VC Backed Moms

Check out Upfront in the The Washington Post this week! We're so grateful to be included in the incredible article Jane Black wrote about how consolidating childcare data helps everyone- families, providers, and government organizations- make better, faster decisions. PR has never been our goal, which is why we love this article because it focuses on the work, the clients, and the communities we serve. We're particularly happy to see Laura Weeldreyer at Maryland Family Network speaking about our joint work and the impact on Maryland families. https://lnkd.in/eTA8pHMt

💫 TAPPING INTO THE POWER OF COMMUNITY 💫 In this week of demystifying the mother founder journey, I am focusing on factors that build resilience and restore much-needed energy sources (besides ☕x3). Community - and better yet, intentionally curated communities - help on both fronts. How do you find community? Here are a few ways to get started: 🚀 Join an incubator or accelerator Christina Farr's recent call to action for digital health companies to band together and take on healthcare incumbents is important and challenging. Incubators can offer a safe space to exchange the type of critical information that can change early stage company trajectories. Tip: keep an open mind and look for cross-disciplinary programs. Our Humana Foundation's SEED SPOT cohort included a wide array of companies (like Welfie improving the health of schools and families, and samaritan increasing housing access for the unhoused) all with a similar goal (contracts with payers). A few incubators/accelerators we have been fortunate to be a part of: Y Combinator, Alpine Investors Social Ventures, SEED SPOT Humana Foundation, Galvanizer, MassChallenge, 51 Labs (Laerdal Million Lives Fund + MATTER) ❤️ 👩🏽🚀 Participate in a professional network A few networks I've found to be helpful for female founders: VC Backed Moms, Alumnae of YC, Girls in Tech, Inc., university-affiliated alumnae groups (Stanford Professional Women of Los Angeles, WIM circles) or fully virtual (e.g., Health Tech Nerds, The Grind) 💼 Attend events and conferences Search for local/regional conferences by therapeutic area (e.g., mental health, diabetes) and vertical (e.g., health technology) and filter by objective. Some conferences may be more research-oriented (in the maternal health world, The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association) while others focus on community efforts (Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center); some may be more timely when fundraising (HLTH, ViVE), launching pilots (Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists, Future of Maternal Care Summit), or getting critical feedback from an end user (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)). What are some of your favorite communities and why? How did you find them? 💫 #founderjourney #powerofcommunity

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 😂

Grateful to partner with VC Backed Moms and Fenwick & West this past week to host an intimate, fireside chat between Caroline Fairchild, Editor-In-Chief at Lean In, and Wall Street powerhouse-turned-founder, Sallie Krawcheck, CEO of Ellevest. All of us who attended got a masterclass in resilience, creativity, and sheer determination. So fun and rewarding to see this event come to life after many months in the making (thanks to Sehreen Noor Ali, plus a serendipitous zoom run-in by Caroline that sealed the deal). Hope to be back soon, NYC...! cc: Ilana Fass, Sarah Fergusson Chambless, Jennifer Yoo

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