Passing The Mic: The VC Exchange

Dive into the minds of North America’s leading Venture Capitalists. These are the real stories and insider knowledge you need to unlock the power of diversity and understand the closed-network of venture capital. In each episode, we venture down to a new learning path, giving you insights into the most relevant issues women in venture capital are facing today and how to solve them. We’ll be sharing the unique journeys and go-to resources that women venture capitalists rely on to succeed.

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Episodes

Passing the Mic: The VC Exchange - Lisa Marino

Lisa Marino is the founder and CEO of Mamas Uncut , a digital media property founded upon a community of moms helping moms, which has grown to include a broad children’s product offering as well as brand and charitable partnerships that support underserved communities. Previously, she was at the San Francisco-based social gaming and media entertainment company, RockYou, where she began as VP of Sales and eventually became CEO. Early in her career, Lisa also spent a number of years in Tech M&...

Feb 03, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 9

Passing the Mic: The VC Exchange - Cindy Padnos

Cindy Padnos is the founder and Managing Partner of Illuminate Ventures , a VC firm leading Seed-stage investments in B2B/Enterprise software companies across North America. She has a particular interest in the intersection of cloud computing with trends that impact the Future of Work. Her investment exits include acquisitions by Autodesk, Hearst, Cloudera, New Relic, Vista Equity Partners and Rubicon Technology Partners as well as successful IPOs for Xactly (NYSE: XTLY and Coupang (NYSE: CPNG)....

Nov 23, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 8

Passing the Mic: The VC Exchange - Astrid Schanz-Garbassi

Astrid is the CEO at Agni, a company that makes healing foods and teas to support women along the reproductive health continuum. Agni’s cookies, teas, and seasonings are designed to replenish nutrients women are most often depleted of and to support hormone balance, better periods, fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum recovery. Agni infuses science and wisdom in all they do in collaboration with experts in Western Medicine, Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, Herbalism, and Holistic Nutrition. Agni is c...

Oct 25, 2022•31 min•Season 1Ep. 7

Passing the Mic: The VC Exchange - Sara Brand and Kerry Rupp

Sara Brand and Kerry Rupp are the General Partners of True Wealth Ventures, one of the first venture firms founded by women to invest in women. The Austin-based duo are known for being on the forefront of women-focused and women-led investments. As thought leaders in their fields, they are frequently sought out as speakers, coaches and judges as well as contributors on topics such as the advantages of investing in women entrepreneurs and the importance of engaging more women as investors. Each o...

Sep 13, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Passing the Mic: The VC Exchange - Mellie Chow

Mellie is an angel investor/venture capitalist, entrepreneur, IT/Technology and Management/Strategy Consultant and Product Innovation Executive with 20+ years of experience across multiple industries including telecommunications & cable, utilities & power generation, banking, healthcare, government, and food. She is currently a venture partner at Archangel, Axion Fund and the Executive Director of Competitive Product Research & Strategic Insights at a Leading Global Telecom/Media Com...

Aug 09, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Passing the Mic: The VC Exchange - Tracy Chadwell

Tracy Killoren Chadwell is the Founding Partner of 1843 Capital, a venture capital fund focused on early stage technology companies. Through her work she hopes to change the way we view and experience aging. In 2021, Tracy was named to Forbes Magazine’s Inaugural “50 Over 50” list and in 2019 to Entrepreneur Magazine’s list of “100 Powerful Women.” Notable investments include Beautycounter (Exited: $1B), Tempo Automation (Exited Nasdaq:TMPO), and May Mobility. Formerly, she was a Partner at Bake...

May 04, 2022•23 min

Passing the Mic: The VC Exchange - Jesse Draper

Jesse Draper is a mother of 3 boys, founding partner of Halogen Ventures as well as creator and host of Emmy nominated television series, The Valley Girl Show. Draper is a 4th generation venture capitalist focused on early stage investing in consumer technology companies led by female and co-ed teams. Among her 65 portfolio companies are the Skimm, Carbon38, HopSkipDrive, The Flex Company, Squad (acquired by Twitter), Eloquii (sold to Walmart) and This is L (sold to P&G). She stars on SET's ...

Mar 14, 2022•35 min

Passing the Mic: The VC Exchange - Sara Lindquist

In this episode, Sara Lindquist shares her unique journey as a woman who’s freshly entering the venture capital industry. Now an associate from FUSE Capital based in Seattle, Sara shares how her experiences with her previous roles, mentors, and team at FUSE have helped her succeed in her current position. She highlights the importance for women to nurture mentorship and community in order to pave the way for an incoming generation of women venture capitalists. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS It is possible t...

Mar 14, 2022•22 min

Passing the Mic: The VC Exchange - Michelle McBane

Michelle brings her expertise and experience in venture capital to the table. She speaks about her journey when entering the VC industry and what led her to venture into starting her firm, StandUp Ventures. Michelle and her team at StandUp Ventures are advocates for women in venture capital and primarily invest in women-led companies. In this episode, Michelle shares how to navigate the barriers to entry in the industry and what we can learn from the emerging female entrepreneurship scene in Tor...

Mar 14, 2022•28 min

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