Welcome to She Invests, where you’ll hear from existing female angel investors, venture capitalists and fund managers on their investment thesis. From deal flow to exits, they will share the best practices that contribute to their success.
In this episode, Dr. Silvia Mah welcomes inspiring global leader, strategist and advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, Maisha Cobb. Maisha is committed to helping organizational visionaries bring their boldest aspirations to life. At her own core, Maisha believes we all have a unique vision that contributes to the great societal benefit. Dr. Silvia and Maisha explore the concept of leadership through servitude, the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the value of having an abundance mindset.
What We Covered
04:30 – Dr. Silvia Mah introduces today’s guest, Maisha Cobb who talks about her passion for giving back and empowering women of color, her career journey and the importance she places on servitude
11:00 – Maisha speaks to her book, Epiphany Marketing, and how she shifted her own career path
15:22 – Maisha speaks to how COVID-19 has impacted herself, our society and minority communities
19:10 – Maisha opens up about the tragedies of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd
22:13 – The importance of promoting and fostering true diversity and change in the workplace
26:17 – Maisha recalls a powerful seminar she attended recently and shares what she learned from it
29:44 – Maisha speaks to the value she places on her role as a mentor
32:42 – Dr. Silvia and Maisha share their thoughts on motherhood
36:47 – Maisha provides best practices and advice on returning to your authentic self
39:04 – Maisha discusses how her meditative practices focus on an abundance mindset
At the end of what has been arguably one of the most challenging years ever, Host Silvia Mah recaps the year and highlights several key takeaways. She first talks about Impact, Innovation and Isolation and how we persevered through what she describes as a Triple Pandemic – Health uncertainty, Social injustice and Economic insecurity.
She highlights shining examples of entrepreneurship, and how leaders demonstrated awareness, open communication resilience and problem solving skills. Truly inspiring.
Welcome to She Invests, where you’ll hear from existing female angel investors, venture capitalists and fund managers on their investment thesis. From deal flow to exits, they will share the best practices that contribute to their success.
In this episode, Dr. Si lvia Mah welcomes Teri Ijeoma to the show to discuss Teri’s incredible transition from education to the stock market. Teri details the decision to quit her job, travel the world and begin trading full-time. She speaks to how she successfully parlayed her skills as a trader into an online curriculum that shares her investing strategies with people all over the world. Today, Teri is focused on investing, lobbying for social change, and helping all groups – primarily women and minorities – to gain financial freedom.
What We Covered
01:12 – Dr. Silvia Mah introduces today’s guest, Teri Ijeoma who shares her journey from teacher to investment expert
10:28 – How Teri has been able to transform the lives of the African American community by helping them build their wealth
13:19 – Teri speaks to why COVID-19 impacted minority communities the hardest
23:06 – The value Teri places on traveling the world
25:18 – Teri provides insights on investing via the stock market
32:10 – The criteria Teri utilizes to identify companies to invest in
35:22 – Other tips and best practices for trading in the stock market and the importance of having confidence
38:42 – Teri provides final thoughts on everything that’s going on in our current social climate
41:08 – Teri talks about the value she places on having an abundance mindset
42:13 – Dr. Silvia thanks Teri for joining the show and recaps highlights from the episode
Welcome to She Invests, where you’ll hear from existing female angel investors, venture capitalists and fund managers on their investment thesis. From deal flow to exits, they will share the best practices that contribute to their success.
In this episode, Dr. Silvia Mah welcomes Mysty Rusk to the show to discuss the San Diego Angle Conference (SDAC), angel event funds, and the challenge of building networks during the Covid-19 crisis. Mysty shares her passion for creating dynamic angel investor ecosystems to help start-up entrepreneurs live out their dreams.
What We Covered
00:45 – Dr. Silvia Mah introduces today’s guest, Mysty Rusk who speaks to her background in investing
08:05 – The San Diego Angel Conference and challenges of building networks during the Covid-19 crisis
13:28 – Mysty breaks down the different types of funds including an angel event fund
21:18 – How start-up entrepreneurs are curating Covid-19 response plans
23:56 – Mysty explains the investment term doubling down
29:02 – How has risk mitigation strategies have changed due to Covid-19
35:31 – Mysty speaks to her professional experience on why angel investors do what they do
42:42 – Strategies for how best to use funds and communicate financial projections to angel investors
44:12 – Mentorship programs for new angel investors
45:45 – How virtual online pitches differ from in-person pitches
49:11 – Dr. Silvia thanks Mysty for joining the show
Welcome to She Invests, where you’ll hear from existing female angel investors, venture capitalists and fund managers on their investment thesis. From deal flow to exits, they will share the best practices that contribute to their success.
In this episode, Dr. Silvia Mah welcomes Barbara Bickham to the show to discuss Barbara’s work with Women’s Innovation Fund Accelerator. Barbara expounds on the mindset of an investor, the importance of ecosystem building and the concept of risk mitigation.
What We Covered
01:03 – Dr. Silvia Mah introduces today’s guest, Barbara Bickham who speaks to her work with Women’s Innovation Fund Accelerator
05:40 – Entrepreneurial strategies for pivoting and adapting in the midst of Covid-19
10:24 – The process of communicating strategic pivots to investors
12:40 – Barbara explains the concept of risk mitigation
16:26 – The mindset of an investor
20:36 – Barbara speaks to the importance of communicating with your network and limited partners (LPs)
24:00 – Doubling down on relationship and ecosystem building
25:30 – Barbara talks about her involvement in Innovation City and the upcoming virtual Women of Color Pitch Competition
30:42 – Barbara speaks to her experience with risk assessment and gender balance
33:50 – Barbara shares her ongoing fundraising projects
39:07 – Barbara provides her insights on maintaining a mindset of abundance
42:07 – Dr. Silvia thanks Barbara for joining the show
Welcome to She Invests, where you’ll hear from existing female angel investors, venture capitalists and fund managers on their investment thesis. From deal flow to exits, they will share the best practices that contribute to their success.
In this episode, Dr. Silvia Mah welcomes Alicia Robb to the show to discuss the Next Wave Impact Fund and the Founder of Color, two organizations in which Alicia has deep ties. Alicia breaks down virtual investing and the economic impact that COVID has had on entrepreneurship and venture capitalists.
What We Covered
02:28 – Dr. Silvia Mah introduces today’s guest, Alicia Robb who speaks to her work with Next Wave Impact and Founders of Color
08:18 – Alicia breaks down who and what is driving economic growth during the uncertainty of COVID
10:50 – Alicia speaks to virtual investment and how that has led to the diversity of investors who are involved with the Next Wave Impact Fund
13:49 – Alicia breaks down the incredible work that Founders of Color is doing and how it felt to win the Hans Severiens Award from the Angel Capital Association
18:36 – The democratization of data, wealth and opportunity and how COVID has impacted Founders of Color
22:45 – Alicia provides her insights on maintaining a mindset of abundance
24:02 – Alicia shares her ongoing projects
26:30 – Dr. Silvia thanks Alicia for joining the show
In this episode, Silvia Mah introduces a new COVID-19 themed series on the She Invests podcast.
Female investors are stronger together when uncertain times emerge. This is what we have seen during our global pandemic over and over again, female investor colleagues, reactivating, realigning with the most critical mission at hand and reinvesting in this business of investing and supporting transformational innovations that will make our world a better place.
In this new series you'll be inspired through conversations with amazing women who have invested during a pandemic. You will be encouraged by their actions, the checks they write, their passions, the founders they invest in, their thoughts, their strengths, and their advocacy for what is right and just, which is supporting founders that are making this world a better place through innovation and entrepreneurship.
This is a time to help founders. This is the time to really activate our capital to impact the economy.
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Amanda Lettmann, CEO of Kardia Venture, lives a “limitless” life, and believes in the power of paying it forward. As a veteran of the United States Air Force and a successful figure in the tech industry over the past 20 years, she has taken her fascination with finance and thriving businesses into the arena of angel investing.
In this episode, Amanda shares how she got into investing, the importance of supporting coachable female and veteran entrepreneurs, and shares her latest adventure of bringing Women of Impact into the world. She also shares her six tenets of impactful people.
What We Covered
01:05 – Amanda is the first veteran investor on the show. What makes her as a veteran investor and the types of investments she makes unique?
02:15 – The Pay It Forward aspect – Why investing in women or having women on a leadership team is not just a good decision, but is a good business decision
03:42 – What thriving startups are doing right
04:41 – Amanda’s start in angel investing
06:42 – Amanda’s first investments into public markets
07:22 – Making the leap from investing to angel investing; a riskier asset class
08:30 – Delving deep into the thought process of syndication and how to do it
10:50 – Amanda’s thesis for investment criteria
13:15 – Bringing Women of Impact [series] into the world
15:37 – Six Tenets of Impactful People
18:34 – Speaker Series: Kardiavibe; an offshoot of the ESPN radio show
19:45 – What else is Amanda working on?
21:23 – The forefront of tech right now
24:00 – Full-time versus part-time investing
27:05 – What makes San Diego amazing [as a startup eco-system]?
Susan Preston is the General Partner for the CalCEF Clean Energy Angel Fund, the Buerk Endowed Fellow for Entrepreneurship at the University of Washington, a Trustee for the Angel Resource Institute, chair of ARI: Women First Enterprises, and on various for-profit and non-profit boards. She is also the author of Angel Financing for Entrepreneurs: Early-stage Funding for Long-term Success. In addition, Susan received her JD, cum laude, from Seattle University School of Law and her BS, magna cum laude, in Microbiology and Public Health from Washington State University. Her background with microbiology is the source of her interest in investing in the med-tech area.
In this episode, Susan credits team, technology, and the market as the three pillars of startup success. She encourages beginning entrepreneurs to be confident on their “elevator pitch,” to successfully get an investor’s attention, as well as female angel investors to believe in themselves. To Susan, education and training are vital in investing.
What We Covered
03:28 – How Susan got involved in investing
05:27 – Susan’s first year of angel investing
06:56 – The involvement on female angel investors in Susan’s company
08:49 – How Susan focused on education in her career
10:52 – The role of early stage investors in growing the economy of the United States
12:12 – Why the diversification of your portfolio can help you as an investor
13:41 – The importance of post-investment engagement and what does it really mean
15:52 – How Susan communicates with companies on her expectations
18:48 – Alignment in the angel investment world
19:55 – How an entrepreneur can get an investor’s attention
22:14 – Team, technology, and the market on a company’s success
23:19 – Investing in the med-tech area
26:12 – How Susan’s company run angel investment group workshops
28:33 – Helping university startups get an investment
31:11 – Encouraging female angel investors to write their first check
Oregon-based entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, Julie Harrelson, is the CEO of Harrelson Group and the fund manager of Cascade Angels Fund, in which she co-founded in 2013. Throughout her entrepreneurial career, she has had multiple executive roles in design, technology, and angel investing. She has received many accolades for her hard work and success, including the 2017 Bend Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year Award and the Oregon 2014 Women of Influence Orchid Award.
She is an active member of the Angel Capital Association, the Oregon State University Advantage Accelerator and Metropolitan Family Service, and the Portland State University’s Center for Women’s Leadership Honorary Council. In this episode, Julie explores the topic of philanthropy in entrepreneurship and using collaboration to create a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.
What We Covered
09:23 – Entrepreneurship in the Oregon
12:04 – How Julie created a fund in Bend, Oregon
14:09 – Fund managers are over 90% men
16:10 – The beginnings of Cascade Angel Fund
18:03 – Julie’s biggest asset from collaboration
22:05 – Persistent effort over time leads to valuable progress
23:41 – The “three-legged stool” for investing in Bend, Oregon
25:00 – Why angel investors are attracted to Bend, Oregon
26:03 – Up and coming industries in Bend, Oregon and Pacific Northwest
28:47 – The importance of the entrepreneurial ecosystem
30:50 – How can angel investors really make a mark on the entrepreneurial ecosystem
32:13 – What Julie looks for as an individual angel investor
34:20 – How to manage your portfolio as an angel investor
35:33 – Fund Five’s investments
39:12 – Being civically engaged as ecosystem builders
This is an invaluable resource to me as an entrepeneur! Getting to peek into the heart and mind of investors is SO incredibly valuable to me. Thank you for bringing such a fantastic podcast to life!
