technology investor at Summit Partners and began her career as an investment banking analyst at Aeris Partners. She graduated from Babson College with a BS in Business Management.
2023-05-1105 minFemale VC LabE071: Aneesha Raghunathan: Susquehanna Growth Equity (SGE)Aneesha is an investor at Susquehanna Growth Equity (SGE) focusing on data, enterprise software and has industry expertise across fintech and healthcare. Previously, Aneesha was a Venture Capital investor at Bessemer Venture Partners and a Private Equity investor at TA Associates. She also spent time as an Operator-in-Residence at Alleycorp, where she worked with Founders/CEOs on key operational growth initiatives. Aneesha graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business
2023-05-0409 min
Female VC LabE070: Kimberley Nixon: Open Venture CapitalKimberley is Founder and Managing Partner at Open Venture Capital (OVC), an early stage, consumer venture capital fund. The fund invests in health and wellness brands that have the ability to expand from product to platform via a unique product, marketing and/or community engagement approach. Open Venture Capital began as Open Venture Studio, and for several founders we continue to invest time and expertise to help build a clear value proposition and a path to scalability before investing capital.
2023-04-2708 min
Female VC LabE069: Kulika Weizman: Creative VenturesKulika Weizman is a principal at Creative Ventures. She leverages her operational experience as a synbio co-founder & CEO and her scientific expertise to lead investments in early-stage deep tech companies solving humanity’s most critical crises: rising healthcare costs, climate change, and labor shortages.
2023-04-2014 min
Female VC LabE068: Saaya Nath: Jump CapitalSaaya Nath is a Partner at Jump Capital. She joined Jump Capital in 2020 and leads new venture capital investment opportunities. Prior to joining Jump, Saaya worked as a strategy consultant at Boston Consulting Group, where she spent time in the Private Equity practice and across a variety of strategy and operations projects. Saaya attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, earning a BS in Computer Engineering. Her areas of focus include Creator economy, Future of Work, Enterprise Education, Web3 and Future of Commerce.
2023-02-2308 minFemale VC LabE067: Tasneem Dohadwala: Excelestar VenturesTasneem Dohadwala is the Founding Partner of Excelestar Ventures. Some of her notable investments include Augmenix (acq. by Boston Scientific), nVision (acq. by Boston Scientific), Conformal Medical, and Brixton Biosciences. Tasneem is also a Managing Partner of Golden Seeds, and has always been excited to further women leadership in business.
2023-02-1608 min
Female VC LabE066: Ashley Aydin: Vamos VenturesAshley is a Principal at VamosVentures. She started her career at Morgan Stanley in Capital Markets and moved into strategic roles at Shoptiques.com, Saks Fifth Avenue and Estee Lauder. She was previously an investor at Brand Foundry Ventures, Founders Factory and Dorm Room Fund. Ashley holds a BA from Brown University and an MBA from MIT Sloan.
2023-01-1917 min
Female VC LabE065: Cecilia Lenk: Netcapital Inc.Dr. Cecilia Lenk, CEO of Netcapital Inc., built Netcapital on the commitment to bring awareness and provide guidance to underrepresented founders including women and minorities, through its funding portal and advisory services. Cecilia is an entrepreneur truly passionate about women’s access to careers in finance and technology, two of the largest industries lacking diversity.
Cecilia’s mission is to empower innovators and entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds to be successful in their own endeavors to provide solutions. She wants to help facilitate this by leveling the playing field for access to capital and strategic resources to create more inclusive capitalism.
2022-12-1510 min
Female VC LabE064: Lisa Feria: Stray Dog CapitalLisa Feria is the CEO and Managing Partner of Stray Dog Capital, one of the most prolific and well-recognized venture capital funds in the plant-based market. With more than 45 investments in the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Israel, and New Zealand, Stray Dog Capital invests in early-stage food, food-tech, and biotech companies that will transform our food system. Lisa brings more than 20 years of experience in food operations and consumer packaged goods and led billion-dollar brands in multinational companies such as Procter & Gamble and General Mills. Lisa has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BS in Chemical...
2022-12-0808 min
Female VC LabE063: Dr. Oksana Malysheva: Sputnik ATXDr. Oksana Malysheva is the Managing Partner/CEO of Sputnik ATX. Dr. Malysheva previously held top strategic roles at McKinsey and Motorola, and holds a PhD in Physics. She is committed to fueling social innovation solutions, her mission is to create positive social change through education, technology and innovation.
2022-10-2715 minFemale VC LabE062: David Rubenstein: The Carlyle GroupDavid M. Rubenstein is the New York Times bestselling author of How to Lead, The American Experiment, and The American Story. He is cofounder and cochairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful private equity firms. Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the National Gallery of Art. He is an original signer of The Giving Pledge and a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy and the MoMA’s David Rockefeller Award. The host of Bloomberg Wealth with Davi...
2022-10-1308 min
Female VC LabE061: Anna Barber: M13Anna Barber is a partner at M13, an LA-based venture capital fund investing in the future of consumer behavior, where she focuses on future of work, ecommerce infrastructure, and Web3. She is also a partner at the Fund LA and was previously the Managing Director of Techstars LA.
2022-10-0611 min
Female VC LabE060: Ba Minuzzi: UMANABa Minuzzi, CEO of UMANA, is a self-made entrepreneur who leads conscious investing and wealth management for high-net-worth celebrity clients. With UMANA, Ba is redefining wealth through purpose-driven efforts that will create a legacy for the next generation.
2022-09-0111 min
Female VC LabE059: Julie Castro Abrams: How Women InvestJulie Castro Abrams is Founder and CEO of How Women Lead, a network of 14,000+ top executive women who come together to learn, break barriers to success and make an impact. Using her extensive background as a CEO, entrepreneur, investor and sought-out leadership expert, Julie helps top executive women to harness and activate their power across all aspects of their careers and lives. She is widely recognized for her incredible ability to connect people and facilitate rich conversations that make change happen. As one of our nation’s premier visionary leaders in gender equity and justice, Julie leverages her expansive networks an...
2022-08-1115 min
Female VC LabE058: Rebecca Mitchem: Neotribe VenturesNeotribe Ventures manages nearly $450M in assets across three funds focused on early to growth-stage companies and has invested in a diverse set of companies including computational biology, enterprise security, blockchain technologies, cleantech, and more. Rebecca co-manages Ignite, Neotribe’s $90M growth-stage fund, which was recently launched in March 2022.
2022-08-0412 min
Female VC LabE057: Susan Choe: Katalyst VenturesKatalyst Ventures is a stage agnostic venture fund investing in game-changing ideas and the entrepreneurs behind them — leaders with ingenuity, grit, devotion who build companies that last. We help founders and their teams accelerate their path to market and scale their businesses by being a deep bench of operators and technologists.
2022-07-2822 min
Female VC LabE056: Alexia Lingart: CreadevCreadev is an evergreen investment firm operating worldwide, controlled by the Mulliez family, founders of one of the largest Business to Consumer retail platforms in the world. Our mission is to give access to essential goods and services such as Food, Healthcare and Sustainable Consumption to many as possible. Based in Paris, New-York, Shanghai and Nairobi, Creadev has invested over $3bn since 2002 in companies in stages ranging from venture to growth equity and buyout. In the US, we focus on VC investments in Food Tech and Ag Tech sectors from Series A to C.
2022-07-2125 min
Female VC LabE055: Edith Yeung: Race CapitalRace Capital invests, builds, and partners with exceptional founders building market-transforming companies. They work side by side with our founders as early as possible, every step of the way. They have successfully built our own companies from small to big, from nothing to IPO, and want to help others do the same.
2022-06-2312 min
Female VC LabE054: Elizabeth Galbut: SoGal VenturesSoGal Ventures is the first female-led millennial venture capital firm, with an investment focus on exceptional, diverse founding teams that have plans for global domination through tackling major consumer or healthcare problems in the U.S. and Asia. SoGal Ventures represents how far our generation has come, and how deep our impact on the world can be.
2022-06-0220 minFemale VC LabE053: Irene Arias Hofman: IDB LABIrene Arias Hofman, a Spanish national, was appointed CEO of IDB Lab, the IDB Group innovation laboratory, in January 2018. Irene leads a purpose-driven multidisciplinary team that fosters innovation for inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean. Under her direction, the lab uses tools of financing, knowledge, and connections to co-create projects and support entrepreneurship. IDB Lab looks for market-driven solutions able to transform the lives of populations that are vulnerable due to economic, social or environmental factors.
2022-05-2606 min
Female VC LabE052: Melissa Stevens: Milken InstituteMelissa Stevens is the executive director of the Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy, leading its work with individual and family philanthropists and foundations seeking to deploy their capital to make a transformative, sustainable impact. Since co-founding the Center in 2015, she has overseen the creation and execution of strategies which have influenced $1 billion in philanthropic capital, and managed the development of programs and organizations including the Melanoma Research Alliance, the largest private funder of melanoma research.
2022-05-1908 min
Female VC LabE051: Nicole Valentine: Milken InstituteNicole Valentine is the FinTech Director of the Center for Financial Markets at the Milken Institute with over a decade of financial services, international Mergers & Acquisitions, technology and innovation experience. She leads the FinTech Program with a focus on access to capital, financial inclusion, compliance and transparency.
2022-05-1207 min
Female VC LabE050: Melissa Bradley: 1863 Ventures1863 Ventures accelerates New Majority entrepreneurs from high potential to high growth by bridging entrepreneurship and racial equity.
2022-05-0505 minFemale VC LabE049: Krista Morgan: Stage FundStage is a female-led private equity fund focused on acquiring orphaned venture-backed companies who are in need of an alternative path to success.
2022-04-2809 min
Female VC LabE048: Cameron Peake: Financial Venture StudioFinancial Venture Studio is on a mission to help entrepreneurs build the world’s best fintech companies. We help early-stage startup founders get to market quickly, grow rapidly, and build an enduring market presence. Beyond capital, the firm provides operational experience, leadership support, and access to the typically closed financial services ecosystem. Learn more at http://www.finventurestudio.com/.
2022-04-2106 min
Female VC LabE047: Dina Burkitbayeva: PsyMed VenturesPsyMed Ventures is a $25m venture fund focused on cutting edge mental health treatments including psychedelic therapeutic, neurotechnology, precision psychiatry and digital therapeutics. PsyMed Ventures invests in pre-seed, seed and Series A round. A third of PsyMed's current portfolio companies are co-founded by female founders. PsyMed donates 4.19% (wink to Bicycle Day, the day LSD was invested) to indigenous communities and non-profits in psychedelics space.
2022-03-3108 min
Female VC LabE046: Lolita Taub: Ganas VenturesGanas Ventures is a traditional 506c $10M fund investing in pre-seed and seed Web 2 and Web 3 community-driven startups in the US and Latin America.
2022-03-2409 min
Female VC LabE045: Barbara Bickham: Trailyn VCTrailyn VC is an early seed stage venture fund investing in diverse deep-tech founders in the US. Trailyn VC leads and invests in areas of Blockchain, AI, AR/VR, IoT and Quantum Computing.
2022-03-0326 min
Female VC LabE044: Caroline Lewis: Rouge Women’s FundRogue Women's Fund is an early seed stage venture fund investing in women-led tech companies across the US. Rogue leads and invests in areas of consumer health tech, caring economy, experience tech, and equity tech. Rogue has a founder centric model that includes investor involvement, sharing the GP carry with founders, and providing access to performance coach and an emergency elderly and child care stipend.
2022-02-2413 minFemale VC LabE043: Annalise Dragic: Sapphire VenturesSapphire Ventures is a leading venture capital firm that partners with visionary teams and venture funds to build companies of consequence. For nearly two decades, Sapphire has been investing capital, resources and expertise in innovative startups and technology-focused venture funds around the world. With more than $6.8B in AUM across Sapphire Ventures, Sapphire Partners and Sapphire Sport, and with team members in Austin, London, Palo Alto and San Francisco, Sapphire is well-positioned to help scale companies and venture funds, elevating them to become global category leaders.
2022-02-1706 min
Female VC LabE042: Maggie Vo: Fuel Venture CapitalFuel Venture Capital is committed to propelling groundbreaking ideas into world-changing companies and democratizing access to the creative economy to shape the future of society. The firm's "founder focused, investor driven" approach is led by a core team with more than 60 years of combined experience in investment banking, wealth management, executive leadership and entrepreneurship. The fund boasts a portfolio of 31 companies based around the globe across numerous sectors, bringing positive impact to virtually all corners of our modern economy.
2021-10-2112 min
Female VC LabE041: Gale Wilkinson: Vitalize VCGale Wilkinson is the founder and Managing Partner at Vitalize, a seed fund and angel community investing in future of work + learning software. Previously, Wilkinson founded IrishAngels, one of the largest angel groups in the country. Gale has led $65M+ in early stage deals across 80+ portfolio companies. Her experience prior to VC includes founding two failed startups, consulting for new product launches with Nielsen, and strategy with Orbitz.
2021-10-1412 min
Female VC LabE040: Minnie Ingersoll: TenOneTenTenOneTen is an early stage venture fund based in LA investing in software and data companies. We are techies and like companies with technical differentiation.
2021-10-0713 minFemale VC LabE039: Courtney McCrea: Recast CapitalRecast Capital is a 100% women-owned venture capital platform that invests in and supports top-tier emerging fund managers, with a focus on diverse partnerships. The platform includes two offerings: 1) a fund investment strategy providing LPs diversified exposure to emerging managers and 2) a tuition-free educational program for GPs.
2021-09-0210 min
Female VC LabE038: Xiao Jean Chen: Venture PoleVenturePole is an AI-powered venture investment platform and venture capital firm.
Our platform is armed with smart tools like our Investment Risk Rating, that uses machine learning to predict startup survival, alongside our Valuation Calculator and Company Strength & Weakness Analysis. Our tools are unbiased and factor in the diversity surplus, as well as help startups fundraise easier and investors make better investments faster.
VenturePole is the official partner of HealthInc, the health tech accelerator of Startupbootcamp.
2021-08-2615 min
Female VC LabE037: Lavanya Bhamidipati: InHealth VenturesInHealth Ventures is a London based, health-tech focused, early stage, transatlantic fund which backs founders who are on a mission to solve painful, pervasive healthcare challenges. Through its link to the InHealth Group (the UK’s largest specialist provider of diagnostic and healthcare solutions), the team has a breadth of commercial and operational experience that allows them to support portfolio companies across R&D, go-to-market, and regulatory strategy.
2021-08-0511 min
Female VC LabE036: Rosie Rios: Unicorn HuntersUnicorn Hunters spotlights emerging growth companies looking to hit the coveted $1B “unicorn” valuation mark, while rallying individual investors worldwide to help fund these breakout ventures. The show creates a new genre for audiences — enrichtainment —combines entertainment with the potential for consumers worldwide to back pre-IPO investment opportunities, democratizing wealth.
2021-07-2914 min
Female VC LabE035: Faye Sahai: Vinaj VenturesVinaj Ventures is a boutique innovation and investment services firm with presence in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Atlanta.
Telosity, their latest fund, is dedicated to investing in Pre-Seed and Seed-Stage companies offering both scalable and affordable mental wellbeing digital solutions for young people.
2021-07-2207 min
Female VC LabE034: Neda Amidi: Plug & PlayPlug and Play is the leading innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we're present in 35+ locations across five continents. We offer corporate innovation programs and help our corporate partners in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. We also organize startup acceleration programs and have built an in-house VC to drive innovation across multiple industries where we've invested in hundreds of successful companies including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, N26, PayPal, and Rappi. For more information, visit [https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com](https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/)
2021-07-1522 minFemale VC LabE033: Heather Hartnett: Human VenturesHuman Ventures is a business creation platform. We go beyond the business model and seek opportunities to build Model Businesses with ambitious founders who are innovating around Human Needs. By unlocking access to a powerful network of founders, investors and corporate partners, we are creating a blueprint for the future of business to be built on purpose.
2021-07-0108 min
Female VC LabE032: Lisa Carmen Wang: RepublicRepublic gives people power to invest in the future they believe in by providing access to startup, real estate, crypto, and video game investments. Focused on creating a diverse, sustainable, connected world, Republic has facilitated over $300 million in investments from over one million global community members. With a global team in six countries, Republic is backed by Galaxy Digital, The Motley Fool, Binance, Naspers, AngelList and more. For more information, visit republic.co.
2021-06-2417 min
Female VC LabE031: Elizabeth Edwards: H Venture PartnersH Venture Partners is a female-founded, owned and controlled venture capital firm focused on purpose-driven, science-backed consumer brands. Led by a team of consumer experts with unparalleled experience as former consumer executives, the firm was co-founded by managing partner Elizabeth Edwards, a leading investor who has identified billion-dollar brands.
2021-06-1036 minFemale VC LabE030: Greer Tessler: Simple Food VenturesSimple Food Ventures is a $2M mission-driven, early-stage venture fund investing in the future of healthy foods and products categorized in the better-for-you space. We look to partner with companies and passionate founders who are creating minimally processed, nutrient-dense, and nourishing products that are better for the body and the environment. Our investments range from $50K - $150K. In addition to a financial investment, we prepare our portfolio companies for successful entrances into conventional grocery. Our overall mission is to create access to healthy food for all.
2021-06-0311 min
Female VC LabE029: Nisa Amoils: a100xWe invest early stage at the intersection of blockchain/AI and impact.
2021-05-2706 min
Female VC LabE028: Han Ko: USAKO GroupUSAKO Group is an international investment and accelerator company, which has presence in U.S.A. and S. Korea. The Group is an official global partner of S. Korean governmental agencies, and has played highly active roles in U.S. and S. Korean startup ecosystem for many years. USAKO Group's goal is to provide softlanding pad for any qualified companies entering U.S. and S. Korea.
In the past 24 months, USAKO Group successfully ran programs, resulted in investment commitment of over $25M. USAKO Group and its leadership also have focused on training and supporting female and minority enterpreneurs around the...
2021-05-2020 min
Female VC LabE027: Tiana Laurence: Laurence InnovationLaurence Innovation (LI) is an investment fund powering the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). At a time when emerging fields like artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), genetic engineering, and quantum computing are rapidly transforming the global economy, we can’t afford to overlook the most innovative entrepreneurs in the country. However, that’s exactly what far too many investors (particularly early-stage VCs) are doing by failing to fund diverse founders, confining their investments to saturated markets like software, and using cumbersome investment models that prevent them from taking risks.
2021-05-1314 min
Female VC LabE026: Eliska Mallickova: Fidelity International Strategic VentureFISV invests in early stage businesses redefining wealth and asset management globally and that are strategic to Fidelity International.
2021-05-0612 min
Female VC LabE025: Bahiyah Robinson: VC IncludeVC Include is an exclusive ecosystem and marketplace designed for GPs and LPs to expand investment opportunities that improve investment outcomes through the power of diversity. This ecosystem drives alpha to investors while also moving the needle on shaping a more equitable and empowered world. VC Include has built the infrastructure for an inclusive economy and is a forerunner in connecting diverse founders with ESG and impact investing. Learn more about VC Include at [www.vcinclude.com](http://www.vcinclude.com/).
2021-04-2921 min
Female VC LabE005: Claire Chang: Ignite XL VenturesFemale VC Lab Podcast - Episode E005: Claire Chang of IgniteXL Ventures
Host:
- Barbara Bickham
Guest:
- Claire Chang, Founding Partner at IgniteXL Ventures
Introduction:
- Barbara introduces the guest, Claire Chang, and her role as the founding partner at IgniteXL Ventures.
Key Points Discussed:
1. Inspiration to Become a Venture Capitalist:
- Claire shares her personal journey of being an immigrant and a single mother and how these experiences ignited her passion for helping others.
- She highlights the emotional rewards of helping star...
2020-11-1223 min
Female VC LabBarbara Bickham, Women's Innovation Fund AcceleratorBarbara Bickham is a visionary in the venture capital world, renowned for being the managing partner and founder of the Women's Innovation Fund Accelerator. Her eclectic and comprehensive academic background, which includes a computer science degree from Berkeley, a software engineering qualification, and a mini MBA from the University of Chicago, established a strong foundation for her career. Barbara's revelation about the stark funding disparities for women and underserved communities became her inspiration and driving force. This epiphany, which occurred during a car ride five years ago, led her to a pivotal role in venture capital, where she seeks...
2020-10-1511 min
The Founder's MindBarbara Bickham - Co-founder/Managing Director WIF AXBarbara BickhamManaging Director, CTO, and Technical Advisor - Barbara has extensive experience in Technology, Monetization, and Entrepreneurship for companies in industries: FinTech, Fashion, Wearables, Wireless, Security, Media & Entertainment, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain. Barbara is leveraging her background to propel rising entrepreneurs and companies forward through her Women’s Innovation Fund Accelerator [WIF AX]Barbara incorporates values of equality and equity in her work and she has an amazing outlook on the workplace and the future of investing. She talks about the importance of being ready to pivot and try new things as an ent...
2019-09-2900 min
upsideCC027: raising an opportunity fund for a mission driven accelerator // a coffee chat with Barbara Bickham (WIF AX)Interview begins: 06:02Debrief begins: 39:50Barbara Bickham is the co-founder and Managing Director of WIF AX. WIF AX (Women’s Innovation Fund Accelerator) is a Qualified Opportunity Fund building women-balanced and environmentally-sustainable organizations within QOZ’s nationwide. They plan to use a mix of incubation, shared workspace, and business finance while requiring participants to have a C-suite made up of at least 50% women, and operational plans which contain environmental sustainability considerations.WIF AX was founded in 2019 and based in Los Angeles, CA.Learn more about WIF AX: https://wifaxvc.com/--
2019-08-1944 min
Building The Blockchain: Unleashing the Power of Blockchain - One Episode at a Time!Interview with Barbara-Bickham Founder/CTO - Trailyn VenturesWelcome to Building the Blockchain Internet Talk Podcast show. Brought to you by Acquchat.com and CPACloudtaxpros.com I’m David your host along with my Co-Host Will Walker from Crowdcreate.us. We recorded this podcast interview with our special guest Barbara Bickham Founder/CTO - Trailyn Ventures - Blockchain Advisory Chief of the Block - Blockchain Accelerator for Global Growth and Co-Founder/Managing Director, WIF AX, LLC. (Women's Innovation Fund Accelerator) is a Qualified Opportunity Fund focused on building women-led organizations within Qualified Opportunity Zones.
Disclaimer: We do not recommend investing in any specific or particular IC...
2019-06-3041 min
EIR PodcastBarbara BickhamListen to an audio interview with Entrepreneur in Residence Barbara Bickham
2019-06-2600 min
EIR PodcastBarbara BickhamHere is an audio interview with Entrepreneur in Residence Barbara Bickham
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2019-06-2603 min
LAB RadioEp 48 - The International Blockchain Accelerator (IBA) with Barbara BickhamOn this LAB Radio, episode Aaron Mangal talks technology, Blockchain and BUIDLing with Barbara Bickham, founder of Trailyn Ventures and the International Blockchain Accelerator. Barbara Bickham is a CTO, Investor and Entrepreneur and founder of the International Blockchain Accelerator Barbara is a Berkley, University of Chicago Alumni, coder, CTO and Technology Advisor with extensive experience across industries like: FinTech, Fashion, Wearables, Wireless, Security, Media and Entertainment, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain. Her current areas of expertise are in Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, and Internet of Things (IoT). She even w...
2018-11-281h 01