startingline

Haley Zollo is a Partner at Starting Line, an early stage consumer focused fund based in Chicago. Prior to her transition to the VC (Venture Capital) side of things, Haley spent a majority of her career scaling retail startups and leading strategy, data analytics, and business operations at Trunk Club (acquired by Nordstrom) and Mac & Mia (acquired by Stitch Fix). Hear how to get into the VC world, raise your first fund, Starting Line’s investment strategy, the current landscape for women in the VC world, and Haley’s favorite concert she saw at IU. Learn more about Haley at StartingLine.VC and on LinkedIn and learn more about IU Ventures at IUVentures.com. This podcast is presented by Kelley Direct Online MBA. Learn more at Kelley.IU.edu

Ever notice how getting started is the hardest part of achieving any goal? Most people procrastinate because they've convinced themselves that if they never start, they never have to fail. The starting line is difficult however, taking that first step is imperative to achieving what you want. That first step brings you clarity, direction, passion, excitement, etc. Why would you rob yourself of all that? Look, I know it's scary, but this is your sign to jumpstart your dreams and get going!

Haley Kwait Zollo is Principal at Starting Line, a Chicago-based, thematic early-stage venture capital fund focused on investing in consumer services and products that are cheaper and better. They’ve invested in companies like Cameo, Catch Co, SpotHero, and many more. 

Before joining Startling Line, Haley was VP of Strategy and Business Operations at Mac & Mia and was Manager of strategy and analytics at Trunk Club. She began her career as a Transaction Services Associate at KPMG.

In this episode…

Building a business in today's highly digitalized world is a double-edged sword because there's a lot of data created that can make or break a business. The misanalysis of data or analyzing the incorrect data can lead to poorly informed decision making that can hurt your business. But on the flip side, using the data and measuring KPIs the right way will drive important decisions that can multiply your business's growth.

However, the million-dollar problem is how do you know which metrics to measure and how do you identify which KPIs move the needle for your business?

On this episode of Inspired Insider, Dr. Jeremy Weisz interviews Haley Kwait Zollo, Principal at Starting Line, about the importance of making informed decisions in business. They discuss Haley's background in analytics, her foray into the VC world, the data and KPIs digital brands should be analyzing, and Haley's advice to early-stage startups on how to have non-linear growth. Stay tuned.