Girls Into VC

Last month, I wrapped up my time as the podcast host of Girls Into VC - Season 2. I am extremely grateful to Isabella Mandis and the Girls Into VC team for the opportunity to interview over 20 extraordinary women excelling in the venture capital and startup landscape. And a huge thank you to all our guests for volunteering their time and speaking on the podcast – this season would not have been possible without you! As podcast host, I discovered my own voice while showcasing our guests’ impactful work and educating our listeners about breaking into VC. Three lessons I learned as Girls Into VC’s host: 1️⃣ Professionals are people Initially, I was very intimidated by the women I was interviewing as they are incredibly accomplished. However, our intro calls helped me break the ice with them as we had time to learn about each other outside of our career paths. Connecting with professionals through common interests and shared experiences is a great way to form genuine connections! 2️⃣ Purpose stems from passion Our guests are driving change in their respective fields by solving challenges they have faced in their lives. Whether it is leading a DEI-focused fund of funds or increasing financial literacy among students, our guests have shown that creative and impactful work comes from a deep passion. 3️⃣ “Perfectionism is the enemy of progress” Season 2 was an iterative learning process and not perfect by any means. In fact, I see many areas of improvement when I look back on my first few episodes. But, I refined each episode based on listener feedback and personal observations, which would have been impossible if I was stuck on making each episode perfect. Through experience, I learned how to make an episode concise, engaging, and educational. Progress requires patience, time, and learning from mistakes! I am excited to continue using my voice to empower young women in finance through future opportunities. In the meantime, this is your podcast host, Kritika Jain, signing off! Listen to Season 2 here - https://lnkd.in/eWY3bdyg

Girls Into VC at Northeastern has wrapped up an incredible first semester on campus, and we couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve achieved! As the VP of Education I had the privilege of leading a 10-week fellowship program, introducing students to the fundamentals of Venture Capital and equipping them with practical skills to excel. Here’s a snapshot of our accomplishments this semester: 🌟 50+ General Members Joined Our Growing Slack Community 🌟 20 Northeastern VC Fellows Created Final Projects on Investment Theses, Uncovering the Story of a Failed Startup, Decoding Term Sheets, and Navigating VC Fundraising 🌟 Hosted Engaging Speaker Events Featuring Investors from MassMutual Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, Trust Ventures, and .406 Ventures 🌟 Organized a Student Trek to Azolla Ventures' Boston Office 🌟 Attended the 2024 Girls Into VC X Harvard Undergraduate Women in Entrepreneurship Summit A huge thank you to our amazing guest speakers, fellows, e-board, and members for making this semester such a success. 💡 🚀 What's next? ➡️ Applications for our Spring 2025 Fellowship open in January! Follow us on Instagram for updates (girlsintovc.northeastern). ➡️ We are actively seeking guest speakers for the Spring 2025 Semester! If you or someone in your network would be interested in speaking at Northeastern, let's connect! Here's to building a community for girls in VC! 💼✨ Isabella Mandis, Saanika Gupta, Kaitlyn Hagins, Shadeh Jaberi, Nicole Schubert, Rhea Wadhwa, Soledad "Sol" Perez Leon, Hannah Li, Lauren Yee

🚨New Podcast Episode!🚨 Kritika Jain hosted this week’s episode with @Kriti Krishna, Venture Associate at HearstLab! Kriti’s career began in finance at Fitch Ratings before she transitioned into venture capital, where she now helps drive investment in early-stage, female-founded startups across the globe. Hearst Lab has invested in over 75 startups, including Gloss Genius and FreeWill, and is expanding into new regions like the Middle East. Outside of HearstLab, Kriti is a Young Executive Board Member for iMentor, a nonprofit that empowers first-generation high school students through mentorship, and one of the founding members of Capital Collective, private network for the next generation of women in VC. Our key takeaways: 1️⃣ Hearst Lab’s expansion into the Middle East signals a bold move into a region brimming with untapped potential, creating exciting opportunities for female entrepreneurs to drive innovation.  2️⃣ Building strong relationships early on can be the key to unlocking new career paths. Kriti’s journey from finance to venture capital shows how a well-maintained network can open doors and create growth opportunities. She highlights how critical it is to talk to people in order to get a feel for day-to-day life before committing to a financial career path.  3️⃣ Persistence is power—women entrepreneurs must seek out supportive investors and networks, leveraging strategic partnerships and mentorship to overcome funding barriers and fuel long-term success. Thank you so much, Kriti, for coming on the Girls Into VC podcast and sharing your journey with us! Listen to Kriti’s episode here - https://lnkd.in/dyMRvt4E

🚨New Podcast Episode!🚨 Kritika Jain hosted this week’s episode with Colleen Konetzke from Ironspring Ventures! Ironspring Ventures is an early-stage fund focused on making industrial sectors more productive, secure, and sustainable, with investments across manufacturing, construction, transport and logistics, and alternative energy. Colleen holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Accounting, a Master’s in Finance from Texas A&M University, and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Prior to joining Ironspring Ventures two years ago, she worked for several of the nation’s largest utilities at Bain & Co. and interned with climate tech funds during her MBA. Colleen is based in Austin, where her team is headquartered. A former college swimmer and avid cyclist, she’s found a strong community amongst the active lifestyle in Austin. Our key takeaways: 1️⃣ Leverage Your Network: Building strong relationships within a tight-knit community can be a key differentiator in VC. Engaging with industry experts helps uncover startup pain points and offer more effective solutions. 2️⃣ Shifting Energy Economy Post-Pandemic: The pandemic reshaped the energy sector, sparking investment in U.S. manufacturing and digital transformation. While there’s growing interest in ESG initiatives, the lack of standardized frameworks and limited incentives for companies make it challenging to implement and measure sustainability effectively. 3️⃣ VC Without an MBA? While an MBA can offer valuable exposure and opportunities, it’s not necessary to break into VC. Building industry expertise, creating a strong network, and developing a clear investment thesis can be equally impactful. Thank you so much Colleen for coming on the Girls Into VC podcast and sharing your journey with us! Listen to Colleen's episode here - https://lnkd.in/erEYGECQ

🚨New Podcast Episode!🚨 Kritika Jain hosted this week’s episode with Lata Setty, Founding Investor of the How Women Invest Funds! Lata Setty is an accomplished leader with a career that spans science, patent law, digital transformation, and venture capital. As the First Investor of The How Women Invest Funds, she is committed to tackling gender disparities in VC funding and empowering female founders. How Women Invest is dedicated to helping women align their wealth with their values, and Lata is excited to mobilize 10,000 women by 2025 to invest in venture capital for the first time. In 2023, she celebrated the launch of their $100 Million Fund III by ringing the bell at NASDAQ. Lata’s approach highlights the power of community and the importance of using the strength women already possess. Our key takeaways: 1️⃣ Women are no longer waiting for a seat at the table—they’re building a new one. Lata’s work emphasizes the critical role of mobilizing women investors to drive systemic change 2️⃣ We should not hesitate to cultivate and nurture our networks. They are our greatest assets as they often open doors to future investments, partnerships, and growth. 3️⃣ Despite a need for everything to be “perfect,” women already possess the strength and capability needed to succeed in venture capital. We must recognize that we are enough and leverage our inherent potential! Thank you so much, Lata, for coming on the Girls Into VC podcast and sharing your journey with us! Listen to Lata’s episode here - https://lnkd.in/eTbGjy92

🚨New Podcast Episode!🚨 Kritika Jain hosted this week’s episode with Rachel Knepp, the visionary and trailblazing Co-Founder of mozaic.io! Rachel is revolutionizing the way creators get paid, and her journey is nothing short of inspiring. Starting with her early work at Jamber, Rachel recognized a critical gap in the market during the global pandemic and led a transformative shift to Mozaic. This evolution expanded the company’s focus from split payments in the music industry to addressing the broader needs of the booming creator economy. Despite adjacent competitors, Mozaic remains unmatched in its niche, setting new standards for fairness, efficiency, and innovation in creative collaborations. If you’re curious about how to turn challenges into game-changing opportunities, this episode is for you! Our key takeaways: 1️⃣ Adapting to Market Shifts Mozaic’s pivot from Jamber during the pandemic demonstrates how adapting to market shifts can unlock new opportunities and lead to innovative payment solutions for the evolving creator economy. 2️⃣ Recognizing a Need to Drive Innovation Rachel demonstrated how identifying the gap in split payments led Mozaic to create a groundbreaking and disruptive solution that transformed financial management for creators. 3️⃣ Building a Strong Foundation for Success Rachel’s advice for entrepreneurs is to build a strong, diverse, and customer-centric team that aligns with your mission. Thank you so much, Rachel, for coming on the Girls Into VC podcast and sharing your journey with us! Listen to Rachel’s episode here https://lnkd.in/gic8B69S

Harvard Icons: 10 Women Founders Who Built Billion-Dollar Startups!! 10 women, $23B+ in value 🚀🚀 Founding companies like Cloudflare, Chief, Nextdoor, Rent The Runway, Stitch Fix, FIGS, Peak, & Everly Health Full post below! Subscribe for more data on Harvard's startup ecosystem & shoutout to these women who are making a difference: Aileen Lee (HBS), co-founder of All Raise Isabella Mandis (College), founder of Girls Into VC Rashveena Rajaram (HBS), host of Women in Venture Capital Podcast cc: Michelle Zatlyn, Trina Spear, Jennifer Hyman, Jennifer Fleiss, Carolyn Childers, Sarah Leary, Katrina Lake, Rina Onur Sirinoglu, Julia Cheek -- Phoenix Fund is an early-stage VC firm investing in Harvard-founded startups. If you're building, please share a note https://lnkd.in/eqidGgmk

Last Chance for Early-Bird Applications! Time’s running out to get your early-stage startup noticed at the Lightning Round III Pitch Competition! Apply for a shot at $500K in perks and the chance to pitch live in front of top-tier angel investors and venture capitalists.  🎤 Pitch Date: September 10 🗓 Early-Bird Deadline: August 22 Apply Here: https://lnkd.in/gMyrEhpA Our Partners: Girls Into VC Pasadena Angels Spark xyz Los Angeles Venture Partners Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP TCA Venture Group #startups #pitch #founder

Ready to level up your startup game? Meet the #accelerators, #incubators, #networking groups, and startup support programs you can connect with at Startup Boston Week! 🌟 Join us each day from Monday to Thursday during SBW2024 as we spotlight up to eight amazing startup communities between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Just grab your free ticket right here: https://lnkd.in/e3E4CRfz This is your chance to mingle face-to-face with the folks who can help you take your startup to the next level. We’re thrilled to showcase these 30 #startup organizations: 🚀 The Massachusetts Founders Network 🚀 Better Business Bureau 🚀 CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) Social Impact Program 🚀 Massachusetts Innovation Network 🚀 MGMT Boston 🚀 CommonWealth Kitchen 🚀 Howe Innovation Center at Perkins School for the Blind 🚀 Girls Into VC 🚀 Get Girls Going 🚀 Venture Forum 🚀 D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University Co-op 🚀 Mass Professional Networking - AIMC Business Solutions 🚀 MKTG WMN 🚀 Hack.Diversity 🚀 Blue Innovation Labs 🚀 Prepare 4 VC 🚀 Startup Maine 🚀 U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service 🚀 NH Tech Alliance 🚀 Dirigo Labs 🚀 Massachusetts Export Center 🚀 Massachusetts Technology Collaborative 🚀 Greenshot Climate Accelerator 🚀 Mass Fintech Hub Hub 🚀 C10 Labs 🚀 The Engine Accelerator 🚀 Greentown Labs 🚀 Remarkable Tech 🚀 Venture Lane | Startup Hub 🚀 Fintech Sandbox #StartupCommunities #Networking #Entrepreneurship

🚨New Podcast Episode!🚨 Kritika Jain hosted this week’s episode with Emma Z. Ohanian, Founding Partner Y&Z Ventures! Y&Z Ventures is a Los Angeles based multi-family office investing on behalf of immigrant and first-generation entrepreneurs. As a mergers and acquisitions professional (most recently at Uber, which acquired Postmates, Drizly and more!), Emma's experience uniquely positions her to work with companies to build for the end game, or the Y&Z. An honest optimist, Emma believes each shortcoming is an opportunity to create change. It all comes down to mindset. Our key takeaways: 1️⃣ Administration, legal, and tax work is the hardest part of starting a fund, but having attorneys can make the process easier 2️⃣ While having a finance background is considered unconventional in the VC space, Emma’s experience in M&A has helped her identify unique opportunities for her portfolio companies, such as when to exit and acquire for inorganic growth 3️⃣ Trust, relationships, and community are crucial for a VC fund’s success, especially as many VC funds work together on syndicate deals Thank you so much, Emma, for coming on the Girls Into VC podcast and sharing your journey with us! Listen to Emma’s episode here - https://lnkd.in/eFmk7C84