Dear Twentysomething

This week, our host Erica Wenger wraps up an incredible Season 4 of Dear Twentysomething!

This week, we chat with Melanie Strong! Mel started her career as a first grade teacher and journalist. A fateful interview with her running hero Joan Benoit Samuelson led to a long-shot interview for an entry level job at Nike. She spent 17 years there, where she led several businesses including Nike Women and Nike Skateboarding, and worked on the launch of the Nike Running and Training Club apps. Mel started angel investing and advising early stage founders in 2017, and left Nike to co-found venture capital firm Next Ventures in 2019. There she's focused on innovative technology investments across health, wellness and sports in companies like Oura ring and Outside. She serves on the boards of Outdoor Afro and USA Cycling, and most weekend you can find her riding her mountain bike on the trails where she lives in Hood River Oregon.Follow Us!Melanie Strong: @girlstrongNext Ventures: @nextventuresErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week, we chat with Lauren Berson-Sugarman! Lauren Berson is an executive turned entrepreneur with 20 years of experience building brands, products, and communities across a diverse set of industries.Lauren is the founder and CEO of Conceive, a digital health platform aiming to change fertility outcomes and experiences through community, evidence-based education, and coaching. Her focus on this problem and intention behind the company is deeply personal. She welcomed her daughter into the world after three challenging years filled with heartbreak, misinformation, and failed treatment. Conceive is the solution she wished she had. Prior to Conceive, Lauren was VP, Global Head of Strategy and M&A at WW (formerly Weight Watchers), a Senior Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and Strategic Product Partnerships lead at Google. Lauren is an active angel investor and advisor. She also serves as a board member for the JCCA, a child welfare agency in NYC.Follow Us!Lauren Berson: @LaurenBersonConceive: @conceiveErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week, our host, Erica Wenger, shares practical and honest advice on how to navigate your career in your 20s—drawing from her own journey through college, her first job, working in VC, podcast hosting, and more!In this episode, Erica breaks down the big things that helped her build momentum early in her career—from actively absorbing information to putting herself in rooms with the right people.Whether you're in business or not, the lessons shared here are widely applicable. Erica talks about the importance of staying curious, being proactive, and finding clarity in the midst of the uncertainty that often defines your 20s.If you're figuring out what you want to do or how to make the most of where you are, this episode is filled with real, thoughtful takeaways to help you move forward with intention.Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week, we chat with Courtney Powell! Courtney is COO and Managing Partner at 500 Global, tasked with helping the firm scale globally and explore new opportunities across markets. She is responsible for operations across the team to pursue 500 Global's mission of uplifting people and economies through entrepreneurship.She is also on the advisory council of Harvard Kennedy School's Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government supporting more effective interactions between the public and private sectors for the public good. Her ties to 500 Global go back to 2012, when she founded PublikDemand, a member of Batch 4 in 500's Global Accelerator Program. She went on to become CEO of Agent Pronto, one of the largest real estate agent referral services in North America, which was ultimately acquired by Fidelity National Title Group.Most recently, Courtney was the Head of Corporate Development at Keller Williams, the largest real estate franchise in the world. During her tenure, she established the company's first corporate innovation program, and worked with Keller Capital to invest and acquire tech companies in the real estate space.Courtney was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2012, received the Twilio Doer Award in 2013, and became a Google Business Leader in 2015. She attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied French and Corporate Communication.Follow Us!Courtney Powell: @CourtneyPowell500GlobalVC: @500GlobalVCErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week, we chat with TJ Taylor! TJ has spent over a decade as an early stage consumer operator—most recently Employee #1 at Raya and founding team member at Dispo. His areas of focus has been GTM and Growth (product, marketing, and community led).Currently, he is running consultancy and advisory company for consumer startups. Additionally, he's serving as a Venture Scout for the consumer team at Headline (looking at early stage consumer tech companies). Follow Us!TJ Taylor: @tjtaylrErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week, our host, Erica Wenger, shares a number of practical and unconventional tips on how to fundraise effectively as an early-stage founder!In this episode, Erica breaks down the fundraising process beyond the typical advice, offering insights on how to approach investors, craft a compelling narrative, and stand out in a crowded market. She challenges common misconceptions about fundraising and highlights creative strategies founders can use to secure capital—whether through unconventional networking, alternative funding sources, or leveraging unique market positioning.If you're an early-stage founder navigating the fundraising landscape, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you raise capital with confidence!Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomethingRead less

This week, we chat with Siqi Chen!Siqi is the founder and CEO of Runway, a next generation FP&A platform that makes finance actually understandable and accessible to the entire team.As an operator and founder, he served as the CEO of Sandbox VR (a16z), VP of Product and Growth at Postmates (later acquired by Uber), CEO of Hey, Inc (Google-funded, acquired by Postmates), Head of Product at Zynga (IPO 2011) and CEO of Serious Business (funded by Lightspeed, acquired by Zynga). In addition to his operational roles, Siqi is an investor in nearly a hundred companies, including notable names like ElevenLabs, Amplitude, Pipe, and Mercury.Prior to his entrepreneurial ventures, Siqi made significant contributions at NASA JPL, where he achieved the distinction of being the sole recipient of a Congressional Space Act award while still in school. This recognition was a result of his contributions to machine vision technology on the Mars Exploration Rovers.Follow Us!Siqi Chen: @bladerRunway: @runwaycoErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week, we chat with Troy Osinoff!Troy is the Co-founder of JUICE, a digital marketing agency credited by Facebook as being a top 1% agency with clients such as L'Oreal, Super Coffee, Solidcore & Bartstool Sports. Prior to JUICE, Troy helped a bankrupt shoe company reach profitability, grew a Grammy-winning recording studio, created a viral media site called Make A Dare (featured on Dr. Phil), co-founded a media company with 1.7M visitors daily ($0 paid promotion), and created a viral Tumblr that was turned into a nationally sold book (published by Penguin, sold to FOX). Troy also lead digital marketing for the largest HVAC company in the world ($4.2B annual sales), created a group of eCommerce stores grossing 7 figures of revenue, and was Head of Customer Acquisition at BuzzFeed. In 2021 Osinoff became a partner at Magic Fund, an early stage VC fund.Follow Us!Troy Osinoff: @yoJUICE: /thinkjuice.comErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week our host, Erica Wenger, chats about her most recent essay: Getting Off The Alphabet Train!On this episode Erica dives into her newest essay which challenges the traditional VC funding model. Getting off the Alphabet Train explores the shift away from traditional VC funding, where startups chase valuations through seed and Series rounds.Instead, a new wave of “elephant” companies is prioritizing profitability, community-driven growth, and long-term sustainability over constant fundraising. The essay highlights how changing market conditions and new funding models are reshaping the startup landscape.Read the essay here: Getting Off The Alphabet TrainFollow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week, we chat with Jacqueline Blackburn!Jacqueline is a Principal at Decisive Point and leads the acceleration portfolio. Jacqueline graduated from the United States Naval Academy and led forward-deployed teams in the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Community. She was responsible for training and building small teams for no-fail missions in the Middle East and Africa.Prior to Decisive Point, she spent several years at J.P. Morgan working closely with founders and building out their early-stage Technology and Disruptive Commerce practice.Follow Us!Jacqueline Blackburn: @therealistjacDecisive Point: @decisivepointvcErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week, our host, Erica Wenger, goes solo to break down the secrets to hosting a standout curated tech event.From timing it just right to crafting the perfect guest list. Erica shares insider tips on how to create an event that's both high-value and high-impact. You'll learn what makes a great tech gathering, how to foster meaningful conversations, and the key elements that separate a forgettable meetup from an exclusive must-attend experience.Whether you're planning your first event or looking to elevate your approach, this episode is packed with expert insights to help you curate a tech event that people will be talking about long after it's over.Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Grace Clarke!Grace Clarke is the founder of GGC Consulting, redefining how brands grow by building community-powered flywheels, not funnels, growing brands like Graza, Madewell, Jones Road, Estee Lauder, Target, Google. She is also the founder of GraceAI, a marketing strategy and calendar generator (basically an AI clone of her brain). She also runs the Gen Z Board of Directors, an insights network of young people, is an artist, and splits her time between New York and Paris.Follow us!Grace Clarke: @graceclarkeGGC: grace-clark.comErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Eli Weiss!Eli has spent the last decade building and operating early-stage startups. He is particularly known for his work around the convergence of Customer Experience and Customer Retention at DTC brands such as Jones Road Beauty, OLIPOP, and many more. After years of building brands that put the customer first, he's switched to the tech side to help build the future of Customer Retention at Yotpo.Follow us!Eli Weiss: @eliweisssYotpo: @yotpoErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Brett Perlmutter! Brett is the founder of Bulletpitch. Bulletpitch is redefining venture through media. Their flagship product is a publication that highlights and performs high-level diligence on top-tier startups. The publication has become a staple for 1000s of investors and has helped companies raise millions of dollars by being featured. Bulletpitch also has an events arm, where they have hosted everything from intimate breakfasts, pitch events, and large gatherings of 500+. Brett is also the GP and syndicate lead for  Bulletpitch+, an investment syndicate, which offers deal-by-deal investment opportunities to hundreds of LPs. Follow us!Brett Perlmutter: @brettperlBulletpitch: @bullet_pitchErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Nihal Mehta! At Eniac, they call Nihal the human Rolodex, thanks to the thousands of connections he has made with some of the world's top companies and brands. He developed many of these connections (and scar tissue!) over the past 20+ years while founding five startups: Philly2nite -> UrbanGroove -> Chapter 7 bankruptcy; ipsh! -> acquired by Omnicom (NYSE: OMC); buzzd -> LocalResponse -> acquired by BlueCava.Early in his career, Nihal honed his ability to spot top entrepreneurial talent by investing in Admob (acquired by Google), Swiftkey (acquired by Microsoft), Tapad (acquired by Telenor), Tala, and Uber, to name a few. Nihal and his wife are now angel investors and LPs in almost 100 underrepresented founders and fund managers.Nihal is a co-founder of the non-profit “Project Ahimsa,” providing scholarships to disadvantaged youth in India, where his parents immigrated from in the early 1970s. Nihal also recently co-founded initiatives like Help Main Street to help restaurants survive the pandemic, and The 100k Pledge, a social justice tracker of economic empowerment to Black communities. You might catch him running down the Hudson River weekday mornings with founders and his #pitchandrun crew.Outside of the office Nihal loves to spend time with his wife Reshma and is a big supporter of her non-profit Girls Who Code and her initiative “Moms First.” Around town, you will usually see him with his sons Shaan and Sai and beagle-bulldog Stanley. Nihal is the life of the party, which is why he always spearheads Eniac events.Nihal graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Philosophy and a BSE in Computer Science.Follow us!Nihal Mehta: @nihalmehtaEniac Ventures: @EniacVCErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week our host, Erica Wenger, takes a step back to reflect on the highs, lows, and lessons of 2024 while looking ahead to the opportunities of 2025.In this episode, she shares her personal process for year-end reflection, breaking it down into eight fool-proof buckets to help you identify what went well, what didn't, and how to grow. From celebrating wins to recalibrating for the future, she provides actionable insights and tools to help you visioncast your best year yet.Whether you're wrapping up the year or gearing up for 2025, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical steps to set your sights on 2025 with clarity and intention.Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Dennis Hegstad!Dennis is an experienced entrepreneur and founder, having co-founded LiveRecover, an SMS marketing company for Shopify merchants that scaled to thousands of users and drove over $100 million in additional revenue. He also founded OrderBump, a Shopify app for upsells, which he quickly grew and sold within just 100 days. Currently, Dennis is the co-founder of Vigilance, and Internet Research Unit.Follow us!Dennis Hegstad: @dennishegstadInternet Research Unit: @IRU_DCEErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Lisa Mayer! Lisa Mayer is the co-founder & CEO of Boss Beauties, a next gen tech company backed by Serena Ventures, the $100M+ venture fund founded by world class athlete Serena Williams. Boss Beauties inspires & elevates the next generation of women & girls to be everything they want to be through technology, content, and education.Boss Beauties was first born in emerging tech and they have had massive traction in the web3 space, launching multiple collections of digital collectibles that consumers have spent over $50M collecting and trading since 2021. They also partnered with Mattel & Barbie launching the first collection of digital collectibles celebrating the 250 careers Barbie has had since its inception. Lisa's work has impacted thousands of high school and college-aged girls all over the world spanning across 15 countries and over 400 educational institutions. In addition to Barbie, Lisa has grown the brand to highlight & celebrate women through live events and global collaborations with partners that include Rolling Stone, Marvel, and the New York Stock Exchange and her work has been featured by Forbes, Fortune, and Apple.Follow us!Lisa Mayer: @lisacmayerBoss Beauties: @BossBeautiesErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Mac Reddin! Mac Reddin is the Founder and CEO of Commsor. At Commsor he's focused on building tools to enable companies to embrace Go-to-Network, a more sustainable way to grow compared to traditional direct Go to Market motions.Prior to Commsor he bootstrapped and exited various businesses across gaming, fashion, and software.Follow us!Mac Reddin: TheTeaGunsCommsor: @CommsorErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Ben Lang! Ben has spent his life hopping between New York, Tel Aviv, and San Francisco. He is a builder, former founder, and community guy, always in multiple places at one time.He was an early member of the Notion team, where he led community for nearly 5 years. He actively makes angel investments and advises a few select startups.He's helping world-class talent discover what's next through next play.Follow us!Ben Lang: @benlnnext play: @nextplaysoErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Nik Sharma! Nik is the CEO of Sharma Brands, a strategic initiatives firm working with a wide range of brands to help grow and scale revenue across digital platforms.Nik is one of AdWeek's Young & Influential, Forbes 30 under 30, Business Insider's up and coming Investors to Watch, and an investor and advisor to some of the fastest-growing brands in commerce.Follow us!Nik Sharma: @mrsharmaSharma Brands: @sharmabrandsErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Sieva Kozinsky! Sieva is a founder of Enduring Ventures, a long-term holding company that buys wonderful businesses and holds them forever. Sieva is a lifelong entrepreneur who started Enduring Ventures with Xavier Helgesen, taking inspiration from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway model.Together with investors, they own stakes in over 20 companies, including Somewhere.com, Scribe Media, and Abstract.  Sieva is a founder of Enduring Ventures, a long-term holding company that buys wonderful businesses and holds them forever. Sieva is a lifelong entrepreneur who started Enduring Ventures with Xavier Helgesen, taking inspiration from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway model.Together with investors, they own stakes in over 20 companies, including Somewhere.com, Scribe Media, and Abstract. Follow us!Sieva Kozinsky: @sievakozinskyEnduring Ventures: @enduring.venturesErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Liz Wessel!Liz Wessel is a Partner at First Round Capital, a pre-seed and seed venture fund, based in San Francisco. Prior to joining First Round, she was a Visiting Group Partner at Y Combinator, where she worked directly with over 110 early-stage startups. Liz has also been investing as an angel since 2016, backing over 60 startups, including Ramp, ScaleAI, Ro, Artera (fka WELL Health), FreeWill, Snackpass and others.Before becoming a full-time investor, Liz was the co-founder and CEO of WayUp, an early-career recruitment platform used by over 7 million candidates and thousands of companies. She launched WayUp in 2014 and ran it for seven years — during which time she raised over $40 million in venture and was with the company as CEO through its M&A exit in 2021.Prior to WayUp, Liz worked at Google as a product marketing manager. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's in Political Science, Mathematics and Japanese. Follow us!Liz Wessel: @lizwesselFirst Round Capital: @firstroundErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Casey Lewis! Casey is a youth trends expert and brand consultant. Formerly an editor at Teen Vogue, MTV, and New York Magazine.She now writes After School, a trends newsletter read by 45,000+ people, and helps companies reach Gen Z.Follow us!Casey Lewis: @caseymlewisErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week our host, Erica Wenger, chats about her most recent essay: Elephants in the Wild!On this episode Erica dives into her newest essay which draws a parallel between the Ironman Triathlon and successful startups, focusing on the qualities that create strong, long-lasting brands.Using the Ironman community as an example, Erica highlights how Elephants—those built on social attraction, mission-driven growth, and public transparency—foster deep loyalty through identity, community, and shared culture.Read the essay here: Elephants in the WildFollow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Jason Yeh!Jason Yeh is the Founder of Adamant, a fundraising strategy and investor relations firm dedicated to making capital raising less painful for founders and fund managers around the world.As a formal and informal advisor to startups, he's helped companies raise over $300MM in capital - first as an investor at Greycroft Partners and afterwards as a founder where he led multiple fundraises. His previous company Tape sold to Hustle in 2020.Jason is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Harvard Business School.Follow Us!Jason Yeh: @jayyehAdamant: @adamantfoundersErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with April Underwood!April Underwood is co-founder and Managing Director of Adverb Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology startups launched in 2023. In addition, April is a member of the boards of directors for Zillow Group and Eventbrite, and a co-founder of the #ANGELS angel investing collective through which she backed over 50 companies as an angel investor. April brings 20 years of experience building software to her role as an investor. Until 2019, April was the first Chief Product Officer at Slack Technologies, Inc, where she led Product, Platform, Design, and Research as the company scaled 10X to IPO-ready in less than 4 years. Prior to joining Slack in 2015, April was director of product at Twitter from 2010 to 2015 from through its IPO.Previously, April has held product, partnerships, and engineering roles at Google, Travelocity, and Intel. April has also been a founder: in 2020, She founded Nearby, an e-commerce marketplace composed of local retailers backed by GV, Obvious Ventures, Redpoint, and many prominent operator angel investors, and her team was acquired by Twitter in 2021. April holds a B.B.A. in Management Information Systems and Business Honors from The University of Texas at Austin (2001), and an M.B.A. from The University of California at Berkeley (2007). Follow Us!April Underwood: @aunderAdverb Ventures: @adverbvcErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Andrew Gazdecki!Andrew is a 4x founder with 3x exits, former CRO, and founder of Acquire.com. Gazdecki has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, and Entrepreneur Magazine, as well as prominent industry blogs such as Mashable, TechCrunch and VentureBeat.Follow Us!Andrew Gazdecki: @agazdeckiAcquire.com: @acquiredotcomErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Sara Mauskopf!Sara Mauskopf is the CEO and Co-founder of Winnie, a leading marketplace for daycare and preschool helping millions of parents across the United States. Parents use Winnie to discover high-quality local daycares and preschools and learn all about their programs including detailed descriptions, photos, tuition information, licensing status, availability data and more.Child care providers use Winnie to get the tools and support to grow their business. Sara has a background in consumer technology and product management and is also a mom of 3 young childrenFollow us!Sara Mauskopf: @smWinnie: @winnieErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Steve Schlafman!Steve is a Professional Transition Coach based in New York. He helps high performers navigate transitions with clarity and intention. He is the founder of Downshift, the world's first decelerator for high performers in transition.He is also the creator of Where the Road Bends, a newsletter exploring personal evolutions and life transitions. In addition to being a girl dad, this is my life's work.Follow Us!Steve Schlafman: @schlafDownshift: downshift.meErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Rachael Horwitz!Prior to joining Haun Ventures as the Chief Marketing Officer, Rachael served as an Operating Partner at a16z crypto, where she led marketing and communications.Previously, Rachael served as Vice President of Communications at Coinbase. Rachael has served as Communications Director at Google, Facebook, and Twitter, and as a Marketing & Communications Partner at Spark Capital.Rachael began her career at Greer, Margolis, Mitchell, Burns & Associates, a communications firm that provides political consulting and issues management services.Rachael holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Washington.Follow Us!Rachael Horwitz: @RachelRadHaun: @HaunVenturesErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week, our host, Erica Wenger, welcomes us to the 4th season of Dear Twentysomething!In this season opener, Erica sets the stage for what's to come—real conversations, inspiring stories, and the honest reflections that every twentysomething needs.Get ready to dive into another season filled with wisdom, growth, and the occasional laugh as we navigate the ups and downs of this transformative decade together.Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week our host, Erica Wenger, recaps Dear Twentysomething Season 3! On this 100th episode of Dear Twentysomething, we look back on the 3 most popular solo and guest episodes of this season! Stay tuned for Dear Twentysomething Season 4! Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Annie Reardon! Annie Reardon is co-founder and co-CEO of Ludo and leads marketing and sales for the company. Annie is a front-end engineer and has been building in the infrastructure and big data space for three years. Fascinated by technological infrastructure and future applications of blockchain, Annie is also passionate about making emerging technology more accessible, particularly for women and underrepresented communities.Before founding Ludo, Annie worked as a front-end software engineer with JP Morgan Chase, and previously worked at Influenster. To date, Ludo has raised millions to further the development and expansion of its software. Annie has also been recognized on Crain's 20 in Their Twenties list and Forbes 30 Under 30.Follow Us!Annie Reardon: @annielouuuuLudo: @ludoErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week our host, Erica Wenger, chats about her most recent essay: Elephant DNA!On this episode Erica dives into the formula to know if your company has "elephant DNA". She goes through the concept of Elephant startups characterized by their transformation of customers into members and the cultivation of communities, examining the primary drivers of these companies, particularly their community-driven nature.Read the essay here: ELEPHANT DNAFollow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

Tara Bosch made Canadian history by scaling her company to be the fastest growing CPG brand founded by a solo female founder...ever. When a love affair with candy devolved into an unhealthy relationship with food, Tara became inspired by a conversation with her grandmother about the detrimental effects of sugar. She soon dropped out of college to fulfill her dream: to create the future of candy. SmartSweets can now be found in 160,000 stores across the USA & Canada, with partners including Target, Kroger, and Costco. Scaling SmartSweets to be the fastest growing CPG brand founded by a solo female founder in Canadian history, she landed a $360M majority acquisition by TPG capital 4 years after launching the company from her basement.As a leader, Tara is wildly passionate about empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs and believes their big impact-driven visions are needed more than ever before in the world, leading her to create a first-of-its-kind initiative- Bold Beginnings. In addition to fostering connection and tailored support to entrepreneurs with big visions, Tara is working to normalize the feelings of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and insecurities that all entrepreneurs face, while putting funds back into the ecosystem supporting women entrepreneurs to bring their visions and companies to scale.Publicly, Tara has been recognized for how she beat the statistics of women in entrepreneurship not only by being a solo founder, but maintaining ownership of her brand, keeping gender parity on her board and scaling a team that has always been 80% female-identifying.She is the recipient of several entrepreneurial awards, including being named Canada's Most Powerful Women Top 100 Award, Forbes 30 under 30, Peter Thiel Fellow, and EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year.Follow Us!Tara Bosch: @taraboschSmart Sweets: @SmartSweetsErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Niven McCall-Mazza! Niven McCall-Mazza is Editor-in-Chief of theSkimm, overseeing its news, money, wellness, audio, and video teams. Under her leadership, theSkimm has helped its 12 million+ audience stay up-to-date on current events, focusing on how they specifically affect women's lives, health, and financial security. She has scaled the company's editorial team and products, expanded its DEI efforts, and spearheaded its 2018 midterm election campaign – which activated 200,000 people to vote. Prior to joining theSkimm, McCall-Mazza was a Senior Editor at NBC News, managing the company's breaking news coverage across all platforms. At NBC, she earned an Emmy nomination for her work covering the San Bernardino shooting and an Emmy win for coverage of the 2014 MH17 plane crash. In addition to her role at theSkimm, McCall-Mazza is on the Board of Advisors for Grace Farms Foods, which uses food to foster good in the world. She was also featured on GV's 2021 Impact List as one of 25 women making a difference in their company's culture and success.Follow Us!Niven McCall-Mazza: @nivenmccallmazzatheSkimm: @theSkimmErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Kimmy Scotti! Kimmy Scotti is co-founder and CEO of skincare company Fig.1, and founding partner at venture capital fund, 8VC. As an investor, serial entrepreneur and mother of twin boys, Kimmy's endeavors are multifaceted. As a founding partner at 8VC, a technology and life sciences investment firm, Kimmy invests in category-disrupting brands at the intersection of healthcare and consumer. She has invested in category defining companies including Blink Health, Maven, Oula, Hill House Home and Seed.Guided by her deep obsession with the beauty market, Kimmy co-founded Fig.1 in 2021 with a board-certified Harvard dermatologist to create a science-backed, sustainably-driven skincare line. Under Kimmy's leadership, Fig.1 grew its footprint beyond direct-to-consumer to over 3,000 retail, spa and dermatologist locations, along with category expansion into performance body care in 2023.Kimmy's start as an entrepreneur came at the age of 15 when she landed her personal jewelry line at Bloomingdale's and a feature on Project Runway. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology, she served as the Executive Director of Business Development & Operations at a New York Family Office, where she incubated and invested in many businesses including a multi-billion dollar healthcare platform that helped over 10 million individuals access affordable prescriptions.In addition to her current work with 8VC and Fig.1, Kimmy currently serves on the Board of Directors for JewBelong, the Board of Directors for Breakout Foundation, and on the Senior Advisory Committee to Cornell Tech at Cornell University. She is an active supporter of various charitable initiatives including women's reproductive rights, maternal health and antisemitismFollow Us!Kimmy Scotti: @kimmyscotti8VC: @8VCFig.1 Beauty: @fig1coErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

As a Halloween special for this week, our host, Erica Wenger talks about the unsettling myths surrounding fundraising and venture capital.On this episode Erica shares her 2 cents on what people get wrong about fundraising and Venture Capital. Erica delves into the common misconceptions that often mislead aspiring entrepreneurs and offers valuable insights to demystify the world of fundraising, and hopefully help you get ready to navigate the intricacies of VC and fundraising with confidence!For anyone having doubts and fears about becoming an investor or wanting to break into VC, this episode is for you!Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with the one of a kind, B. Pagels-Minor! Erica and B know each other as solo GPs in the early stage venture capital world. In this episode, B shares how they've navigated various industries (including the world of venture as of recently), especially as a non-binary person of color. B has an amazing story, and we were so honored to have them on the pod!B. is an award-winning product strategist, podcast host, startup advisor and investor, executive coach, and a respected thought leader in agile technologies. B.'s fierce drive to promote diversity in tech and impact authentic change continues to define their work and life outside of their work. B. is a proud graduate of Northwestern University with a focus on history and an MBA and master of information systems from Robert Morris University. B. gives back to various organizations by being the Vice Chair & Secretary on the Board of Directors at Howard Brown Health, one of the top 3 largest LGBTQ community health centers in the country, Vice President & Secretary on the Board of Directors at the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and Board of Directors of both the Northwestern Alumni Association and Outfest. In 2022, B. Was honored as one of the Queer 50 from Fast Company, 35 Hero Advocate Executives by Involve People and Yahoo Finance UK, and a finalist for 2022 LGBTQNation heroes of the year.Follow Us!B. Pagels-Minor: @bpagelsminorDVRGNT Ventures: @dvrgntventuresErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Mike Jones! Mike is co-founder and managing director of Science, a Los Angeles-based multi-asset investment firm partnering with and investing in disruptive consumer technology companies in traditional venture equity and blockchain investments. As a serial entrepreneur, Mike has built, invested in and been on the board of consumer tech companies like Dollar Shave Club, Liquid Death, and PlayVS. Science's blockchain practice has invested in Web3 startups such as Dapper Labs, RealBlocks and Protego Trust, which is one of just three banks to have OCC approval to hold custody of digital assets.Before Science, Mike was the CEO of MySpace, and he has advised the founders of Snapchat and TikTok. His experience and expertise in both large and small companies focuses on strategy, growth, and operational efficiency, and has resulted in over $2B in exits. Mike started his first company in college and continues to build new companies within his firm Science Inc. He currently lives in Aspen, Colorado with his wife and two kids.Follow Us!Mike Jones: @mjonesScience Inc: website hereErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we're talking all things angel investing with the enthusiastic & knowledgable, Brian Nichols. In this explained episode, Erica and Brian chat through what exactly angel investing is, who can be an angel investor, how to get deal flow, how to evaluate startups once you get that deal flow, and so much more. Most importantly, Brian shares his story as an angel investor and why/how he joined the Hustle Fund team to build Angel Squad.Over the last decade, Brian has helped build Lyft, Zoox, On Deck, and BlackBird past a combined market cap of over $5B, and helped raise $500M. In 2019, he decided to try something new. He decided to shift his focus from building businesses to investing in them. He teamed up with Ann Miura-Ko to start Uplyft (Lyft alumni syndicate) and it started with 300+ of Lyft's earliest employees who have invested over $30M+ together. He soon found myself becoming the go-to "alumni syndicate guy” and helped Airbnb, Stripe, Pinterest, DoorDash, and many others get their alumni syndicates off the ground.After opening up the Lyft alumni syndicate to the public (any accredited investor can join, regardless of affiliation with Lyft), he started to notice a trend. There were folks from all over the world, all professional backgrounds, who were investing alongside them. These folks didn't have access to a network, the knowledge, and the guidance that he was lucky to have.So, in October 2020, less than a year into the pandemic, he quit his job and joined Hustle Fund – his favorite early-stage VC – to build Angel Squad. The results were pretty phenomenal. In 2.5 years, 1,400+ people joined Angel Squad, and as a group, they have invested $21M+ in 50+ startups. They have reporters, scientists, founders, and students from all over the world in their community.Follow Us!Brian Nichols: @b_nicks11Read Hustle Fund's Angel Investing Starter Kit HEREErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we're talking all things community design with the expert on all things community, Gina Bianchini. In this explained episode, Erica and Gina chat through the founding story of Mighty Networks (Gina's company), her community design framework, the difference between a community and an audience, and so much more. Gina gives a masterclass on how to build a scalable, self-sustaining community.Gina Bianchini is the Founder & CEO of Mighty Networks. Her mission at Mighty Networks is to usher in a new era of digital businesses built on network effects. Mighty Networks serves small and medium businesses that offer digital memberships, online courses, community, and subscriptions–all offered in one place under their brand, instantly available on every platform.Before Mighty Networks, Gina and Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen launched Ning, a pioneering global platform for creating niche social networks. Under her leadership, Ning grew to ~100 million people in 300,000 active social networks across subcultures, professional networks, entertainment, politics, and education. It was sold for $150M in 2010.In addition to Mighty Networks, Gina serves as a board director of TEGNA (NYSE: TGNA), a $2.7 billion dollar broadcast and digital media company, and served as a board director of Scripps Networks (NASDAQ: SNI), a $14.6 billion dollar public company which owned HGTV, The Food Network, and The Travel Channel that was purchased by Discovery Communications in 2018.Gina and Mighty Networks have been featured in Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Wired, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg, and The New York Times. She has appeared on Charlie Rose, CNBC, and CNN. She grew up in Cupertino, California, graduated with honors from Stanford University, started her career in the nascent High Technology Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co., and received her M.B.A from Stanford Business School.Follow Us!Gina Bianchini: @ginabMighty Networks: @mightynetworksBuy her book Purpose: Design a Community and Change Your Life---A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Purpose and Making It Matter HEREErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we're talking the membership economy with the knowledgable expert, Robbie Kellman Baxter. In this explained episode, Erica and Robbie chat through what exactly the membership economy is, why Robbie thinks those companies are best set up for success in the coming decade, and how Robbie coins terminology that the industry adopts. She has a fascinating path starting off in consulting and carving her niche as the world's expert on the membership economy.Robbie Kellman Baxter helps companies leverage subscription pricing, digital communities, and freemium models to build deeper relationships with customers. Over the past 21 years, she has worked with over 100 organizations in over 20 industries like the National Basketball Association, Hagerty, The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft, and Ingram Micro.  As a keynote speaker, she has presented globally at major conferences, association meetings, trade shows and elite universities as well as to private audiences at many of the world's most well-known companies. She hosts the podcast, “Subscription Stories,” where she sits down with business leaders to discuss how they're using subscription pricing and membership models to redefine the biggest industries and generate predictable recurring revenue. Robbie has also developed and taught nine video courses for LinkedIn Learning on business topics ranging from innovation to customer success and membership.Her first book, “The Membership Economy: Find Your Superusers, Master the Forever Transaction & Build Recurring Revenue,” anticipated and defined the massive transformation from ownership to membership and the rise of subscription pricing. It was named a top 10 marketing book of all time by BookAuthority. Her second book, “The Forever Transaction,” takes readers through every step of the subscription business process – from initial start-up or testing of a new model to scaling the operation for long-term growth and sustainability. Prior to launching Peninsula Strategies, Robbie was a strategy consultant at Booz-Allen & Hamilton, a New York City Urban Fellow, and a Silicon Valley product marketer. She received her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and graduated with honors from Harvard College. Twentysomethings, tune in now for a jam-packed chat on all things membership economy.Follow Us!Robbie Kellman Baxter: @robbiebaxBuy The Membership Economy hereBuy The Forever Transaction hereErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with Lee Anne Grant! Lee Anne has been an executive at various consumer companies and has launched numerous new products and businesses in her career. She's passionate about helping companies grow revenue in a profitable, thoughtful, and aggressive way.Currently, Lee Anne Grant manages the sales and marketing team at Babylist, the leading vertical marketplace and commerce destination for baby- responsible for driving profitable revenue through community growth, partnerships, and the development of new products. (Babylist is now driving purchases for over 9M people each year.) She uses her extensive experience in performance and brand marketing to optimize an eight-figure marketing budget with content and brand strategies that support an industry-leading NPS score. A true sleeping giant, Babylist has built a nearly $300M business around baby registries, transforming from a simple baby registry website to a multi-faceted marketplace encompassing e-commerce, content creation, and healthcare resources for the entire family graph.Her greatest passion lies in helping people feel good. She prides herself on being a wellness enthusiast: She's completed an Ironman and 4 marathons and is a certified yoga instructor and trans-Tahoe swimmer.Follow Us!Lee Anne Grant: Linkedin hereBabylist: website hereErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we're talking fundraising with the enthusiastic storytelling expert, Robbie Crabtree. In this explained episode, Erica and Robbie chat through Robbie's fascinating story and his advice for founders who plan to or are actively fundraising. He gives away a lot of his proprietary tips in this episode that he normally reserves just for his clients. If you are a founder or VC raising $ anytime soon, you don't want to miss this episode!Robbie Crabtree spent the first seven years of his career as a trial lawyer in Dallas, TX where he tried 102 jury trials. He specialized in violent felonies like robberies and murders before moving into the special crimes unit focused on child abuse cases. During his 16 months in that unit he tried cases of child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, and child death cases. After 7 years as a trial lawyer, he left the legal world behind to work in the tech industry. He first founded an edtech startup around public speaking for tech company executives and leadership that was acquired by On Deck at the end of 2020. Since that acquisition he's founded Competitive Storytelling and turned it into the premier storytelling practice for founders, CEOs, and other leaders inside of the tech and venture capital world. Over the past 2 years, Robbie has trained thousands of these leaders from startups all the way to large public companies to help them become world-class storytellers.Founders and CEOs that he's privately coached have raised over $575 million dollars and been backed by the biggest venture capital funds in the world. His approach to storytelling and fundraising comes directly from his experience as a trial lawyer which is why he's regularly asked to speak across the world on the subject. He's spoken at Stanford University multiple times where he's addressed the funding gap for minority and female founders while providing a roadmap for how capital allocators and founders can change that dynamic. Robbie is also the author of the upcoming book titled Competitive Storytelling: Raise Capital, Win Influence, and Shape the Future.Twentysomethings, tune in now for a jam-packed chat on all things fundraising.Follow Us!Robbie Crabtree: @robbiecrabCompetitive Storytelling: website hereErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week our host, Erica Wenger, chats about one of the questions she gets asked most often... how to break into venture capital?On this episode Erica talks through why someone would want to break into the industry, what types of people would thrive and in what roles (hint: pretty much anyone can find their place!), and my miscellaneous tips for someone who has that as a future goal. I share the behind-the-scenes on how I did it (working for a fund and then starting my own) and all the other ways you can get exposure to the industry before officially taking a full-time job.For anyone thinking about becoming an investor or wanting to break into VC, this episode is for you!Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat with fellow twin, Ali Partovi! Ali Partovi is CEO of Neo, a diverse community of tech veterans coming together to invest in the leaders of tomorrow. Neo identifies awesome undergrads, connects them with other community members, and invests in companies they start or join. Ali was born in Tehran and lived through the Iran-Iraq war. He studied CS at Harvard. His first startup, LinkExchange, was acquired in 1998. He has backed Airbnb, Dropbox, Facebook, & Uber. He co-founded Code.org to promote CS education. Ali is passionate about sustainable food and loves climbing, guitar, puzzles, and family.Ali is a legend in the Silicon Valley ecosystem who started building businesses at a very young age. He gives fascinating advice in this episode for very entrepreneurial individuals and very technical individuals on how they should approach their early career decisions. Lots of gems in this one. Enjoy!Follow Us!Ali Partovi: @apartoviNeo: @neoCode.org: website hereErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we're talking egg freezing with the extremely inspiring Lauren Makler. Lauren Makler is the Co-founder and CEO of Cofertility. Her winding road of a fertility journey led her to believe that everyone should have the opportunity to freeze their eggs –and that the egg donation experience should be made more positive and human-centered for everyone involved. Lauren also founded Uber Health, a product that enables healthcare organizations to leverage Uber's driver network to improve healthcare outcomes through patient transportation and delivery. Under her leadership, the business helped millions of patients get to the care they needed. Prior to that, Lauren helped launch Uber's core business throughout the east coast and led the company's first experiments in healthcare, national on demand flu shot campaigns. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their miracle baby girl.In this explained episode, Erica and Lauren chat through all the myths and facts around egg freezing, so for any twentysomething who wants to take control of their life... this episode is for you. It'll hopefully give you the information you need to make the right choices for YOU. Lauren also talks through what a more human-centered approach looks like in the fertility space and her personal story that started it all.Twentysomethings, listen now for an hour of inspiration with Lauren Makler!Follow Us!Lauren Makler: @laurenmaklerCofertility: @cofertilityErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

This week we chat about why our host, Erica Wenger, decided to move from LA to NYC!It's a tough decision to leave comfort (family, friends, amazing apartment, great weather), but after lots of consideration, it was time to make the leap. The tech scene in NYC these days is buzzing and for those of you looking to be in the heart of the energy, a move may be in store.On this episode Erica talks through the rationale behind her decision and what she's most excited about when she gets to NYC. For anyone thinking about making the move to NYC or another city based on your current priorities, this episode is for you!Follow Us!Erica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething