Founding Women

12: Robbie Hardy

Today we welcome Robbie Hardy to the show. Robbie is an “entrepreneurologist” with extensive entrepreneurial, investment, startup, and board experience. She is the Founder of xElle Ventures, an Angel fund for women investors investing in female founders. She’s also the author of two books, Upsetting the Table and Fed Up to Start Up. We get a chance to talk candidly with Robbie about the self-imposed limitations that women face, FOMO, confidence-building strategies, talking yourself up in the bathroom, taking action in the face of uncertainty, and more. Links xElle Ventures [https://www.xelleventures.com/] Upsetting the Table [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3SKG1QK/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1UCFDM83HPR1B&keywords=upsetting%20the%20table&qid=1682650050&sprefix=upsetting%20the%20table%20%2Caps%2C226&sr=8-2] (book) Fed Up to Start Up [https://www.amazon.com/Fed-Up-Start-Strength-Connections/dp/0578611368/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2OS0D2IEYN2BS&keywords=fed%20up%20to%20start%20up&qid=1682650630&sprefix=fed%20up%20to%20start%20up%2Caps%2C252&sr=8-1] (book) Robby’s website [https://www.robbiehardy.com/] Robby’s LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbie-hardy-49b25/]

11: Jenny Fielding

Today we welcome Jenny Fielding to the show. Jenny is one of the most active global pre-seed investors, having invested in 300+ companies as the first money in. Jenny is a co-founder of the global venture capital firm, Everywhere Ventures [https://everywhere.vc/⁠] (formerly The Fund.) Previously, she was the Managing Director at Techstars [https://techstars.org/] for 7.5 years where she led investments into companies that now have a market cap of over $10B. We talk candidly with Jenny about the ‘table stakes economy,’ surrounding yourself with the right people, cap tables, the importance of vesting schedules, and the company ‘red flags’ she notices as a prolific early investor. Links * Jenny’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jefielding [https://twitter.com/jefielding] * Cap Table Hygiene [https://www.jennyfielding.com/resources]: a slide deck by Jenny * Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making [https://www.amazon.com/Build-Unorthodox-Guide-Making-Things/dp/0063046067⁠] by Tony Fadell

10: Sharon Gillenwater

Sharon is the co-founder and former CEO of Boardroom Insiders, a SaaS business intelligence platform that was acquired in January of 2022. Sharon is our first guest who fully bootstrapped her company. As entrepreneurs, we’re sold a glorified path to entrepreneurship: seed rounds, A, B, C rounds, all on a prescribed timeline between raises… but this isn’t the only way to raise capital. In today’s show, we talk to Sharon about her journey bootstrapping and ultimately selling her successful startup. We talk about some of the benefits, like full control of your company (operating without a “knee in your back”) – but also her lessons learned and sage advice for others looking to fundraise in a similar way.

09: Bridget Johns

Today we welcome Bridget Johns to the show. Bridget is the CEO and Co-Founder of To & From [https://app.toandfrom.com/], a gifting intelligence company that makes the gifting process simple with the help of patent-pending technology and thoughtfully curated products. From running a corn stand at age 11 to making her mark in the startup divisions of major brands like Polo Ralph Lauren and Tiffany & Co, it’s clear that Bridget is an entrepreneur at heart. But when she could no longer ignore a persistent desire to start her own business, she took the plunge and founded To & From. In this episode, we talk about bringing your whole self to work as a woman, being a non-technical founder, moving away from bro culture, slowing down, seeking advice from others, and what surprises her the most about being a founder (hint: everything!)

08: Kate Brodock

Today, we welcome Kate Brodock to our show. Kate is the CEO of Switch [https://switchthefuture.com/] (formerly Women 2.0), a global brand for women in tech that’s working to create a society where gender parity, diversity and inclusion are the norm. She’s General Partner at The W Fund [https://wrule.vc/], which aggregates capital and deploys funds to women and diverse-led tech startups. She is also an active – and respected – voice on Twitter [https://twitter.com/Just_Kate] in the startup sphere. Kate brings her 20+ years of experience to the show, and offers sharp advice on a variety of topics: how women can step into their economic power by embracing risks, performing cold outreach, wielding confidence, leveraging your network, and how founders can raise money in the current economic climate. Links Kate’s company, Switch [https://switchthefuture.com/]The W Fund [https://wrule.vc/]Kate’s Twitter, @Just-Kate [https://twitter.com/Just_Kate] Podcast: Pivot [https://podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/pivot] by Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway Book: Radical Candor [https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humanity/dp/1250103509] by Kim Scott