Tag: investors

How’s the Money Thing Going for You? #emergingnow

by Chantal Pierrat

Dear Emerging Women,

Ah, money. Money, money, money, money (…..money)!

These days, I can’t keep the refrain from the O’Jays song out of my head. To be completely transparent, we have big plans for the growth of Emerging Women, and in order to reach our goals, we need capital. Money, honey.

So we’re in the middle of the grueling process of raising seed money to create the next level of Emerging Women. If you’ve done this for your business, you know: it’s a full-time job that consumes your entire mental space – even when you sleep. I’m constantly honing our pitch deck, three different versions of a “compelling-yet-super-brief” presentation which I share in as little time as possible to as many qualified investors as I can get in front of.

I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur before I even knew what kind of company I wanted to build. About a year before telling my mentor and boss that I was ready to leave my cushy full-time job as a successful publishing executive, I started emerging – creativity and ideas started sprouting in my brain a mile a minute, and I felt restless and powerful at the same time. I had endless energy and drive, even though I was a working mom with two kids under four. I was scared, but more of the “how” than the “what” or the “why.”

How would I make enough money to continue the lifestyle I had created with my husband as a two-income household? How would I find a mentor once I left the fertile business learning environment of an established company? How would I create a profitable business while juggling motherhood and marriage? And most importantly – how would I fund this dream?

Ironically, all of these questions led me to create the business itself, Emerging Women. I wanted a support network of powerful women dedicated to creating a new version of success that takes into account the specific “how” challenges that women in business face. And BY FAR my greatest challenge has been access to capital.

When I started the raise last September, I felt confident and excited – with an impact-oriented business supporting women’s leadership in the world, who could say no?

Then I learn that though the total investment in female-led companies has tripled since 2000, “85 percent of all venture capital–funded businesses have no women on the executive team,” according to Babson College researchers. Even more astonishing: “…only 2.7 percent of venture capital-funded companies had a woman CEO.” What the what?!

I know we have a brilliant idea that fills a real need in the world, so I’m crazy eager to have enough money to hire more people, launch new products, take risks, make mistakes. That’s how businesses move from simply surviving to soaring, and scaling. When I look at the powerful women in our tribe, I know we will make it happen.

Until then, I’ll just keep being grateful for my thick skin, because every “yes” I receive comes with at least a dozen “mehs.”

I have refined and honed my pitch (am I on version 37 now?) to the point where I can say it backwards. And while I am not done with the full raise, the lessons I have learned along the way have completely re-shaped my relationship to money.

Want to redefine your relationship with money before a big raise?

Check out these 5 Ways to start setting yourself up for a life of alignment, abundance and impact.

I’d love to hear where you’re at with the whole money thing, too. How are you funding your dreams? Share your smarts with the tribe in the comments section.

Big Love,

Chantal Pierrat

Founder, Emerging Women

*If you are an accredited investor and want to be a part of Emerging Women, please mail us directly at [email protected]

More from Emerging Women this week:

Barbara Stanny – Sacred Success: A Woman’s Guide to Authentic Power & Affluence

 5 Ways to Reshape Your Relationship with Money

Juicy Bites: Black History is American History

Super Early Bird Tickets available for a limited time for EW Live 2015 in San Francisco!

How are you funding your dreams? Share your smarts with the tribe in the comment section.

Demystifying the Money: Women Investors & Investing in Women

by Chantal Pierrat

>As we increase our leadership reach in all areas of our society, it is essential for women to understand how we can harness financial resources to help us actualize our vision for change.

At Emerging Women Live, we will be uncovering ways for women to jump into the existing investment structures, as well as ways to use our collective emerging power to create new possibilities around global money distribution and management.

Meet the members of EWlive14’s panel discussion “Demystifying the Money,” concerning the rapidly changing trends of women investors and business leaders – women who are earning, raising and investing money to reflect deliberate action and greater influence in our world.

1. Adaora Udoji – Interim President of News Deeply

adoraudoji

Adaora Udoji is currently Interim President of the award-winning startup News Deeply; specializing in single topic publishing while providing enabling technology to engage users on complex global issues. It’s her latest adventure in entrepreneurship after founding The Boshia Group, an international network of strategists, advisors, operational specialists, content developers and producers. The Group provides content and project management, as well as editorial and production frameworks serving clients such as startups, new media and tech companies; law and investment firms.

Adaora is also a lawyer and an award-winning storyteller who has worked across broadcast and digital media platforms: television, cable, radio, and the internet. Her roles have included corporate strategist, producer, on-air correspondent and anchor at Bloomberg, ABC News, CNN and public radio. The National Academy of Arts & Sciences recognized her reporting of the Afghanistan war. Essence Magazine named her one of the 25 most influential African-Americans.

In an interview with AlleyWatch, Adaora was asked, “If you could fix one thing in the startup ecosystem right now, what would it be?”  She answered, “To see it flooded with women, women and more women – both as entrepreneurs and investors.”

“To see it flooded with women, women and more women – both as entrepreneurs and investors.”

2. Amanda Steinberg – Founder of Daily Worth

Amanda Steinberg is the founder of DailyWorth, the leading financial media company for women. Steinberg is a thought­leader on the topic of women and money, working to advance women’s financial confidence and wealth.

Amanda is an engineer by training, a media executive by profession, and a serial optimist at heart. DailyWorth serves millions of women monthly via its daily newsletters and Website focused on money and career advice.

Amanda says, “The stories women tell themselves about money have perpetuated the idea of money being a source of stress for women … [We need to] see it as access to freedom and choices in our lives, not as a source of anxiety.”

“We need to see it as access to freedom and choices in our lives, not as a source of anxiety.”

3. Kesha Cash – Partner and Director of Investments at Impact America

edited-Kesha-Cash-PicKesha Cash is a Partner and Director of Investments at Impact America, an early-stage equity fund that invests in high growth companies that aim to generate real financial returns while improving the well-being of underserved communities and creating quality jobs in America.

Impact America Fund is the evolution of Jalia Ventures, a three-year minority-focused impact investing initiative Kesha launched and executed with the support and collaboration of leading investors, accelerators, community organizations, university programs, and industry experts across the country.

Kesha’s passion for social responsibility is apparent in her vision for the future: “We identify as one human race and deeply consider the impact of our actions on other human beings, the environment and future generations.”

“We identify as one human race and deeply consider the impact of our actions on other human beings, the environment and future generations.”

4. Fran Hauser – Angel Investor and Partner at Rothenberg Ventures

Fran HauserFran Hauser is an angel investor, digital media veteran and an advocate for women and kids. She is passionate about connecting people and inspiring change.

An active investor, Fran is a partner at Rothenberg Ventures. Before diving into the world of venture capital, Fran spent 15 years in the digital media space, holding President and General Manager positions at Time Inc., AOL and Moviefone. She played an integral role in the $400mm sale of Moviefone to AOL and in building PEOPLE.com into one of the most successful women’s websites.

Fran is a funder of the PBS documentary Half the Sky, Board Chair of GlobalGiving and an advisory board member of Helpusadopt.

Her advice as a mentor shows she knows the power of leveraging our feminine strengths. She says, “One of the best ways to get into a dream company is to develop relationships with the people who work there.”

“One of the best ways to get into a dream company is to develop relationships with the people who work there.”

 5. Vicki Saunders – Founder of SheEO

Vicki is a serial entrepreneur, passionate mentor and advisor to the next generation of change makers and leading advocate for entrepreneurship as a way of creating positive transformation in the world.

Vicki is founder of SheEO, a program for women entrepreneurs that supports the next generation of women-led social ventures to lead from their strengths on their own terms.

Vicki is also co-founder of WhatsNext, a global network of leading entrepreneurial talent focused on solving major challenges for business, education, NGOs and governmental institutions.

We very much agree with Vicki when she says, “We’re moving towards a post-hero world where the greatest challenges will require multiple people collaborating to solve.”

“We’re moving towards a post-hero world where the greatest challenges will require multiple people collaborating to solve.”