This Co-Founder Interviewed 1,000 Banking Pros Before Launching Her Fintech Company

"I Don't Want Mentoring, I Want Cash": How One Founder Turned a Cold LinkedIn DM into Funding

Building a peer-to-peer startup from scratch is hard—but doing it sustainably, profitably, and on your own terms? That's a different level entirely. Fresh off of winning Retail Entrepreneur of the Year, Eshita Kabra-Davies, founder of By Rotation [https://byrotation.com/], joins us today along with her investor, Triin Linamagi of Sie Ventures [https://www.sie.ventures/], to discuss this milestone, balancing authenticity and community with the risk of seeming cringe, and how to turn a cold connection into a funding relationship. Brown Girls, Money Moves is hosted by Bhargavi Varma. Henah Velez is Executive Producer, with video support from Amanda Wan. Theme music from Indo Warehouse. Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/IUmkBJ2MLHk [https://youtu.be/IUmkBJ2MLHk] — 💌 Want more about angel investing, South Asian female founder stories, and belonging to a community that builds and funds Brown girl businesses? Find us on all social platforms @browngirlangels.

Record-Breaking Pre-Seed Round, Capital-Efficient Growth: How Orca Is Reshaping African Fintech

Risk, venture capital, and the fintech landscape look fundamentally different in Silicon Valley than in South Africa, and Africa's tech ecosystem is rapidly growing. So let's learn from the pros: Thalia Pillay, alongside co-founder Carla Wilby, launched Orca [https://www.orca-fraud.com/] to fight against emerging market fraud, and their pre-seed round for an all-women team was the largest across the continent. One of their backers was Norsken22 [https://www.norrsken22.com/], a tech growth fund backed by more than 30 unicorn partners. Today, Bhargavi sits down with Thalia Pillay of Orca and Nivesh Pather of Norsken22 to discuss the importance of being capital-efficient (and how valuable that is for investors, too), the advice to just "stay in it" as a woman entrepreneur, and a primer on the VC and tech landscapes in the African ecosystem. Brown Girls, Money Moves is hosted by Bhargavi Varma. Henah Velez is Executive Producer, with video support from Amanda Wan. Theme music from Indo Warehouse. Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiLUW4n3X6Y [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiLUW4n3X6Y]. — 💌 Want more about angel investing, South Asian female founder stories, and belonging to a community that builds and funds Brown girl businesses? Find us on all social platforms @browngirlangels.

This Co-Founder Interviewed 1,000 Banking Pros Before Launching Her Fintech Company

Would you interview 1,000 prospective customers about their pain points and ideas, before launching your business? That's exactly what Kobalt Labs [https://www.kobaltlabs.com/] co-founders, Ashi Agrawal and Kalyani Ramagurdam, did. Less than two years later, they closed a $11m round, led by the former Managing Partner at YC Continuity and founder of First Harmonic [https://www.firstharmonic.com/], Ali Rowghani. Today, host Bhargavi Varma is joined by both Ashi Agrawal and Ali Rowghani to discuss the power of pivoting, knowing your target market's pain points, investing in your partner over an idea—and how to grow a startup beyond the sapling stage to avoid "where death lurks." Brown Girls, Money Moves is hosted by Bhargavi Varma. Henah Velez is Executive Producer, with video support from Amanda Wan. Theme music from Indo Warehouse. Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/uJAtv3DyAc8 [https://youtu.be/uJAtv3DyAc8] — 💌 Want more about angel investing, South Asian female founder stories, and belonging to a community that builds and funds Brown girl businesses? Find us on all social platforms @browngirlangels.

Anyone Can Be an Investor: Why Democratizing Access is Key for Nitya Subramanian & Maya Bakhai

Welcome back to Season 2 of Brown Girls, Money Moves with Bhargavi Varma! Today, we're talking to Nitya Subramanian, the founder behind blockchain leader Para [https://www.getpara.com/], and her investor Maya Bakhai of Spice Capital [https://www.spicecapital.xyz/], who's also backed by the likes of Marc Andreessen and Alexis Ohanian. We're covering everything from how anyone can become an angel investor, to why democratizing access isn't just good ethics—it's good business. Brown Girls, Money Moves is hosted by Bhargavi Varma. Henah Velez is Executive Producer, with video support from Amanda Wan. Theme music from Indo Warehouse. Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/iY6y_ZMPjPs [https://youtu.be/iY6y_ZMPjPs] — 💌 Want more about angel investing, South Asian female founder stories, and belonging to a community that builds and funds Brown girl businesses? Find us on all social platforms @browngirlangels.

Stage 4 Cancer survivor to clean tech CEO—Nivatha Balendra (Dispersa) on scaling impact, why every “no” matters and choosing the right investor in Olga Cruz (Good & Well, BDC)

If you believe business is about more than the bottom line—or if you need fresh faith that purpose-driven founders can commercialize real innovation—this is your new playbook.   In this truly inspiring episode, host Bhargavi Varma sits down with Founder Nivatha Balendra (Dispersa), and Investor Olga Cruz (BDC) to talk about resilience, science-driven innovation, and the power of value-aligned investing.Nivatha shares the remarkable journey of launching Dispersa, a cleantech startup which converts food waste into eco-friendly biosurfactants. Olga reflects on her path as an Investor (from Good & Well to BDC Thrive Lab) and the importance of intuition, seva, and supporting women founders. Together, they unpack what it takes to commercialize sustainability solutions, navigate fundraising, and stay grounded through meditation, community, and resilience. About The Founder:Nivatha Balendra, (Forbes 30 Under 30 Science) founded Dispersa [https://dispersa.ca/], a biotechnology company that transforms food waste into sustainable, biodegradable surfactants for the cleaning and personal care industries. After the 2013 Lac-Mégantic oil spill, she began researching oil-degrading bacteria at the age of 17 and has since been recognised for her innovative approach to environmental sustainability. About The Investor: Olga Cruz, is a Director at BDC Capital’s Thrive Lab [https://www.bdc.ca/en/bdc-capital/venture-capital/funds/thrive-platform/thrive-lab-women], where she leads a $50 million investment fund focused on early-stage, women-led, impact-driven businesses across Canada. In addition to her investment work, Olga is a certified breathwork and meditation teacher with the Art of Living Foundation, emphasizing the importance of clarity, presence, and emotional intelligence in leadership. 🔗 Mentioned in this episode: Dispersa [https://dispersa.ca/] PuraSurf [https://dispersa.ca/products/purasurf/](by Dispersa)BDC [https://www.bdc.ca/en] BDC Thrive Lab for Women [https://www.bdc.ca/en/bdc-capital/venture-capital/funds/thrive-platform/thrive-lab-women] Good & Well [https://www.goodandwell.ca/] Hyve [https://hyveclean.com/] For Nivatha's Mom