Changing Demographics in Venture Capital with Naseem Sayani

en-usAugust 30, 2023

How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

What was the main topic of the podcast episode?

Summarise the key points discussed in the episode?

Were there any notable quotes or insights from the speakers?

Which popular books were mentioned in this episode?

Were there any points particularly controversial or thought-provoking discussed in the episode?

Were any current events or trending topics addressed in the episode?

What was the main topic of the podcast episode?

Summarise the key points discussed in the episode?

Were there any notable quotes or insights from the speakers?

Which popular books were mentioned in this episode?

Were there any points particularly controversial or thought-provoking discussed in the episode?

Were any current events or trending topics addressed in the episode?

About this Episode

Venture capital has been dominated by cis white men since the practice first began. While the founders and innovators seeking funding are starting to vary from that profile, many of those still writing the checks and offering funding fall into that dominant profile. Naseem Sayani is one woman who is trying to change that. Naseem, the co-founder of Emmeline Ventures, is here today to talk about what can be done to support women from many different backgrounds, minorities, and underserved demographics. This week’s episode 80 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about changing demographics in venture capital!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Naseem Sayani is sharing the importance of changing the demographic of investors and actionable steps you can take right now to support diverse communities of women.

Naseem Sayani is the Co-founder and Director of Emmeline Ventures, a female-founded early-stage fund investing in ambitious female founders building businesses that are helping women, in particular, manage their health, build their wealth, and live in a cleaner, safer world. Naseem has over 20 years of expertise in investing and business-building, and has experience as an angel investor on her own.

Some of the talking points Julie and Naseem go over in this episode include:

The importance of investing in women with diverse backgrounds.
Breaking stigmas around women’s health and the myth that women’s health is “niche”.
How women have been wrongfully convinced that they make poor money choices.
Setting the precedent for pay transparency.

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!

Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast

CONNECT WITH NASEEM SAYANI:

Twitter

Emmeline Ventures

CONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:

Join us for Get On Board Week from October 16-20, 2023. Registration is now open at https://www.howwomenlead.com/getonboard

Recent Episodes from How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

Generative AI Storytelling and Responsible AI with Katie Trauth Taylor

Since the release of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, the whole world has been buzzing about AI. While it has proven incredibly useful in businesses and is sure to keep changing the technology game, AI and large language models don’t come without their fair share of problems to be corrected. Inaccuracies and biases in the data used in AI present many problems. Katie Trauth Taylor is no stranger to these issues and is working through her company Narratize to create a platform that corrects these issues for innovative enterprises. This week’s episode 106 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about generative AI storytelling and responsible AI!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Katie Taylor shares the importance of creating AI that accounts for bias and actionable steps you can take right now to utilize AI for storytelling at an enterprise level.

Katie Trauth Taylor, Ph.D. is CEO & Co-founder at Narratize AI, the Generative AI storytelling platform for innovative enterprises. Katie is a growth-focused entrepreneur executive with 10+ years experience inspiring teams to design and deliver magnetic products, memorable experiences, and groundbreaking impacts. She has led strategic innovation narratives and served as a senior content strategist within fast-growth tech startups and the Fortune 500, including Boeing, NASA, Hershey, Sunoco, the United Nations, and many more. She believes that everyone can be an innovator--when empowered to share their bold ideas.

Some of the talking points Julie and Katie go over in this episode include:

The lack of women founders in the AI industry and its effect on data bias.
What is responsible AI and how does it address bias?
Using AI and large language models to increase effective communication of scientific discoveries.
The importance of storytelling in enterprise growth.

Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast

CONNECT WITH KATIE TRAUTH TAYLOR:

Narratize

CONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:

Join us for Get On Board Week from October 16-20, 2023. Registration is now open at https://www.howwomenlead.com/getonboard

How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

en-usMarch 06, 2024

The How Women Lead Credo with Julie Castro Abrams

When women are in positions of power and influence, it’s better for people, profits, and the planet. But society up to this point has not been conditioned to see women as influential, successful leaders. We at How Women Lead are working to change how the world perceives women leaders and our credo is our guiding light on this journey. Today we are compiling Julie’s episodes about the four tenets of our credo into one place to inspire and motivate you to help us in our cultural transformation. This week’s episode 105 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about the How Women Lead credo!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Julie Castro Abrams is sharing the importance of reinforcing the voices of other women and actionable steps you can take right now to be unabashedly visible in whatever you do.

Some of the talking points Julie goes over in this episode include:

The importance of creating a countercultural credo to amplify women’s leadership and capabilities.
Empowering women through making connections and using your network to benefit others.
Combatting the cultural dismissal of women’s voices through media representation.
Julie’s personal journey in overcoming self-doubt and a fear of public speaking.

Don’t forget to head over to How Women Lead to learn about the different branches of the organization and how you can get involved.

Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast

CONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:

Join us for Get On Board Week from October 16-20, 2023. Registration is now open at https://www.howwomenlead.com/getonboard

How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

en-usFebruary 28, 2024

Unlocking Higher Returns and Lower Risk Through Gender Diversity in Finance with Ruth Shaber

While we have made strides in increasing women’s representation in investment management roles, male portfolio managers still control around 12 and a half times more capital than women. This lack of diversity in making investing decisions leads to a lack of funding for women-owned and diverse businesses. Without more perspectives in the room, everyone misses out on opportunities that will benefit the many. Ruth Shaber is here today to discuss her work driving gender diversity in portfolio decisions, her experience founding reproductive health ventures, and much more. This week’s episode 104 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about unlocking higher returns and lower risk through gender diversity in finance!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Ruth Shaber shares the importance of diversity in asset allocation decisions and actionable steps you can take right now to increase gender diversity in your portfolio.

Ruth Shaber, MD is the Founder and President of the Tara Health Foundation. This foundation advances health and economic justice by transferring all of our resources and assets to invest in and elevate solutions at the intersection of race and gender. Ruth is also the co-founder and board chair of Rhia Ventures, a group of foundations and investors that collaborate to bring new types of capital and enterprise to the field of reproductive health in the United States. Recently, Ruth co-authored “The XX Edge: Unlocking Higher Returns and Lower Risk”.

Some of the talking points Julie and Ruth go over in this episode include:

Prioritizing women's health and reproductive rights and seeking to address systemic issues.
Women and men’s different approaches to decision-making.
The importance of bringing one’s full, authentic self to the table including lived experiences.
How women are often closer to the problems they're trying to solve, bringing unique perspectives and innovation to the table.

To order Ruth’s book, The XX Edge: Unlocking Higher Returns and Lower Risk, you can head to https://thexxedge.com/ today!

Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast

CONNECT WITH RUTH SHABER:

X (formerly Twitter)

CONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:

Join us for Get On Board Week from October 16-20, 2023. Registration is now open at https://www.howwomenlead.com/getonboard

How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

en-usFebruary 21, 2024

Leadership, Longevity, and the Modern Matriarchy with Barbara Waxman

As women reach midlife, we find that not only our physical selves change but also our values, leadership styles, and how we want to leave an impact in the world. And as we live longer lives with more years in “middlescence”, we are searching for new techniques and advice for navigating this stage. Barbara Waxman, a leadership coach with expertise in gerontology and life stages, is here this week to explain the concept of “middlescence”, how we change as we age, steps we can take now to increase our longevity, and more! This week’s episode 103 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about leadership, longevity, and the modern matriarchy!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Barbara Waxman shares the importance of self-reflection and intellectual curiosity in the next stage of life and actionable steps you can take right now to reverse engineer your life for joy and independence at age 100.

Barbara Waxman, founder of Odyssey Group Coaching, is passionate about building leaders’ personal and professional skills so they can thrive while increasing their ability to manage complexity and maximize their effectiveness. With over two decades of experience coaching CEOs, C-suite leaders, and entrepreneurs, Barbara utilizes a holistic approach to help clients lead and communicate authentically, sustain high performance, and expand their influence and impact.

Some of the talking points Julie and Barbara go over in this episode include:

Recognizing and valuing the through lines of our life's journey in forming our authentic, powerful leadership.
The concept of the “modern matriarchy” and how it affects our leadership as women.
The new life stage known as “middlescence” and how it affects our careers, personal lives, and everything in between.
The importance of maintaining meaningful connections and relationships, especially with other women, during periods of change and growth.

Barbara’s Seven Lifestyle Levers Assessment and her weekly newsletter are available through her website. Don’t forget to check them out!

Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast

CONNECT WITH BARBARA WAXMAN:

Instagram

Website

YouTube

CONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:

Join us for Get On Board Week from October 16-20, 2023. Registration is now open at https://www.howwomenlead.com/getonboard

How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

en-usFebruary 14, 2024

Advancing Diversity in the Boardroom with Robin L. Washington

As we continue to seek more diverse voices in the corporate world and demand more representation for women and People of Color, we see experienced women leaders leading the demand for change. Robin L. Washington, who joins us on the podcast today, is the Co-founder of Black Women on Boards, an organization that removes obstacles that the world’s top Black female executives can face when pursuing board of director appointments. We talk about authenticity in the workplace, diversity of thought and representation at the board and C-suite level, and so much more. This week’s episode 102 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about advancing diversity in the boardroom and c-suite!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Robin Washington is sharing the importance of diversity of thought and inclusivity in business and actionable steps you can take right now to create space for authenticity through your leadership.

Robin L. Washington is a Fortune 100 board member and operating executive, currently serving on the boards of Alphabet, Honeywell, and Salesforce, where she is the Lead Independent Director. A CFO with significant expertise in Life Sciences and Enterprise Software, Robin is passionate about human capital management and deeply committed to accelerating the next generation of innovative leaders and entrepreneurs. Robins is the Co-founder of Black Women on Boards, and the recipient of the Get on Board Week Fearless Leader Award through How Women Lead.

Some of the talking points Julie and Robin go over in this episode include:

Robin’s top ten words of wisdom for women everywhere.
The importance of creating space for your employees and team members to be their authentic selves.
Using leadership to inspire and set direction, not task management.
The importance of diversity of thought and increasing representation in business.

Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast

CONNECT WITH ROBIN L. WASHINGTON:

Black Women on Boards

CONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:

Join us for Get On Board Week from October 16-20, 2023. Registration is now open at https://www.howwomenlead.com/getonboard

How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

en-usFebruary 07, 2024

Transforming Communication Skills to Find Your Voice with Liz Sklar

At How Women Lead, we strongly believe in women finding their voice and being unabashedly visible in what they do. But finding your voice and learning to use it for your mission does not come naturally to everyone. Liz Sklar, actress and Director at Stand & Deliver, helps leaders across all industries find their voice and use it to be effective, inspiring leaders. She’s here today to talk about her journey, how you can find your unique voice, and much more! This week’s episode 101 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about improving your communication skills to find your voice!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Liz Sklar is sharing the importance of choosing to believe in yourself and your voice and actionable steps you can take right now to take care of yourself in today’s stressful world.

In her work with clients including Genentech, Gilead, Twilio, Google, IVP, CZI, Waymo, and the Cartier Women’s Initiative, Liz’s work has crossed industries from pharma to finance and frequently focuses on leaders in the innovation economy. She is especially inspired by female entrepreneurs and executives and is invested in empowering them to harness their innate power and wisdom to further their careers and expand their missions. Liz has acted professionally in both film and theater, including leading roles at premier regional theaters such as the California Shakespeare Festival and American Conservatory Theatre.

Some of the talking points Julie and Liz go over in this episode include:

How Liz’s experience in theatre informs her leadership coaching in the corporate world.
Emphasizing the value of finding and showcasing one's authentic self.
Managing stress and influencing without authority in the workplace.
Empowering women leaders through empathy and public speaking.

Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast

CONNECT WITH LIZ SKLAR:

Website

Stand & Deliver

CONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:

How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

en-usJanuary 31, 2024

Be Unabashedly Visible [Credo #4]

Women’s voices have been and continue to be culturally dismissed and discouraged. Women are very rarely quoted in science and financial journals, as well as make up only about 25% of all of the people who are quoted as experts in the news media. The fourth element of our credo at How Women Lead is to Be Unabashedly Visible, and today, Julie is sharing her journey to be more visible. This week’s episode 100 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about being unabashedly visible!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Julie Castro Abrams is sharing the importance of public speaking in creating change and actionable steps you can take right now to be visible and take up space.

Some of the talking points Julie goes over in this episode include:

The cultural narratives that hold women back that we have heard from a young age.
Embracing your power and influence, and overcoming self-doubt.
How public speaking can create change and how you can improve your public speaking skills.

Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast

CONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:

How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

en-usJanuary 24, 2024

Amplifying Your Voice and Message with Denise Brosseau, Founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Lab [Rerelease]

Women have powerful voices and have been using them to voice concerns and demand change forever. But when society is full of naysayers and those who undervalue women, it can be easy to back off of your convictions. Denise Brosseau has been on a mission for decades to help women crystalize their voices and use them to stand up for the causes they believe in. Today, she is here to talk about her causes and how she helps women find their voices! This week’s episode 99 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about amplifying your voice and message!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Denise Brosseau is sharing the importance of trusting ourselves and actionable steps you can take right now to start finding your voice.

Denise Brosseau is a thought leader, strategist, author, and CEO of Thought Leadership Lab. Passionate about amplifying inspiring voices, she assists leaders and changemakers in expanding their influence and impact. As the co-founder of Watermark (now Upward) and Springboard Enterprises, Denise champions women-led companies and their access to capital.

Some of the talking points Julie and Denise go over in this episode include:

How Denise’s time at Wellesley College shaped her career.
The importance of seeing women in leadership roles and how it inspires other women.
Exploring the role of leaders in using voice and platform for moral leadership.
How purely performative acts of solidarity hurt companies in the long run.

Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast

CONNECT WITH DENISE BROSSEAU:

X (formerly Twitter)

Thought Leadership Lab

CONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:

How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

en-usJanuary 17, 2024

Using Technology To Increase Access To Youth Mental Health Services with Kenzie Butera Davis

Content warning: Discussion of sexual assault, eating disorders, and suicide.

There is a youth mental health crisis in the United States. On average, there is an 11-year age gap in youth mental health between when children experience their first symptoms and signals of mental illness to the first intervention and seeking of treatment. Kenzie Butera Davis started Maro to eliminate that age gap and provide early intervention and risk detection starting with a school-based mental health screening. She is here today to talk to us about the strides Maro has made thus far and how we can support their mission. This week’s episode 98 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about using technology to increase access to youth mental health services!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Kenzie Butera Davis is sharing the importance of screening for mental health symptoms at school and actionable steps you can take right now to support Maro and its mission to screen 1 million kids.

Kenzie Butera Davis is the Founder and CEO of Maro, a digital health company that has been awarded the Leading Innovative Early-Stage Pediatric Health Company by Oracle Cerner and the World's Most Innovative Ed Tech Startup by ASU GSB for their work at the intersection of healthcare and education. Maro makes mental health an asset to student success instead of a roadblock by screening for warning signs of mental health problems in students and working with schools to engage families and provide access to resources.

Some of the talking points Julie and Kenzie go over in this episode include:

When Kenzie knew Maro was starting to make a difference.
Tracking social return on investment in addition to financial return on investment.
The importance of mental health screenings for children at school.
Building partnerships with schools and mental health providers.

Learn more about How Women Inspire at https://www.howwomenlead.com/podcast

CONNECT WITH KENZIE BUTERA DAVIS:

Maro

CONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:

How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

en-usJanuary 10, 2024

Julie Castro Abrams' Journey of Philanthropy and Impact [Rerelease]

Content Warning: This episode includes mention of child and animal neglect and abuse.

There’s a developmental stage between 45-65 where having an impact is one of the most important parts of this stage in our lives and it is so important to take a moment to reflect on the impact we want to have on the world. In this week’s episode 97 of How Women Inspire Podcast, Julie shares her journey of philanthropy and impact!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Julie Castro Abrams shares how her childhood experiences were the foundation for her decision early in life to spend the rest of her life trying to make the world a better place and reflecting on her continued efforts to open her heart and door to others by caring for them and loving and accepting them as they are.

Some of the talking points Julie goes over in this episode include:

Being cognizant of the power dynamics in nonprofit organizations and setting realistic expectations of gratitude.
Sharing Maimonides ‘Ladder of Philanthropy’ and the high value placed on philanthropy through partnership.
The 3 levels of impact Julie focuses on and examples of how this has played out in her life.
Encouraging you to have a north star of your own values to drive the impact and influence you have on the world.

Julie shares her story to show that being a life-long philanthropist and living a life of service is not easy but the gifts that come for both you and the people you help are immeasurable.

CONNECT WITH JULIE CASTRO ABRAMS:

How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

en-usJanuary 03, 2024

solo

how women lead