Portfolia’s Post

When you're working toward an ambitious goal, having a support system can be critical. Athena's Peer Groups can serve as just that – an intimate space to connect with other women leaders sharing stories, gathering advice, and developing strategies for success. Athena members – if you are currently navigating a career transition, in the early days of a new board role, raising investments as an entrepreneur, or making your way in the venture capital world, we invite you to join the following respective Peer Groups. 🟨 Navigating a Career Transition with Cate Goethals 🟨 Succeeding in Your First Board Role with Cate Goethals 🟨 Raising Investments for Entrepreneurs with Coco Brown 🟨 Women in Venture with Lilia Shirman and Shauna Turner Check out our events calendar for a full list of upcoming Peer Groups: https://lnkd.in/dvW3G6XP Want to join? Peer Groups are exclusive to Athena members. Sign up today at https://lnkd.in/enTB6DCJ #ModernBoardroom #WomenLeaders #Boardroom #Board #Investing #Career #Csuite #Venture

🌟 Wrapping Up an Insightful Day at the ImpactPHL Summit 🌟 Today, I had the enriching experience of participating in the ImpactPHL Summit, where John Moore set the stage with this year’s theme, "Modeling the Human Economy." His compelling perspective on Philadelphia's historic role in experimenting with new forms of governance resonated deeply, especially his comment on the need to reassess our current economic systems which see 50% of the world’s wealth owned by just 1%. The day was filled with thought-provoking discussions: - Melissa Bradley from 1863 Ventures emphasized how equitable investment in Black businesses could dramatically cut national debt from $34 trillion to $19 trillion, highlighting a 96% survival rate for these enterprises. - Sean O’Sullivan of SOSV captivated the audience with his journey through impact investing in sustainable innovations like plant-based meat, reminding us that significant changes often follow crisis points. The panel on community-based approaches versus prescriptive grantmaking sparked critical dialogue, especially around effective philanthropy and its role in economic action. Philip Gaskin shared a standout initiative in Kansas City where a collaborative micro-lending program led by the Kauffman Foundation addressed a $134 million gap, resulting in 170 microloans without a single default. As I now head to the Life Science Cares Impact Reception, I carry with me the day's lessons and inspirations. We’re poised to apply these insights to further our mission, leveraging every opportunity to catalyze change and enhance community impact. Great job Cory Donovan and ImpactPHL and Witty Gritty #LifeScienceCares #ImpactPHL #ImpactInvesting #CommunityImpact #Philadelphia

Despite decades of efforts, billions of investment dollars still bypass underserved markets in the United States. Why? Two key barriers stand in the way: - Higher transaction costs due to novelty and complexity - Information asymmetries breeding distrust between investors and capital seekers This needs to change, and you can help make it happen! Help us bring this conversation to SXSW2025. We're submitting Jake Cusack, Nathan Kelly, and Hannah Mae Merten's paper on Reducing Friction, Rebuilding Trust: Investment Facilitation as a Tool for Economic Growth in US Underserved Markets as a session in the Government & Civic Engagement track of the conference. Our session will highlight the hard work community leaders are doing to use impact investing and blended finance to unlock investment in underserved markets across the US, and how this work could be expanded. 🗳 Your vote can bring this crucial conversation to SXSW! Cast your vote today: https://lnkd.in/dtP5DNZe #SXSW #ImpactInvesting #UnderservedMarkets

Congratulations to PolicyLink for a powerful Equity Summit in Atlanta! The Summit opened with a deep reflection on the inner work required to show up whole and healthy in the collective pursuit of equity. Participants engaged in critical discussions on transformative policies and practices needed to create lasting change. These conversations highlighted the need for a disciplined, results-driven approach to produce clear outcomes that benefit every community.   As I reflect on the longstanding partnership between the Annie E. Casey Foundation and PolicyLink, I applaud the visionary leadership of their CEO Dr. Michael McAfee and their President Ashleigh Gardere who set the tone for the summit.  As they articulated in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) Supplement, A Revolution of the Soul (https://lnkd.in/e5MXJprn): "Just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper and reach their full potential. ...the ends of equity have always been ends for everyone: the transformation of our society - our laws, regulations, customs, institutions, and ways of relating - so that everyone can flourish." This framing of equity aligns with the Casey Foundation's commitment to improving outcomes for all children, including those most disconnected and facing the greatest barriers. Let’s continue our collective work to raise the bar in improving outcomes for all kids and families and to close the gaps by dismantling systemic barriers.

I consider myself truly fortunate to have been invited to attend Evolution Equity Partners #presidentsforum during this week’s RSA Conference. Dennis Smith and Richard Seewald always curate unbelievable speakers and this year was no different with President Bill Clinton. Hearing from our leaders in turbulent times always carries incredible weight as many of us attempt to find ballast amidst increasing divisiveness. As a teenager finding my way in the 1990’s, Bill Clinton influenced and defined my passion for the political process, an appreciation of history and what it represented in present day, but most importantly the overriding theme of public-private partnerships and working together as people despite differences of opinion. It often feels like we’ve lost the ability to see each other as humans from the faceless formats of social media, deafening noise of entertainment news and greater problems equals better politics. The comment which resonated most with me and I’m sure many within the room, “anyone who tells you that you get more with subtraction and division versus addition and multiplication is wrong,” should be echoed more today by all of our leaders. #venturecapital #growthcapital #startup #scaleup #investmentbanking #privateequity #election2024 #politics #economy #leadership

Fall Fete Flashbacks because we LOVE live Level events! 🫶🏽 Connection is at the heart of what we do. We believe in the power of relationships and the importance of building a strong community of change agents. Through Level Membership, you have access to: 💰Invest in Black women: Black women receive a fraction of funding for their businesses. Our members provide angel investments to Black women-led startups and businesses, ensuring they have the financial backing to scale and innovate. We do this in a way that is accessible so you don’t have to be an accredited investor to be a member of Level. 🤝🏾Mentorship and Guidance: Through our curriculum and programming, we connect our members who are experienced leaders with Black women entrepreneurs. Our members offer insight, advice, and support in addition to their financial investment. 👩🏾👱🏽♀️Community and Networking: We create spaces—both virtual and IRL—where our members connect, enabling them to build meaningful connections across racial lines and form friendships and professional relationships that might not occur in typical network settings. If you’re ready to #LevelUp; click the link in our bio to learn more. #LevelLeaders #WomenConnect #WomenSupportingWomen #EquityforWomen #ProfessionalWomen #AngelInvestor #AngelInvesting #UpliftBlackWomen

“Businesses started out as communities helping each other. Look at where we are now.” - Gerry Higgins from SEWF - Social Enterprise World Forum C.I.C. “The only thing that funders talk about is scale when what’s driving change right now is blood, sweat, tears and 1-1 conversations.” - I forgot who ;) There’s a clear theme of the first day of Euclid Network (EN) ‘s Impact Summit: the loss of connection & empathy. This can easily be applied to the state of the world. It’s not at all surprising that the humanitarian state of the world & the state of social business are suffering from the same illness. What does that mean? We can’t build a social economy, change policy, or see more social enterprises and impact-driven organizations thrive until we start with the basics: reconnection, relationships, trust. Now, I’d say that starts with our relationship with ourself. Then, our people and work. What are your thoughts? #impactsummit #impactcity #socialenterprise #socialimpact --- 👋 I’m Michelle Arrazcaeta 💭 Founder, strategist, coach, speaker at Super Good Society 💡 Helping changemakers flourish ➕ Follow or DM for more

How do we most effectively deploy limited money 💸 and energy 🚀 to transform broken systems? My conversations with philanthropies, corporations, investors and social impact leaders often circle around this important question. In this month's cover feature of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Sonila Cook, Jordan Fabyanske, and I share case studies and principles to support organizations and individuals aiming to further #socialimpact and #socialinnovation. 💡 The crux of our findings: 💪 Strong facilitation (also known as systems orchestration) is critical to generating deep learning, collaborative innovation, and profound shifts in mindsets, power, norms, policies when working on the toughest challenges. And the work of great facilitators - those who enable transformation - is often under-rated and overlooked, to our collective detriment. As new generations of philanthropists and impact leaders experiment with innovative philanthropy and financing, we are excited by the potential of these ideas to help shape and realize more just, inclusive, and regenerative societies. 🌍 Many thanks to Marcie Bianco for sharing editorial expertise, and to the many thought-partners who contributed to this work.  https://lnkd.in/eVndPFQj Jennifer Stout Dr. François Bonnici Olivia Leland Katherine Milligan Sonia Medina Audrey Selian Matthew Patten Jeroo Billimoria Alison Powell Odin Mühlenbein Kennedy Odede Cheryl Dorsey Sarah Borgman Sarah Troup Geisenheimer Tim Hanstad Rachel Flynn Melinda Macleod Karuna Sridharan Chibber Bo Stjerne Thomsen Leila Davids Kathy Reich Dedo N. Baranshamaje Len Verwey Anushka Ratnayake Alloysius Attah Bilha Ndirangu Jagdeesh Puppala Delfina Irazusta Kumi Naidoo Jordan Kassalow Celina de Sola Safeena Husain Adriana M.Lady Mariéme Jamme Stefan Wilhelm Risto Väyrynen

Honored to be just 3 days away from speaking at the HER FUND Project Event in #Copenhagen! 🚀 On September 13th, we’ll gather at #TalentGarden from 10 AM to 2 PM for a day filled with innovation, inspiration, and powerful networking opportunities aimed at supporting #women #entrepreneurs! ✨ I'm thrilled to be joining a distinguished #panel, "Creating Impact: Investor Insights on #Bridging #Gender Disparities in #Funding," alongside Teresa Hernandez Martin (Women TechEU), Taryn Andersen (Impulse4Women) , Igor Strečko (Strecko Investments) and Michael J. Wiatr (Antler). Our panel discussion will take place from 12:10 to 13:00. We'll be exploring essential #topics such as: ✔️ How investors can foster a diverse and equitable #innovation #ecosystem with gender-conscious #investing. ✔️ Concrete actions to #support women founders, particularly those from less-connected #investment ecosystems. ✔️ Steps to improve the representation of women in the investment space and create a more inclusive #environment. ✔️ Challenging #stereotypes and reshaping the narrative around #women in investing. ✔️ #Empowering women investors to drive systemic change and support women-led #startups. 💡 I’m looking forward to sharing #insights, learning from my fellow panelists, and contributing to a #future where more women #entrepreneurs can thrive. Let's challenge the status quo and pave the way for more inclusive innovation! See you there! #HERFUND #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #Investors #Innovation #Networking