Jess Schultz 📣’s Post

📣 Exciting Announcement! 📣 Last Wednesday, Mirela Sula hosted an incredible masterclass on "How to become an Investor" with the amazing Bridgette L. Smith 🦋 (Verified Page) and it was absolutely mind-blowing! 👏 And guess what? We have another powerhouse joining us this week! 🌟 Introducing Catherine Gray a powerful investor who has just launched a groundbreaking movie called "SHOW HER THE MONEY." 🎥 In this inspiring film, Catherine addresses the shocking statistic that women receive less than 2% of venture capital funding. She demystifies the world of venture capital and follows the journey of four visionary founders as they navigate uphill battles to turn their ideas into reality. 💪 Despite facing constant challenges, these resilient women, with the support of their angel investors, become even more determined and resourceful. The growth of their businesses is nothing short of extraordinary, with each one having the potential to become a billion-dollar unicorn! We are thrilled to announce that Catherine will be joining our masterclass TOMORROW, and we want YOU to be a part of it! Best of all, it's FREE and completely online. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn from Catherine and gain valuable insights into the world of investing. Register now at the link below: https://lnkd.in/dXqkNK2W) See you at the masterclass! #Investing #Masterclass #ShowHerTheMoney #WomenInBusiness #UnicornBusinesses

Great read! “Almost 50 percent of angel investors in the United States are women. When we started, it was 1 percent. So there is more early investment for areas where women want to innovate. Like beauty. In our first class, the company that sold extremely quickly was a beauty company. But beauty was unknown in the market. Nobody even thought about it. Today, beauty and retail companies are highly desired by investors who are both women and men…”. Thinking of terrific businesses like OKGN WMAN Angel Funds investees Apricotton and RainStick!

Why do I support women-led venture firms? As a woman in business and an entrepreneur myself, I want to support other women in business. Venture is a business. It’s hard work, and the women fund managers are hustling! VC investments support women who bring unique, inclusive ideas to the table, challenging the usual VC scene and bringing fresh perspectives, products and solutions. Funding female venture firms isn’t just about the money. It’s about impact outside of philanthropy and providing essential support to women leaders and innovators at the early stages of their ventures. This is how we create meaningful change. This is how we empower and lift each other up. And of course, venture can have an outsized positive return in a portfolio. Many women VCs allow lower minimums, which means we don’t have to bet the farm on venture. We can make it part of our portfolio to generate “alpha” and “impact” 🙌 I was honored to be a panelist at a private screening of “show her the money”, representing a LP (limited partner, investor) alongside founders Tracy Holland Mel Faxon and GP of Emmeline Ventures Naseem Sayani (she/her). Join me in investing in women-led VCs and help make a difference in the business world. Many thanks to the marvelous Stephanie Granato and her work in helping women invest in women led venture. #womeninventure #womeninvc #femalefounders #womeninvestors

“Better Than Book Club” OH YEAH!! Irene Tsang LIFTwomen® Group nailed it We had come together for a screening of Show Her the Money* -a collection of stories of female founders, angel investors, VC and more -recognition of the social and economic impact of female led ventures -reflection on the lack of investment in women generally -realisation of the size of the opportunity for all Delivered to our screens by Catherine Gray who would have to be one of the most generous networkers I have ever met and has now taken that connectivity next level through cinema. Catherine is determined to cut through the arduous pitch process by fast tracking introductions of folk who understand and want to solve specific problems - together. We saw cash strapped business about to go to the wall turned around through aligned investment. Thank you, Catherine for sharing these stories and connecting outside of the mainstream so that deals can flow, including the astounding story of Pocket Sun, Founder of the world's first female-led, next-generation venture capital firm investing in diverse entrepreneurs, SoGal Ventures. “I created the SoGal community in LA, which is now one of the largest global networks for women entrepreneurs and investors, with over 256,000 members across 50 chapters on six continents. When we were raising our first fund, we were told by many LPs that investing in women wasn’t a thesis. Three unicorns and A TOP-DECILE FUND later, I’m proud to say we have proved them wrong.” Spending a night with incredible female founders, investors and other curious folk wanting to solve the world's wickedest problems AND make money. That sure is better than book club Which female founder are you reading about now? *Show Her the Money is screening in Sydney tonight – 28 June 2024 Link in comments #nextgenvc #showherthemoney #justbringitback #500billionsingleusecups #femalefounder

What’s it like building a VC-backed business as “the most powerful woman on Wall Street?” — I got to find out yesterday evening when I co-hosted a fireside chat for the VC Backed Moms community between Caroline Fairchild and Sallie Krawcheck. 📰 Caroline Fairchild is the EIC at Lean In, and is known in my circles as breaking up the stereotype of, and giving a platform to, female founders. She started Fortune’s Broadstreet Newsletter. 💰 And Sallie Krawcheck? She’s a giant amongst us. She was <40 when she became CEO of Smith Barney, after which she became CFO of Citi and CEO of Citi’s Wealth Management business. She now has $2 BILLION under management as the founder/CEO of Ellevest. The convo did not disappoint. She said it like it is, shared insider and practical needlemovers, and reminded us we all need to opening doors for each other. And while I can’t share full details (it was off-the-record) a few themes emerged in the broader convo between Sallie and few dozen founders: 1️⃣ Even if all your ducks are in a row - right pitch, strong business model, right team - there are external forces that make business building harder as a woman. 2️⃣What tweaks are necessary to get in front of investors, ie how do I stay authentic but also know if there are rules of the game I should play that help offset bias? 3️⃣The corporate glass cliff is unbelievably real no matter how much success a woman racks up 4️⃣Find the people who believe in your vision; don’t waste time convincing folks of it 5️⃣What are alternate funding pathways? For example, how do I put together an SPV of high net worth angels (if you have ideas on this, I want to know!) A huge thanks to our sponsors, especially SVB’s Micaela Amaroli who was on board for this no-bars-held convo from Day 1, and Fenwick’s Jennifer Yoo and Sarah Fergusson Chambless for saying “absolutely yes” the moment we asked if they’d be part of it. P.S. Go use Ellevest. Your compounding future returns will thank you. P.P.S. And just to keep it real, while I was talking with titans of industry re: startup building, my kid was texting me about churros 😂

I’ve told this story in person but it’s not something I’ve shared on LinkedIn before. When Pierson and I first had the idea for Stay we knew we wanted to raise money for it. I wanted a fresh start and a clean cap table separate from the agency. We got connected to our first VC, and I thought the call went pretty well. After the pitch, Pierson got an email to hop on a quick call, but just him. The VC wanted to do the deal (ahhh exciting) but only if Pierson was the CEO instead of me (rude). This really was my passion and something I was so excited to run. I felt really ready for it, but I started to question myself. This guy was a VC. He has seen plenty of startups. Maybe he was right? Pierson and I briefly entertained the idea of taking the money and switching titles later but the more I thought about it, I didn’t want our first investor to be a dude who didn’t believe in me. So we passed, not knowing if we’d get another bite. Lo and behold, the next two investors we talked to were interested in doing the round with me as the CEO. After the pitch, one of those investors called me up with a question. “What happens one day if Pierson changes his mind and wants to be CEO?” I let him know it wouldn’t happen, but also, I could take him in a fist fight if I had to. 👊 OMG I’m kiddingggg, (am I?) While the pre-seed came easy, the Series A definitely did not. We had 70+ funds inbound to us and 100+ told me no. Fortunately for my ego, before I met my fiancé I had been on 100 dates in NYC so this was not the first time I had to realize it wouldn't work out with 100+ finance men. Moral of the story? Not everyone is going to believe in you and that’s okay. Ladies, sometimes we need to fight for what we want and always trust our intuition. Keep going after it, dial in your messaging, and don’t get discouraged when a VC doesn't believe in you or your ideas. #WomenInTech #womeninVC #womenleaders

A few months ago, I watched a reel of Ali Kriegsman discussing an investor's disapproval of her public sharing while building her first company, Bulletin. “You’re too vulnerable. You’re sharing too much. You need to pull back. You need to be more like x or y founder. Investors and customers don’t want to know and don't want to see the stuff that you’re talking about. And it became a big insecurity of mine.” She went on to explain that she was genuinely concerned that it would make her appear less competent as someone to invest in and worried that it would hurt her business. This was so interesting as I’ve often reflected on the boundaries of “founder storytelling.” Consumer and #investor #psychology is obviously very different. And as the founder of an emerging #crowdfunding platform, the emotional aspect of consumer psychology is compelling. Last year, I spoke with a founder who successfully raised multiple times through crowdfunding. Interestingly, despite having less VC funding and media attention during their first round, they achieved greater success than in their subsequent round. Why? They believe that it was because of the way the platform changed the way they marketed campaigns. Originally there was more of an emphasis on the founder’s mission and personal/ brand story. Later on, it was more quantitative. This spoke volumes to me. As more women are turning to alternative funding routes for direct consumer investment, I see deeply honest storytelling shifting from being precarious to becoming a significant #economic force. What are your thoughts on founder #storytelling?

#WomenInvestors #DEIinvestments #VentureCapital SERENA WILLIAMS SHARES HER VC FUND’S ‘MISSION’ TO INVEST IN WOMEN AND DIVERSITY, AND THE 14 COMPANIES THAT REACHED UNICORN STATUS Serena Williams recently explained the groundbreaking work she's doing with her venture capital fund Serena Ventures. Since launching Serena Ventures, her fund’s portfolio includes 79% underrepresented founders, 54% women founders, 47% Black founders, and 11% Latino founders. Among her company’s highlighted investments is the company Parfait. This Black-woman-owned wig customization platform provides all women with an AI-backed virtual experience with a wide range of styles. “My portfolio kind of leans more toward women and people of color because when people are talking about diversity that really means everyone having a seat at the table. Everyone having a chance to win,” Williams said. - some thing interesting to read. Women led Investors believing in building DEI portfolios https://lnkd.in/gQBEcTtZ

Word on the street is.. sharing equity opens doors for female founders. 💡 Our in-house rockstar, serial entrepreneur, and partnerships manager, Alicia Porter, shares how understanding cap tables was a game-changer for her business. When everyone's in it to win it, teams do better, work happier, and stick around longer. It's the secret sauce for scaling businesses from the ground up, paving the way for more women-led businesses to succeed. Brilliant take Alicia! 👏 https://lnkd.in/gUFMrf-7

Watch this 👀 3 minute video 📽 to dive into the Investor's Mindset with Angel Amy Before Our Pitch Deck Clinic. In anticipation of our hands-on Pitch Deck Clinic on March 26th, we're thrilled to offer a sneak peek into the mindset of investors with special insights from our Angel: Amy Crosby. The upcoming clinic, led by Amy, is an invaluable opportunity to apply these insights as you craft a pitch deck that not only speaks to your startup's value but also aligns with investor expectations. This is more than an event; it's a turning point for entrepreneurs ready to elevate their pitch and captivate potential backers. 👀 Learn what investors are thinking during every pitch: https://lnkd.in/e2cpdM95 🎟️ Dive deeper with us and join our FREE, hands-on Pitch Deck Clinic by Amy: https://lnkd.in/eYfcGuWH Seize the opportunity to close the distance between your startup dreams and investor interest - Join Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship (WTE), where our goal is to empower women through education, mentorship, and a supportive community network. #womenintech #entrepreneurship #venturecapital