Podcast appearances and mentions of Kathryn Finney

Thinking of starting a business?  Our guest on this episode is Kathryn Finney, author of the book, "BUILD THE DAMN THING: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy".  Her website is https://www.kathrynfinney.com/

Of the $150 billion in U.S. venture capital less than 1 percent of total funding goes to Black founders. Black led startups are an underestimated, overlooked business opportunity that represents a prolific investment opportunity. Kathryn Finney, Managing General Partner of the venture fund, is working to change that, increasing Black wealth and injecting capital into startups led by Black entrepreneurs.  Kathryn shares her journey and storied career as an entrepreneur, inclusion champion, and investor to encourage Black founders and female entrepreneurs to build their damn thing.  

Kathryn Finney, Project Manager, Irish Breeding Curlew EIP, joined Pat Murphy, Teagasc's Head of Environment Knowledge Transfer, on the latest podcast version of the Signpost Series to discuss ‘The Irish Breeding Curlew EIP'. A questions and answers session took place at the end of the webinar which was facilitated by Teagasc's, Catherine Keena.                To register for future webinars visit:https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/sustainable-agriculture-webinars/                      For more podcasts from the Signpost Series go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/signpostpodcast/ 

The boldest of entrepreneurs take on the impossible. Recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit, four scale leaders in Bjarke Ingels, Aurora James, Kathryn Finney, and Scott Harrison offer their strategies and ideas around taking on society's most complex and tough challenges. In this episode, you'll hear how each entrepreneur embraces a unique challenge from addressing systemic racism, designing sustainable architecture, to bringing clean and safe water across the globe. To take on the impossible, and build a better future, each of these leaders offers that the road to scale begins with a daring mindset and a willingness to embrace problems — no matter their size or complexity.Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com/Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thinking of starting a business?  Our guest on this episode is Kathryn Finney, author of the new book, "BUILD THE DAMN THING: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy".  Her website is https://www.kathrynfinney.com/   We're excited to tell you about another great product from our sponsor, Ritual.  It's called Synbiotic+ and it's a daily 3-in-1 clinically-studied prebiotic, probiotic, and postbiotic designed to help support a balanced gut microbiome.  Ritual's Synbiotic+ provides two of the world's most clinically studied probiotic strains to support the relief of mild and occasional digestive discomforts, like bloating, gas, and diarrhea.  Synbiotic+ and Ritual are here to celebrate, not hide, your insides. It's time to listen to your gut!  Ritual is offering our Nobody Told Me! listeners 10% off during your first 3 months.  Visit ritual.com/NTM to start Ritual or add Synbiotic+ to your subscription today.

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, we hear an interview with Kathryn Finney that took place at SXSW. Kathryn is a longtime community contributor and she is the Founder and Managing General Partner of Genius Guild, a Chicago-based venture fund that invests in scalable businesses led by Black founders using innovation to build and promote healthy communities. She had a new book published last summer titled, “Build The Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business if You're Not a Rich White Guy,” that made the Wall Street Journal bestsellers list in its first week of release. Check out the book today at: https://a.co/d/6usDLzd  We also again mention an event that we have coming up on May 15 - 18, the SBA will host the second America's Seed Fund Week. This series of virtual events connects startups and small businesses working on advanced technologies to the country's largest source of early-stage funding. America's Seed Fund serves as a springboard by providing over $4 billion in funding to early-stage startups and small businesses each year as innovators take their technology from R&D through to commercialization. Check out more about the event and register today at: https://www.americasseedfund.us  Lastly, we again shine a spotlight on one of the startups from our community and that company is PayBee, which  is an all-in-one fundraising events platform built for nonprofits hosting events in any format. Paybee's event features provide you the ability to streamline your fundraising event planning, executing and follow-up using cutting edge technology tools. Go to https://www.paybee.io to learn more! We invite you all to join our community today to access the support, expert advice, and resources you need to elevate your startup by going to: www.est.us/join   Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at: www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at: www.startupofyear.com Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: www.podcast.startupofyear.com Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource.   Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year.  The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year.  Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals.  Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us

On this month's episode, Founder Jennifer Risi takes the podcast on the road to SXSW and sits down with Kathryn Finney, Managing General Partner, Genius Guild to discuss the current state of funding and advice for entrepreneurs during times of economic uncertainty.

Kathryn Finney started her first business at age nine, selling friendship bracelets to her older brother's friends. She's a Yale graduate and started and exited multiple media companies, including her groundbreaking The Budget Fashionista. Even with her resume of accolades, Finney faced prejudice in the startup world just because of her gender and race. So in 2020, she used her two decades of entrepreneurship experience to start Genius Guild. This venture fund invests in black entrepreneurs building scalable businesses that serve black communities and beyond. Finney is also the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Build the Damn Thing: How to Build a Successful Company When You're Not a Rich White Guy. In addition, she was the first black woman business author at Portfolio/Penguin Books. Listen to Nathan and Kathryn discuss:  Making $75 per week selling bracelets as a 9-year-old What her rugby career taught her about building teams Building and exiting her fashion blog during web 1.0  How digitalundivided served as the MVP of Genius Guild How the pandemic and George Floyd's death led to Genius Guild What she looks for in potential founders Building your own rules of entrepreneurship How to go through periods of adversity And much more advice for founders… This episode is powered by 99designs by Vista, a global creative platform that makes it easy for you to work with professional freelance designers from around the world.  Together with 99designs, we're offering you a $30 discount on your first design contest. Head to 99designs.com/foundr to learn more or get started on your project today.  Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Daring to be different feels risky. There's constant pressure to “read the room” or “tone it down.”Kathryn Finney discovered at a young age that – when it comes to being authentic – the rewards are actually far greater than the risks.Kathryn is a model for how being yourself can get you ahead in both business and relationships. She is: an author, an entrepreneur, a fund manager, and a celebrated non-conformist. And she does it all in incredible style.This is… A Bit of Optimism.For more on Kathryn and her work check out:kathrynfinney.comhttps://www.kathrynfinney.com/build-the-damn-thinghttps://www.geniusguild.co/

Black women have been the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the US for the past few years with 17% of us in the process of starting new businesses. But in 2020—a record-breaking year for venture capital investment—less than 100 Black women raised $1 million or more for their businesses, which is very small in the VC world.In this episode, I'm joined by Kathryn Finney, Founder and Managing General Partner of Genius Guild, a $20 million venture fund that builds and invests in scalable companies led by diverse founders. She's also the founder of the Duni fund, the founder and former CEO of Digital Undivided, the mastermind of the widely acclaimed project Diane Research, the author of Build the Damn Thing, and a Yale-trained epidemiologist.Together, we discuss the ins and outs of Venture Capital and business funding as well as Kathryn's expertise as a successful entrepreneur and her favorite wellness practices.We Also Talk About…Seeing entrepreneurship as a tool that lets you live a creative lifeFocusing on executing an idea, not just the idea itselfHow not to waste $30k on a businessThe importance of knowing yourself and having a solid foundation as a leaderNot waiting for permission from the entitledThe differences between startups, small businesses, and hobbiesResources:Black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs. But the job isn't easy— JP MorganBuild The Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business if You're Not a Rich White Guy by Kathryn FinneyVisit Kathryn's WebsiteSubmit Your Pitch to the Genius GuildListen to the Build the Damn Thing! PodcastFollow Kathryn on InstagramConnect with Kathryn on LinkedInSponsor:Open | If you're looking for a mindful meditation, breath work, and movement app I can't recommend Open enough. They have a beautifully curated collection of guided meditation, breath work, and movement exercises to support you in your practice. Try Open for 30 Days free. Visit open-together.com/**BALANCED.**balancedblackgirl.com ◉ IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles 〆Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacySupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

When you think about the typical entrepreneur that raises millions of venture capital, you probably think of one standard archetype. A specific background, education, and set of work experience. But what should you do if you don't fit that very specific set of qualifications? In her new book Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business when You're Not a Rich White Guy, Kathryn Finney talks about how to look past the naysayers to build your business - no matter what! She talks about how to get started, how to find capital even when you're overlooked by most investors, and how to scale your business. Plus, she explains how you can leverage your network to get people who believe in you on board. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 of The Relentless is all about moving fearlessly. We're kicking things off with two guests who not only embody that mindset, they're growing businesses in ways that also empower their communities. First, we talk to Kathryn Finney, a venture capitalist, author, entrepreneur, and one of the first Black women to have a successful seven-figure startup exit. Finney shares insights she gained on her journey from epidemiologist to an influential woman in tech, and discusses her commitment to investing in her own communities of Black entrepreneurs and underrepresented groups.  Later in the show, we'll hear CENTURY 21® Broker Vicki Monteagudo talk about the entrepreneurial strategies she used to grow a thriving brokerage in her own Tri-Cities community. Guests Kathryn Finney: Founder & Managing General Partner of Genius Guild and author of Build the Damn Thing Vicki Monteagudo: Owner & Designated Broker of CENTURY 21 Tri-Cities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this takeover episode of The Will to Change, Denise Hamilton, Founder of WatchHerWork is joined by VC and Author Kathryn Finney. Kathryn discusses her book Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy and the importance for founders to move beyond the idea phase of their business. Discover why you should seek “harsh feedback” about your business and the importance of being able to tolerate rejection. Discover the difference between a small business and a startup and what makes a business investable.  You can register for the Better Man Conference at https://bettermanconference.com/

Taking risks can be the catalyst for immense scale or dire straits. Avoiding taking any risks at all leads to stangnancy and empowered competitors. The key is to know which risks are worth taking, and when and how to take them. This episode highlights the best conversations we've had recently about taking advantage of risk and how fortune favors the brave. Featuring New Georgia Project's Stacey Abrams, Care.com's Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Bankable Productions & SMiZE Cream's Tyra Banks, MetricStream's Shellye Archambeau, Moderna's Stéphane Bancel, Digital Undivided's Kathryn Finney, Ellevest's Sallie Krawcheck, and American Express's Ken Chenault. Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.comSubscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dlirtXSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kelly connects with Kathryn Finney, the Managing Partner of Genius Guild, a $20 million dollar venture fund & studio that invests in amazing Black founders. She is a serial entrepreneur and she's written a new book: “Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business if You're Not a Rich White Guy.” “The world of startups […]

The Budget Fashionista (TBF) and became one of the first Black women to have a successful seven-figure startup exit when she sold that business. Interestingly, she is a Yale-trained Epidemiologist.  Her work has been recognized by the Aspen Institute, Entrepreneur Magazine, Marie Claire, Ebony, Inc. Magazine, Black Enterprise, and in many other great publications. Kathryn was really fun to talk with.  We explored her journey as well as many of the obstacles that women and particularly women of color encounter as they build businesses. In this episode you'll learn: What does Kathryn do to work for the world?  How Kathryn found purpose on his work. How Kathryn transitions from epidemiologist to venture capital. What vocation means.  Kathryn's writing process for her new book.  What is a personal advisory board and why you should have one  How to use the MVP concept in your life.  How to process feedback  How to become a “builder' Show notes at: https://themeaningmovement.com/kathryn

In this episode, I sit down with Kathryn Finney, author of Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy, to talk about the difference between Entitleds and Builders in the business world and how to change our thinking and strategies to create the business we're confident we can.  Kathryn Finney is an author, researcher, investor, entrepreneur, and businesswoman. She is the founder of Genius Guild, a business creation platform that uses the venture studio model (Lab and Venture Fund) to invest in Black entrepreneurs building scalable businesses, and the founder and Board Chair of The Doonie Fund, a social platform that provides micro-investment to Black women entrepreneurs. Buy Kathryn's book: Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy Website: https://www.kathrynfinney.com/ Instagram: @hiiamkathryn Thanks for listening to I Hadn't Considered That with Vanessa Torre.  Website: www.vanessatorre.com Meeting in the Middle (Substack): https://vanessatorre.substack.com/ Writing: vanessatorre.medium.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/vanessaltorre Instagram: @vanessaltorre Twitter: www.twitter.com/vanessaltorre

Season 3 of The Relentless is all about moving fearlessly. We're kicking things off with two guests who not only embody that mindset, they're growing businesses in ways that also empower their communities. First, we talk to Kathryn Finney, a venture capitalist, author, entrepreneur, and one of the first Black women to have a successful seven-figure startup exit. Finney shares insights she gained on her journey from epidemiologist to an influential woman in tech, and discusses her commitment to investing in her own communities of Black entrepreneurs and underrepresented groups.  Later in the show, we'll hear CENTURY 21® Broker Vicki Monteagudo talk about the entrepreneurial strategies she used to grow a thriving brokerage in her own Tri-Cities community. Guests Kathryn Finney: Founder & Managing General Partner of Genius Guild and author of Build the Damn Thing Vicki Monteagudo: Owner & Designated Broker of CENTURY 21 Tri-Cities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 of The Relentless is all about moving fearlessly. We're kicking things off with two guests who not only embody that mindset, they're growing businesses in ways that also empower their communities. First, we talk to Kathryn Finney, a venture capitalist, author, entrepreneur, and one of the first Black women to have a successful seven-figure startup exit. Finney shares insights she gained on her journey from epidemiologist to an influential woman in tech, and discusses her commitment to investing in her own communities of Black entrepreneurs and underrepresented groups.  Later in the show, we'll hear CENTURY 21® Broker Vicki Monteagudo talk about the entrepreneurial strategies she used to grow a thriving brokerage in her own Tri-Cities community. Guests Kathryn Finney: Founder & Managing General Partner of Genius Guild and author of Build the Damn Thing Vicki Monteagudo: Owner & Designated Broker of CENTURY 21 Tri-Cities

On this week's episode, I talk with Kathryn Finney, a former Yale-trained epidemiologist turned blogger turned investor and philanthropist. Before Wordpress even existed and you had to print out photos and then scan and upload them online, Kathryn created her blog, The Budget Fashionista. After running that for many years, she sold the blog and founded digitalundivided, a social enterprise focused on helping Black women own their work. She then went on to found and manage Genius Guild, a $20M venture fund. At the onset of the pandemic, she wanted to do more to support Black-women owned businesses so she founded The Doonie Fund, giving out micro-investments from her own personal investment. Most recently, she published Build The D*mn Thing: How To Start A Successful Business If You're Not A Rich White Guy, in it she empowers entrepreneurs to take advantage of their unique networks and resources. Kathryn has such an incredible quitter story and I can't wait for you to hear more from her on the episode.

Don't wait for the system to let you in—break down the door and build your damn thing. In this episode, our incredible guest, Kathryn Finney digs into how you can build your businesses in a world that has overlooked and underestimated you. She discloses the power of entrepreneurship and why it is essential to understand the value of everyone's work. Let's build a startup and break down the barriers! Kathryn cofounded Digitalundivided in 2012, the first incubator for Black and Latinx women. Her report, called Project Diane, revealed how little venture capital goes to startups founded by women of color; only 24 over two years. She also founded a financial lifestyle blog, The Budget Fashionista, and in 2014, became one of the first black women to sell her site.  Key Highlights:  [00:01 - 10:40] Opening Segment Kathryn shares her experience in high school Always take a risk and win Show people what's possibleWhy the development of your core values is helpful [10:41 - 20:30] The Power of EntrepreneurshipKathryn's emotional response to starting her entrepreneur journey Have your own money and create a life that you controlWhen Kathryn decided to jump in to help other people to navigate entrepreneurshipThe perception of success and its impact [20:31 -31:00] Understand the Value of Everyone's WorkWhere more work needs to be done in how we address the issue of people of color in business The economic output we value The black and brown communitiesKathryn's outlook on the American exceptionalism [31:01 - 38:27] Closing SegmentIntroducing Build The Damn Thing Inspire many people to do the same The random round with Kathryn Want to connect with Kathryn? Follow her on Instagram. Head to Kathryn Finney, break down the door, and build your damn thing! Did you love the value that we are putting out in the show? LEAVE A REVIEW and tell us what you think about the episode so we can continue putting out great content just for you! Share this episode and help someone who wants to connect with world-class people. Jump on over to travischappell.com/makemypodcast and let my team make you your very own show!If you want to learn how to build YOUR network, check out my website travischappell.com. You can connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Be sure to join The Lounge to become part of the community setting up REAL relationships that add value and create investments.Tweetable Quotes: “You're perfect in your imperfection. Who you're is perfect. ” -  Kathryn Finney“Before you start building a company or product, understand who you are and what it is that you stand for.” - Kathryn FinneyAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Kathryn Finney, managing partner of Genius Scaled, a $20 million venture fund and studio that invests in amazing Black founders and author of Build The Damn Thing, joins the podcast to discuss her evolution into entrepreneurship, the importance of being honest with yourself when thinking about going out on your own, and how your exit number should be your guiding force. With Kathryn's unmatched entrepreneurial experience, she gives us actionable steps and solid advice that you can start working on today if you're looking to build the damn thing. In this episode we discuss: The importance of being honest with yourself before you jump into entrepreneurship Figuring out your exit number so you can pursue your own venture How a budget fashion blog evolved into a venture capitalist career When it's time to start thinking about your exit strategy Various funding options from entrepreneurs + more Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode: Get Kathryn's book-Build The Damn Thing Check out my new personal website here. Join The Weekly Newsletter List Leave me a voicemail– Leave me a question on the Journey To Launch voicemail and have it answered on the podcast! Watch me on News12  Watch my latest segments on News12 YNAB –  Start managing your money and budgeting so that you can reach your financial dreams. Sign up for a free 34 days trial of YNAB, my go-to budgeting app by using my referral link. Connect with Kathryn: Website Instagram:@HiIAmKathryn Twitter:@KathrynFinney Connect with me: Instagram: @Journeytolaunch Twitter: @JourneyToLaunch Facebook: @Journey To Launch Join the Private Facebook Group Join the Waitlist for My FI Course Get The Free Jumpstart Guide

Kathryn Finney, Founder and CEO at Genius Guild, discusses her book Build The Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy. Hosts: Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. Producer: Paul Brennan.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kathryn Finney, Founder and CEO at Genius Guild, discusses her book Build The Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy. Hosts: Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. Producer: Paul Brennan.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Entrepreneur and investor Kathryn Finney joins to share lessons and take-aways from her new book Build the D*mn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business if You're Not a Rich White Guy. Want more articles and videos by Farnoosh? Check out www.cnet.com/somoney. Subscribe to her weekly So Money newsletter for the latest updates and advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Entrepreneurship is an essential tool for building a more equitable society — which is why Kathryn Finney is laser-focused on encouraging people who don't fit the mold of the stereotypical founder to jump in. Her new book, “Build the Damn Thing,” taps into wisdom from her years at the venture studio Genius Guild and beyond. She brings a message to founders: The universe is conspiring for your greatness. Read a transcript of this interview at: mastersofscale.comSubscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dlirtXSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In many ways, tech culture is startup culture, and launching your own startup can be particularly difficult when you’re from a group that’s been historically underrepresented in the sector. Kathryn Finney is the founder and CEO of Genius Guild, which builds and invests in companies led by Black founders. She’s also the author of a new book that’s coming out this week, “Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy.” Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams spoke with Finney about her experiences and why the term “startup” is synonymous with tech.

In many ways, tech culture is startup culture, and launching your own startup can be particularly difficult when you’re from a group that’s been historically underrepresented in the sector. Kathryn Finney is the founder and CEO of Genius Guild, which builds and invests in companies led by Black founders. She’s also the author of a new book that’s coming out this week, “Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy.” Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams spoke with Finney about her experiences and why the term “startup” is synonymous with tech.

Entrepreneurship is an essential tool for building a more equitable society — which is why Kathryn Finney is laser-focused on encouraging people who don't fit the mold of the stereotypical founder to jump in. Her new book, “Build the Damn Thing,” taps into wisdom from her years at the venture studio Genius Guild and beyond. She brings a message to founders: The universe is conspiring for your greatness. Read a transcript of this interview at: mastersofscale.comSubscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our guest on this episode is Kathryn Finney, author of the new book, "BUILD THE DAMN THING: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy". Her website is https://www.kathrynfinney.com/ Thanks to our sponsors of this episode! -->Aurate: Aurate is a fine jewelry brand which offers amazing quality at affordable prices. Because Aurate sells directly to you, without the middleman markup, they can offer the same quality as traditional 5th avenue brands at a fraction of the cost. Aurate's gold feels substantial and the diamonds sparkle and shine. Aurate is looking to set the standard for women because they deserve the best—always reminding them to set the gold bar high!  Go to www.auratenewyork.com/nobodytoldme and use promo code nobodytoldme to get 20% off. -->Castus: CASTUS is a team of business development experts that enables B2B e-commerce to streamline the relationship between wholesalers and resellers. They create custom digital storefronts that cater to both your products and buyers to drive online orders and strengthen brand loyalty. Castus's in-depth expertise working in backend logistics to frontend consumer experiences, and everything in between makes them the perfect full-cycle partner for your business growth.  Visit their website, castusglobal.com/nobodytoldme to set up a no-obligation, one-on-one consultation with one of their experts and learn more! --> AirMedCare Network: AirMedCare Network provides world-class air transport services to the nearest, appropriate hospital or trauma center. AMCN Members have the added value of knowing their flight expenses are completely covered when flown by an AMCN provider. For as little as $85 a year, it covers your entire household, every day, 24/7, even when traveling. AMCN is the largest medical air transport membership in the country, covering 38 states. For just pennies a day, you can worry less about what matters most. This is security no family should be without. Now, as a Nobody Told Me! listener, you'll get up to a $50 eGift Card when you join.  Visit www.airmedcarenetwork.com/nobody and use the offer code NOBODY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode with Kathryn Finney, the Budget Fashionista turned entrepreneur, investor and author, examines how identifying opportunity can lead to untold success – but this isn't just Kathryn's story. Her own father's career change gave her a "lesson on living", and from there she has gone on to make a hugely positive impact on the world, and as a result has a beautiful, compelling and engaging story to tell. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ann-hiatt/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ann-hiatt/support

S7E27: In this episode, meet Founder and Chief Change Agent of Flying Elephant Deanna Singh, Founder and CEO of Genius Guild Kathryn Finney, and co-creators of Rich & Regular Julien and Kiersten Saunders. Tune in to hear the ways that these authors hope their audiobooks inspire listeners: from the creation of inclusive workplaces to achieving business dreams amidst personal and societal challenges. Enjoy! Actions Speak Louder by Deanna Singh: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/672975/actions-speak-louder/ Build the Damn Thing by Kathryn Finney: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/659567/build-the-damn-thing/ Cashing Out by Julien Saunders and Kiersten Saunders: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/665525/cashing-out/

For women founders who might think that the odds don't "appear" to be in your favor . . . There's a moment when you must decide you're going to be the one who breaks through, and you're going to go ahead and build the damn thing. Welcome back to The Good CEO podcast! It's the Season 3 opener. I brought back Kathryn Finney to discuss her exciting, new book, that is a must read for women founders. Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy is available in bookstores today! Connect with us on Instagram: @becomingthegoodceo #thegoodceo @hiiamkathryn #buildthedamnthing --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegoodceo/message

Malik welcomes his store’s official Manga curator (and his teenage daughter) Mecca Muhammad to talk about why reading is so important to her! All the top authors come by Malik Books! This week it’s Ayesha Goodall talking about empowering single moms! And Malik reviews “Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy” by Kathryn Finney!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode was recorded live at the SXSW Conference and presented by Rolling Stone and SHE Media. The conversation was moderated by Denise Hamilton, Inclusion Strategist & CEO of WatchHerWork and the panelists were Kathryn Finney, Managing Partner, Genius Guild, Jennifer Risi, Founder and President of The Sway Effect, and Jennifer Brown.  The panelists shared their thoughts about how individuals and companies can work towards a more inclusive and equitable workplace. They also shared insights about what it means to cultivate inclusion, how to measure success, the importance of core values, and the role of technology.  

Awe-inspiring chat with Kathryn Finney who is pioneering change on inclusion, investor to encourage Black founders and women entrepreneurs to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and award-winning author with her new book "Build the Damn Thing" due out in June 2022.

Kathryn Finney is a builder, a venture capitalist, and a visionary. She is the founder and Managing General Partner of Genius Guild, a venture studio with a $20M venture fund that builds and invests in scalable companies led by Black founders that serve their communities and beyond. Kathryn invests in market-based innovations designed to end racism. She is also the founder of The Doonie Fund, supporting over 2,000 Black women entrepreneurs throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Kathryn is well-known as the founder and past CEO of digitalundivided, a groundbreaking social enterprise focused on creating a world where women own their work, and mastermind of the widely acclaimed #ProjectDiane research. She started digitalundivided after selling her company, The Budget Fashionista, a lifestyle media company, making her one of the first Black women to have a successful startup exit. A Yale-trained epidemiologist, Kathryn has received numerous honors and awards including the Paypal Maggie Lena Walker Achievement Award, Aspen Financial Leaders Fellowship, Leadership Unbound General Partner Rising Star award, Echoing Green Fellowship, Eisenhower Fellowship, an Entrepreneur Magazine “Woman to Watch”, a Marie Claire “Woman to Watch”, and on the Ebony Power 100, Black Enterprise “40 under 40” list, and more. She is an Obama White House Champion of Change and past member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE) appointed by the Obama Administration. Her new book, Build The Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business if You're Not a Rich White Guy, is slated to launch in the summer of 2022 under the Penguin Random House Portfolio imprint. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jesszaino/support

In 2020, just 3% of the $147.6 billion invested in venture capital went to Black-founded companies, according to the U.S. Census [from Forbes]. Kathryn Finney, entrepreneur, investor and author chats with Nora and Scott about her latest project called Genius Guild, which combines an incubator, venture studio and fund that supports Black entrepreneurs. Check out Kathryn Finney's podcast Build the Damn Thing.

Guest overviewKathryn Finney defies norms, conventions, and stereotypes. For this powerhouse of a human, there is no glass ceiling. From epidemiologist to entrepreneur, to investor, author, and mentor, Kathryn is changing what is considered possible for a generation of marginalized and underrepresented Black and LatinX entrepreneurs. In this episode, recorded in two parts, we coverThe impact of her parents and extended familyHer father's life pivot from brewing to coding in his 30's which led her at aged eight to move from Milwaukee to Minneapolis.The early experiences of racism. Her grandmother's role in nurturing her entrepreneurial spirit and exposure to fashion. Her educational journey and impactThe serendipity of illness in Ghana that led her to epidemiology at Yale The life transition in her mid-twenties and setting up her fashion blog Budget Fashionista in 2004Being the first blogger invited to New York fashion weekHow her blogging opened the path to her first book dealBecoming a correspondent for the Today Show. The shift that occurred in fashion blogging as the category grew in 2008/9.Joining an incubator program and confronting racial prejudice.Creating a Women's Entrepreneurs Event Focus 100 Exiting her business in 2013.Creating the Project Diane a database of Black and LatinX women startupsThe genesis of her Digital Undivided How Covid accelerated a life transition and the creation of her micro grant Doonie FundReceiving funding from Pivotal Ventures for the creation of Genius GuildBuilding a coalition of like-minded change agents Creating her Podcast and Book Build The Damn Thing, her ‘a battle-tested guide for every entrepreneur who the establishment has excluded' Her 2030 vision Who we interview next?Social LinksInstagram Linkedin Twitter Podcast Show Links Donor-Advised Funds Genius GuildDoonie Fund Digital Undivided Project DianeBuild the Damn Thing - How to start a successful business if you are not a rich white guy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The story of Genius Guild, the power of investing in Black entrepreneurs, and the importance of sticking to your core values. In "Black Muse," the season finale of Build The Damn Thing, serial entrepreneur Kathryn Finney is joined by guests to discuss black excellence, entrepreneurship, and investing. Featured Ep.8 guests: Renee Wittemyer | Brian Aoaeh | Michael Dyer | Cheryl Contee | Geri Stengel | Sharmayne Lueiza Munoz | Barbara Clarke | Teresa Chahine | Jeffrey Robinson  Quotes from the show:   “We're looking for black founders who are thinking big, who are innovators, who have ideas that others are like, "Eh, I don't know." I don't know if that works, but we know - because we're operators and investors - that they can work. "   -- Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode #8     Stay Connected:   Kathryn Finney Website: https://www.kathrynfinney.com/ Twitter: @KathrynFinney Instagram: @hiiamkathryn Facebook: Kathryn Finney   Genius Guild Website: Genius Guild Twitter: @GeniusGuild Instagram: @geniusguild LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genius-guild     Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. ________ Credits:     Produced by Genius Guild Content Studios   Executive Producers:  Kathryn Finney and Darlene Gillard Jones Post-Production Company: Prosper Digital TV Post-Production Manager: Joanes Prosper Post-Production Supervisor: Jason Pierre Post-Production Sound Editor: Evan Joseph Co-Music Supervisors: Jason Pierre and Darlene Gillard Jones Show Music: provided by Prosper Digital TV Main Show Theme Music: "Self Motivated" Written & Performed by Tamara Bubble Add'l Music: "Lil' Sumn" by Dreamadai Special Thanks to The New Bedford Whaling Museum - New Bedford, MA

On this special episode of the Somewhat Frank Podcast, Frank Gruber (@FrankGruber) and John Guidos (@JohnGuidos) are joined by Jen Consalvo (@noreaster) and talk about drone tugboats, NFTs, alien origins, and more.” The group also celebrate the following from their networks: This week we had National Entrepreneurship Day on November 16, 2021. Global Entrepreneurship Week was recently celebrated Nov 8, 2021 – Nov 14, 2021 Huge win for the Established team and for the SBIR team at the SBA - we produced the inaugural Innovation Ecosystem Summit from the 15th - 17th. Speakers ranged from Kathryn Finney to Steve Case and Victor Hwang - over a 1K people attended and videos will be posted soon. Andrew Warner has a new book https://www.StopAskingQuestions.co @properties in Chicago goes global with Christie's deal - https://www.chicagobusiness.com/residential-real-estate/christies-international-real-estate-selling-properties Jodie Howard & Lisa Lewis is starting a new business called “Togather” in Southern Maine We are very excited about this next step for Established Ventures portfolio company, SoLo Funds, and their SoLo Causes launch. Helping underserved communities has always been the SoLo mission, now users can also give back through partnerships with Habitat for Humanity International and United Way. See the People Magazine article here: https://people.com/human-interest/habitat-for-humanity-united-way-solo-funds-solo-causes-non-profit-rodney-williams/ Frank, Jen, and John also also invite listeners to participate in the following upcoming events: Startup of the Year then join our community and if you're one of the 100 startups selected you could be in the running. More info at http://soty.link/apply NASA iTech Cycle II Forum startup competition on Dec 8-9 - register at nasaitech.org Announced out Startup of the Year Summit is happening in Tampa on Jan 25-27 https://summit.startupofyear.com/ The Consumer Technology Association Foundation is bringing our CES Pitch Competition (https://www.cta.tech/Who-We-Are/CTA-Foundation/Pitch-Competition) sponsored by AARP Innovation Labs back live to CES 2022! The pitch event will take place Thursday, January 6th at 1:00 PM PT on the Startup Stage in Eureka Park. The group talks about these new books/articles: Agree! There are more than one ways to fry an egg. - Founders, Stop Obsessing Over Venture Funding (https://news.crunchbase.com/news/founders-vc-david-kolodny-wilbur-labs/) A drone tugboat - A tugboat made a 1,000-mile voyage around Denmark. The pilot was in Boston. (https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/inno/stories/news/2021/10/15/seamachines_nelliebly_denmark.html) Were we created by aliens in a Lab? - Our universe was made by aliens in a lab, theorises Harvard scientist (https://www.dazeddigital.com/science-tech/article/54556/1/our-universe-was-made-by-aliens-in-a-lab-says-harvard-scientist) This is kind of bonkers - How Four NFT Novices Created a Billion-Dollar Ecosystem of Cartoon Apes (https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/bayc-bored-ape-yacht-club-nft-interview-1250461/) So you're saying they are priceless? - Science proves it: Most NFTs are worthless (https://www.fastcompany.com/90695605/science-proves-it-most-nfts-are-worthless) So true - Why It Feels Like This Year Is Going By Too Quickly, According to Experts | Apartment Therapy (https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/why-this-year-is-going-by-so-quickly-36947464) New laws forming around working from home in Portugal - The government in Portugal passes a law to help remote workers (https://www.npr.org/2021/11/11/1054615000/the-government-in-portugal-passes-a-law-to-help-remote-workers) Beyond Happiness by Jenn Lim (https://jennlim.com/beyondhappiness) Beyond Diversity by Rohit Bhargava and Jennifer Brown (https://www.nonobviousdiversity.com/book/) We are also still watching the following shows/movies: Succession on HBO Max Working Moms Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 11 The Morning Show We also want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! As always, thank you for listening and feel free to reach out and let us know what you think at: somewhatfrank@est.us Get updates like this in your inbox before they hit the web by subscribing to the newsletter here: https://frankgruber.me/newsletter/  

They may be called “micro investments”, but they're anything but small. Kathryn Finney started The Doonie Fund, a social enterprise that provides micro investments to Black women entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic.   In this episode of Build The Damn Thing, learn about the importance of investing in Black women and how frictionless micro investments can change the game and disrupt the world of entrepreneurship.     Quotes from the show:   “It was probably the most frictionless, the least painful process that I've ever been in... You invest so much time into the applications or getting references. You pretty much have to like give them a vial of blood and a DNA sample before you get access to funding. But with The Doonie Fund, it was like, 'Hey, I believe in you.' "   -- Jamela Peterson, Build the Damn Thing, Episode #7     Stay Connected:   Kathryn Finney Website: https://www.kathrynfinney.com/ Twitter: @KathrynFinney Instagram: @hiiamkathryn Facebook: Kathryn Finney   Genius Guild Website: Genius Guild Twitter: @GeniusGuild Instagram: @geniusguild LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genius-guild     Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. ________ Credits:     Produced by Genius Guild Content Studios   Executive Producers:  Kathryn Finney and Darlene Gillard Jones Post-Production Company: Prosper Digital TV Post-Production Manager: Joanes Prosper Post-Production Supervisor: Jason Pierre Post-Production Sound Editor: Evan Joseph Co-Music Supervisors: Jason Pierre and Darlene Gillard Jones Show Music: provided by Prosper Digital TV Main Show Theme Music: "Self Motivated" Written & Performed by Tamara Bubble

Choosing yourself isn't always easy. But after eight years leading digitalundivided -- an organization that she founded to help Black and Latinx women tech entrepreneurs get the mentorship and support they desperately needed -- Kathryn had to do just that. She chose herself, and her sanity, and decided to walk away from the business. Innovation and the goal of disrupting the industry isn't just about the work, it also requires a significant emotional lift that many don't anticipate. In this episode of Build the Damn Thing, Kathryn openly shares the financial challenges of building DID, why the first cohort was -- in her words, a “hot mess” -- how they “blew things up” to make things better and how initial support from a city or community doesn't always guarantee ongoing support. She also reveals the impact of building her business while starting her new journey as a mom -- a reality many women entrepreneurs have to face. The lessons in the episode will help you understand how to take a step back, honestly evaluate where things are in your business (and your life), and when it might be time to courageously let go and make a fresh start.   Insights from the Podcast: - You have to take an honest look at your business and what's working and what's not working. - Accepting responsibility - How to learn from your missteps - Surround yourself with people who will tell you about yourself. - Go where you're wanted - Your sanity is priceless - You're the prize   Quotes from the show: “What struck me about the no's is that they felt weak… You had to wonder if the space was really ready for the work that [DigitalUndivided] was doing and for the work that Kathryn was doing." -- Danielle Robinson Bell, Build the Damn Thing, Episode #6 “It was really about supporting other Black women who were building things, but there was no money.” — Darlene Gillard Jones, Guest Speaker, Build the Damn Thing, Episode #6 “People often want to believe the worst of Black women.” --Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode #6 “Something my mom always taught me was go where you wanted.”--Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode #6 “I could leave feeling empowered because I knew I could build something else.” --Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode #6 “Sometimes we're so afraid to leave things, like: “What if I don't have the next thing...?” But realize that you're the prize. It's not the thing; you're the thing. You're the one who created it, you're the one who built it, you're the one who grew it. So you are, in fact, that prize.” --Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode #6 Stay Connected:   Kathryn Finney Website: https://www.kathrynfinney.com/ Twitter: @KathrynFinney Instagram: @hiiamkathryn Facebook: Kathryn Finney     Genius Guild Website: Genius Guild Twitter: @GeniusGuild Instagram: @geniusguild LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genius-guild   Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.   _________   Credits: Produced by Genius Guild Content Studios Executive Producers: Kathryn Finney and Darlene Gillard Jones Post-Production Company: Prosper Digital TV Post-Production Manager: Joanes Prosper Post-Production Supervisor: Jason Pierre Post-Production Sound Editor: Evan Joseph Co-Music Supervisors: Jason Pierre and Darlene Gillard Jones Show Music: provided by Prosper Digital TV Main Show Theme Music: "Self Motivated" Written & Performed by Tamara Bubble

Calling All Disruptors! In this episode of Build The Damn Thing, you get to hear how friends, associates and the early attendees of Kathryn Finney's FOCUS event were positively influenced by the Genius Guild CEO's visionary thinking as a disrupter in the tech space. Kathryn shares how her “co-conspirators” — such as the founders of BlogHer and her business partner Darlene Gillard Jones — helped her build a powerful company based on her mission of empowering Black and Latina women in technology and helping them raise money through Digital Undivided. She also pioneered the groundbreaking research study, Project Diane, which exposed the disparities in venture capital investing in Black women businesses and went viral. But while all of this was going on, Kathryn not only had to combat some people misunderstanding her as a Black woman visionary who was often one step ahead, she had to overcome an unexpected health challenge and make some major decisions about her business and her personal life. Kathryn Finney is known as a pioneer in the fashion blogging community thanks to her blog “The Budget Fashionista” which has helped thousands of women dress chic and cheap. Kathryn not only has built a huge blogging community but also has been featured among "America's Top 50 Women In Tech" by Forbes and is greatly recognized by books like How to Be a Budget Fashionista and The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less. In fact, Kathryn is the living definition of a businesswoman who is always trying to generate new ways to share her knowledge about fashion and entrepreneurship just like she does through her platform the Genius Guild which, apart from having the podcast “Build that Damn Thing”, invests in companies led by Black founders. Insights from the Podcast: - How to build your team - How to leverage relationships - How to cultivate a work environment that creates a winning  organization - Women of color often have to face tough decisions in their journey - How to know when to walk away - How sharing the data about the disparities in venture capital investing in Black women's businesses helped change an industry Quotes from the show: “One of the hardest things as an entrepreneur is to sell others on your big idea. That's exactly what I did when I started Digital Undivided.”— Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “They not only gave us the check, [BlogHer] literally gave us the manual for how they run events.” — Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “She asked me if I'd be willing to partner with her on an organization called Digital Undivided, that will…support Black women in technology. and I haven't looked back since." — Darlene Gillard Jones, Guest Speaker, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “Because of that relationship because of the trust and the friendship that we were able to grow and establish, we were able to, create something special and my life personally has changed because of it.”— Darlene Gillard Jones, Guest Speaker, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “But when we realized it was too early, like most things in my life and being a visionary — being a Black woman visionary — that's not necessarily celebrated. I see things many steps ahead.” — Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “Oftentimes, the people who are the strongest and who have it together are the very people that you need to check after.”— Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “Before ProjectDiane was released, the experiences of women in color in entrepreneurship were purely anecdotal—so whether you were a person of color or not, you had some idea that things just weren't the same for people of color in particular women and women of color in the startup space; but it wasn't until Kathryn and Digital Undivided came along to quantify that experience that really blew the lid off of that entire dynamic and conversation.”— Danielle Robinson Bell, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “The hope was that Project Diane would be a catalyst. What I did not know was that Project Diane was going to fundamentally change the venture capital space in ways that still vibrate to this day.” —Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5   Stay Connected: Kathryn Finney Website: https://www.kathrynfinney.com/ Twitter: @KathrynFinney Instagram: @hiiamkathryn Facebook: Kathryn Finney Genius Guild Website: Genius Guild Twitter: @GeniusGuild Instagram: @geniusguild LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genius-guild Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.   __________   Credits: Produced by Genius Guild Content StudiosExecutive Producers: Kathryn Finney and Darlene Gillard JonesPost-Production Company: Prosper Digital TVPost-Production Manager: Joanes ProsperPost-Production Supervisor: Jason PierrePost-Production Sound Editor: Evan JosephCo-Music Supervisors: Jason Pierre and Darlene Gillard JonesShow Music: provided by Prosper Digital TVMain Show Theme Music: "Self Motivated" Written & Performed by Tamara BubbleSpecial thanks to Baratunde Thurston, Champions of Change: Tech Inclusion, and The Obama Administration

This week on The Op-Ed Page with Elisa Camahort Page: Available anywhere you listen to podcasts, so please share, subscribe, rate and review!! 1. Lynn Harris, GOLD Comedy Lynn Harris's bio: https://www.lynnharris.net/bio/ The website: GoldComedy.com Check out their all-in-one one year membership price A Bintel Brief podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-bintel-brief/id1577539103 Jen Kirkman tweet: https://twitter.com/jenkirkman/status/1173768277446680578?s=21 Humorism article, “Comedy is a safe space for abuse”: https://humorism.xyz/p/comedy-is-a-safe-space-for-abuse 2. It's not about history, it's about right now. Tennesee won't communicate to youth and their parents about ANY vaccines (now mostly resumed, with caveats): https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/23/tennessee-vaccine-outreach-children-gop/ Tuskeegee: https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm The racist origins of modern gynecology: https://www.wearyourvoicemag.com/racist-roots-gynecology-black-women-birthed/ Why J. Marion Sims statue was removed from Central Park: https://time.com/5243443/nyc-statue-marion-sims/ Simone was abandoned by the USGA: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/07/29/simone-biles-larry-nassar-fbi/ 3. Quick takes: Twin Tragedies and How to Help: Last week's newsletter on orgs. that plugged-in people I know are recommending to help in Haiti and Afghanistan: https://elisacp.substack.com/p/twin-tragedies-how-to-help My article in the Kinder Beauty Blog in August: 5 Truths About Aging I Knew When I Was in My 30s: https://kinderbeauty.com/blogs/life-hacks/five-truths-about-aging-i-wish-i-knew-in-my-30s Washington Post: Police killings since 2015: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2021/police-shootings-since-2015/ The Disinformation Dozen: https://252f2edd-1c8b-49f5-9bb2-cb57bb47e4ba.filesusr.com/ugd/f4d9b9_b7cedc0553604720b7137f8663366ee5.pdf The Shuumi Voluntary Land Tax: https://sogoreate-landtrust.org/shuumi-land-tax/ Kathryn Finney's Build the Damn Thing podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-the-damn-thing/id1570668836?i=1000530467868 Other books/TV/movies mentioned: The Other Black Girl by Zakiyah Dalila Harris: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-other-black-girl/id1536430613 Downtown Abbey Never Have I Ever season 2 Booksmart Where to find me: My website: https://elisacp.com Sign up for my new newsletter, This Week-ish with Elisa Camahort Page: https://elisacp.substack.com New Calendly: schedule a session with me!: https://calendly.com/elisacp Thanks to Ryan Cristopher for my podcast music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ryan-cristopher/1479898729 Road Map for Revolutionaries by me, Carolyn Gerin and Jamia Wilson: https://roadmapforrevolutionaries.com Social media handles: Twitter: @ElisaC @OpEdPagePodcast Insta: @ElisaCP TikTok: @ElisaCP Please share, subscribe, rate and review!

In this episode of Build The Damn Thing, Genius Guild CEO Kathryn Finney shares how to successfully exit a company -- something many entrepreneurs can't imagine -- and how to start something new. For the first time she gives a behind-the-scenes account of her own experience selling her first start-up and what that was like for her. Learn Kathryn's process of selling her blog, The Budget Fashionista, and how the proceeds from the sale gave her enough capital to start her next big venture. Plus get inspiration and insight on how you can do the same. Kathryn Finney is known as a pioneer in the fashion blogging community thanks to her blog “The Budget Fashionista” which has helped thousands of women dress chic and cheap. Kathryn not only has built a huge blogging community but also has been featured among "America's Top 50 Women In Tech" by Forbes and is greatly recognized by books like How to Be a Budget Fashionista and The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less. In fact, Kathryn is the living definition of a businesswoman who is always trying to generate new ways to share her knowledge about fashion and entrepreneurship just like she does through her platform the Genius Guild which apart from having the podcast “Build that Damn Thing”, invests in companies led by Black founders.   Insights from the Podcast - Understanding that it is okay to outgrow something and want to do something else - How to pivot and venture into something new - Understanding that it is okay to leave your job, not because you were treated a certain way but because you want to do -the next thing - Understand the full arc of acquisition and how start-up work - How to sell and move on to the next and start another venture - The 4T's on buying a tech company:    Technology: it has technology that would be hard for the corporation to create quickly    Talent: they have a core group of founders    Traffic: it has a large community behind it    Taxable income: the company has a ton of money   Quotes from the show: “It is okay to outgrow it, as an entrepreneur we are like ‘I created it, it's my baby, I have to stay. But you don't always have to stay” -Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, Guest Speaker, Build The Damn Thing Episode #4 “One of the challenges that we have in the black community is that we overstay, and I know why: because there is security” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #4 “In our community, there isn't a language about exiting positively: usually when you leave your job, it's because they were treating you in a certain way or you got a better job” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #4 “A start-up is a temporary organization that is designed to discover a solution to a problem and in the process to also discover a profitable, scalable and reputable business model and while doing that, to grow as quickly as possible” -Brian Laung Aoaeh, Guest Speaker, Build The Damn Thing Episode #4 “Venture capitalists look for and invest in start-ups. They look for companies that are doing something uniques, that they are solving a problem that hasn't been solved yet” -Brian Laung Aoaeh, Guest Speaker, Build The Damn Thing Episode #4 “One of the things about not selling when people come to you is that the price changes” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #4 “I think it comes back to who are the people around you? Who do you trust when it's hard and you have to make a decision? Some of it is guy, and you have to listen to your gut, and some of it is having the right group that will tell you when you are not thinking correctly” -Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, Guest Speaker, Build The Damn Thing Episode #4 “We constantly have to move and pivot and we have to find our own validation from within as entrepreneurs because you are constantly told it's not gonna work or you should do this or that” -Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, Guest Speaker, Build The Damn Thing Episode #4   Stay Connected: Kathryn Finney Website: https://www.kathrynfinney.com/ Twitter: @KathrynFinney Instagram: @hiiamkathryn Facebook: Kathryn Finney Genius Guild Website: Genius Guild Twitter: @GeniusGuild Instagram: @geniusguild LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genius-guild Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.   Credits: Produced by Genius Guild Content StudiosExecutive Producers: Kathryn Finney and Darlene Gillard JonesPost-Production Company: Prosper Digital TVPost-Production Manager: Joanes ProsperPost-Production Supervisor: Jason PierrePost-Production Sound Editor: Evan JosephCo-Music Supervisors: Jason Pierre and Darlene Gillard JonesShow Music: provided by Prosper Digital TVMain Show Theme Music: "Self Motivated" Written & Performed by Tamara BubbleSpecial thanks to Forbes Advisor Info Season 1 Episode 4 Aug 25, 2021 22 mins, 35 secs (21.7MB, Audio)   #BlackExcellence #Entrepreneurship #FashionBlog #BloggersUnite #Startups #BlackWomen #KathrynFinney #BlackOwned #TheBudgetFashionista #BlacksInTech #AfroTech #BlackAuthors #Discrimination #Incubators #Lissen #Exiting #VentureCapital

Real talk with Kathryn Finney about what it takes to be a black woman in front, self-care, preserving our mental health - and her mission to help more black women get the money they need to build out their businesses. an eve's lime production --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegoodceo/message

Here's a teaser of our upcoming episode with Kathryn Finney! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegoodceo/message

In this episode of Build The Damn Thing, Kathryn Finney talks to those people who were present at the beginning of her journey as a young builder and what led her to become one of the most influential women in tech. All the people in Kathryn's life speak of how they always knew she was “different” from a young age -- and that's a good thing. They also share that she had the unique ability to bring people around to her way of thinking to impact change. But it wasn't easy: Kathryn shares a painful and transformative childhood experience when she ran for school president against a white kid and the hate that she endured during her campaign. Kathryn Finney is known as a pioneer in the fashion blogging community thanks to her blog “The Budget Fashionista” which has helped thousands of women dress cheap and chic. Kathryn not only has built a huge blogging community but also has been featured among "America's Top 50 Women In Tech" by Forbes and is greatly recognized by books like How to Be a Budget Fashionista and The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less. In fact, Kathryn is the living definition of a businesswoman who is always trying to generate new ways to share her knowledge about fashion and entrepreneurship just like she does through her platform the Genius Guild which apart from having the podcast “Build that Damn Thing”, invests in companies led by Black founders.   Insights from the Podcast - How her entrepreneurial family background impacted her to build against all odds - Strategies on monetizing your skills and ideas - How to build, grow and make things bigger and how to do good in this world - Understanding how to fight against the entitled - Strategies to getting people to come to your way of thinking - Understanding how to create your own identity   Quotes from the show: “I challenge each and every one of you to be your full self and to give others a space to do the same and to know that you, in all your imperfect imperfections, are more than enough for this world” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #2 “Maybe my work ethic is genetic, I may not be as smart as you, I may not as good as you, but you will not outwork me” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #2 “People misunderstand that I have this incredible work ethic that you might not even see” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #2 “Money allowed me to have the life that I wanted to live, and I saw that very early: the options that it gave me” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #2 “When I joined high school, I was different, I tried to figure out how to fit in and not realizing as that 14/15-year-olds that you will never fit in when you are the type of person that I am” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #2 “Sometimes there is a price to pay when you go against the entitles” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #2 “I really think I wouldn't have dreamed as far as I did, or gone as far as I did or had the initiative to prepare for college if it weren't for Kathryn” -Ann McCarthy, Guest Speaker, Build The Damn Thing Episode #2   Stay Connected: Kathryn Finney Website: https://www.kathrynfinney.com/ Twitter: @KathrynFinney Instagram: @hiiamkathryn Facebook: Kathryn Finney Genius Guild Website: Genius Guild Twitter: @GeniusGuild Instagram: @geniusguild LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genius-guild Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.   Credits: Produced by Genius Guild Content StudiosExecutive Producers: Kathryn Finney and Darlene Gillard JonesPost-Production Company: Prosper Digital TVPost-Production Manager: Joanes ProsperPost-Production Supervisor: Jason PierrePost-Production Sound Editor: Evan JosephCo-Music Supervisors: Jason Pierre and Darlene Gillard JonesShow Music: provided by Prosper Digital TVMain Show Theme Music: "Self Motivated" Written & Performed by Tamara BubbleAdd'l Music: "Lil' Sumn" by Dreamadai"Walk" by Saucy SantanaAudio Sample Courtesy of: the Minnesota Historical Society's Black History, Black Voices Initiative; Washburn High School, Minneapolis, Minnesota Info Season 1 Episode 2 July 30, 2021 36 mins, 34 secs (34.1MB, Audio) #BlackExcellence #Entrepreneurship #DreamBig #Startups #BlackWomen #KathrynFinney #BlackOwned #Minnesota #Minneapolis #BlacksInTech #AfroTech #Yale #Rutgers #Ghana 

In this episode of Build The Damn Thing, Kathryn Finney opens up about the different struggles she went through on her way to success as a Black woman in business and as an innovator in technology. Learn about her business trajectory since the early 2000's, where she was managing to create the Budget Fashionista blog, which later on became a sensation in the blogging community. However, this was not enough to succeed: with the evolution of technology Kathryn had to constantly reinvent herself and come up with new ideas and new projects that weren't received with open arms by the white male community who had the monopoly over entrepreneurship and technology at that time. This episode is a testimony of how Kathryn turned every rejection or project that did not work out the way she wanted into motivation to inspire other women and spark new and innovative ideas to change the game. Kathryn Finney is known as a pioneer in the fashion blogging community thanks to her blog “The Budget Fashionista” which has helped thousands of women dress chic and cheap. Kathryn not only has built a huge blogging community but also has been featured among "America's Top 50 Women In Tech" by Forbes and is greatly recognized by books like How to be a Budget Fashionista and The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less. In fact, Kathryn is the living definition of a businesswoman who is always trying to generate new ways to share her knowledge about fashion and entrepreneurship just like she does through her platform the Genius Guild which apart from having the podcast “Build that Damn Thing”, invests in companies led by Black founders.   Insight from the Podcast - How Kathryn became a successful black business woman. - Details on how Kathryn had to constantly reinvent her projects according to the technology and blogging evolutions. - Difficulties Kathryn experienced being a black woman in a work scenario mainly dominated by white men. - How throughout the years Kathryn, with the help of other black businesswoman, found her spot in the fashion and entrepreneur industry. - How Kathryn has always sought to support women, who like her in the early 2000´s, are looking to be successful.   Quotes from the show: “I wasn't the first black woman, I was one of the first women period” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #3 “Blogging was the future and I knew how influential the influencers were for their community” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #3 “I needed to build a team because I couldn't do it all myself, I couldn't serve the amount of content that my community wanted all the time” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #3 “I kind of knew that it was changing, I started to see that technology became easier, there were more people and more competition and the difference between me and others was not that great, people started to try to take the name of Budget Fashionista which I had trademarked” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #3 “My agent and attorney at the time said to me: don't you ever do that again and I was like what do you mean? They were like you can't be smart like that, you let us do that” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #3 “I don't know of any black woman that ever received the venture funding and I don't think you'll be the first” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #3 “We were invisible Black Founders, Black women were invisible, the irony of it is to see how many of them are trying to get woken up” -Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing Episode #3   Stay Connected: Kathryn Finney Website: https://www.kathrynfinney.com/ Twitter: @KathrynFinney Instagram: @hiiamkathryn Facebook: Kathryn Finney Genius Guild Website: Genius Guild Twitter: @GeniusGuild Instagram: @geniusguild LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genius-guild Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.   Credits: Produced by Genius Guild Content StudiosExecutive Producers: Kathryn Finney and Darlene Gillard JonesPost-Production Company: Prosper Digital TVPost-Production Manager: Joanes ProsperPost-Production Supervisor: Jason PierrePost-Production Sound Editor: Evan JosephCo-Music Supervisors: Jason Pierre and Darlene Gillard JonesShow Music: provided by Prosper Digital TVMain Show Theme Music: "Self Motivated" Written & Performed by Tamara BubbleAdd'l Music: "Lil' Sumn" by Dreamadai Info Season 1 Episode 3 July 30, 2021 37 mins, 50 secs (34.7MB, Audio)   #BlackExcellence #Entrepreneurship #FashionBlog #BloggersUnite #Startups #BlackWomen #KathrynFinney #BlackOwned #TheBudgetFashionista #BlacksInTech #AfroTech #BlackAuthors #Discrimination #Incubators #Lissen 

  In this episode of Build the Damn Thing, Kathryn Finney shares how a series of unfortunate events led her to create Genius Guild, which is supported by one of the most powerful women in the world -- Melinda Gates. Kathryn also highlights how her failed trip to Alaska in 2020 led her to donate more than $160,000 to 15,000 black women-led entrepreneurs within six weeks. And this action showed her that it was possible to help such startups in a new way. Kathryn Finney is a venture capitalist, tech visionary, and startup champion who is the Founder and CEO of Genius Guild and General Partner of The Greenhouse Fund. She is former CEO of digitalundivided, a groundbreaking social enterprise focused on creating a world where Black women own their work. She is also the founder of The Budget Fashionista (TBF) and became one of the first Black women to have a successful seven-figure startup exit when she sold TBF. A Yale-trained Epidemiologist, she has been recognized for her groundbreaking work by the Aspen Institute, Entrepreneur Magazine, Marie Claire, Ebony, Inc. Magazine, Black Enterprise, and more.   Insights from the Podcast - Understanding that sometimes things will not work and that's okay - Strategies on building a community around black-women entrepreneurs - How her life in building led her to create Genius Guild - Understanding that black-owned businesses are undercapitalized and under resourced, and the structures needed to enable them to succeed does not exist - How to create a space where everyone can win, especially Black folks - How to move capital to Black communities without asking for permission   Quotes from the show: “It took me twenty years to build relationships to be able to do Genius Guild.” -Kathryn Finney, Genius Guild Ep #1 “I knew that I could build Genius Guild because I had spent a lifetime building staff.” -Kathryn Finney, Genius Guild Ep #1 “Genius Guild is a culmination of all the experience that she (Kathryn Finney) has gained over more than a decade of working on related problems.” -Brian Laung Aoaeh, Genius Guild Ep #1 “I cannot tell you how scary it is to be a Black woman and to ask for what it is you need because we rarely get it” -Kathryn Finney, Genius Guild Ep #1 “If this doesn't work, we are okay because we believe in you and we know you will figure it out” -Kathryn Finney, Genius Guild Ep #1 “When Black people win, everyone wins. We want to help humanity win” -Saidah Nash Carter, Genius Guild Ep #1   Stay Connected: Kathryn Finney Website: https://www.kathrynfinney.com/ Twitter: @KathrynFinney Instagram: @hiiamkathryn Facebook: Kathryn Finney   Genius Guild Website: Genius Guild Twitter: @GeniusGuild Instagram: @geniusguild LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genius-guild   Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Credits: Produced by Genius Guild Content StudiosExecutive Producers: Kathryn Finney and Darlene Gillard JonesPost-Production Company: Prosper Digital TVPost-Production Manager: Joanes ProsperPost-Production Supervisor: Jason PierrePost-Production Sound Editor: Evan JosephCo-Music Supervisor: Jason Pierre and Darlene Gillard JonesShow Music: Provided by Prosper Digital TVMain Show Theme Music: "Self Motivated" Written & Performed by Tamara BubbleInfo Season 1 Episode 1 July 16, 2021 18 mins, 14 secs (18.1MB, Audio) #BlackExcellence #Entrepreneurship #Startups #BlackWomen #KathrynFinney #BlackOwned

In Your Nature Season 2 continues with an episode looking at the unique landscape and nature of The Shannon Callows. We interview BirdWatch Ireland breeding wader expert and born & bred callows woman Kathryn Finney, who gives us a great local insight. We chat about, farming, floods and fences, and their impact on the birds within this internationally important wetland landscape. Bird of the week is the little-known Whinchat, a bird pushed to the margins but well worth discovering.   This podcast is made in partnership with Heritage Offices of Laois and Offaly County Councils with the support of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the National Biodiversity Action Plan, and the Heritage Council.This podcast is edited by Ann-Marie Kelly

What does it take to uplift other women in a space that you are still growing into? Well Kathryn Finney shares her profound experience in navigating entrepreneurship as a woman of colour and what led her to support black female entrepreneurs and women of colour.Enjoy!

Kathryn Finney is the founder of Genius Guild. Genius Guild is a business creation platform that builds and invests in market-based innovations that end racism.

digitalundivided (DID) founder and former CEO Kathryn Finney talks about how the social enterprise supports Black and Latinx female entrepreneurs through data and resources. An Echoing Green fellow and Obama administration White House Champion of Change, Kathryn leverages her background in political science and epidemiology to spearhead innovative, systemic change in the business world. After the onset of COVID-19, Kathryn founded The Doonie Fund with a $10,000 personal donation, ultimately working with DID to provide over $150,000 worth of micro-investments to more than 1,500 Black women-owned businesses. Kathryn and Aaron also discuss what diversity and inclusion hires need in order for their roles to actually have an impact, the hope that Gen Z inspires for the future of leadership, and why we all have to get comfortable having uncomfortable conversations. Learn more at digitalundivided.com and kathrynfinney.com.    Production Credits: Aaron Kwittken, Jeff Maldonado, Dara Cothran, Lindsay Hand, Julie Strickland, Nina Valdes, and Mathew Passy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The past few months have taught us that we have no certainty of the future and little control over the events that can determine the way we live. Across PROJECT RESET_, we have discussed specific areas that affect us all, asking what the future could look like if we took this moment of adversity as an opportunity to make positive changes. This episode looks at the most pointed questions that came out of those that have come before it and lets us begin to shed a brighter light on an uncertain future. Our hosts Rick Edwards and June Sarpong talk with Kathryn Finney, Tim Harford, Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock & The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Éanna Ní Lamhna has a look at hedgerows, John Bela Reilly talks to Melanie Croce who makes the link between tree planting and protecting Ireland's wild seal population, Jenny Branigan takes part in this years BirdWatch Ireland Garden Bird Survey and Derek met up with Kathryn Finney to find out more about The Curlew European Innovation Partnership.

Kathryn Finney is one of the most influential woman in tech, an entrepreneur, a social media visionary, an investor, writer, and advocate for women. Having her on the side of women is a big deal, I'm a huge fan! On this podcast episode she's sharing her unconventional journey to motherhood and what she's doing to help the women around her and support them as she grows in motherhood and life. Key takeaways Taking pauses helps to manage anxiety and decide who needs you the most at the moment It's helpful to remind moms that our kids will be okay and we are doing our best every day, things don't have to look perfect Accepting and offering support can be hard, especially in the early days, but you need to take it

Kathryn Finney is an author, researcher, investor, entrepreneur, innovator and businesswoman. She is the founder and CEO of digitalundivided, a social enterprise that leads high potential Black and Latinx women founders through the startup pipeline from idea to exit.

Kathryn Finney joins Intercom's Dee Reddy for a chat that covers her career, her passion for supporting and investing in others, the nature of intersectionality and more.

Explore the first part of our special International Women’s Day and Women's History Month podcast series, where were met with Kathryn Finney, also known as the Fairy Godmother of tech startups, to discuss the key topics around: pinkwashing, impact of diversity, transparency in corporate governance and capital rising for women of color (WOC).Guest speaker: Kathryn Finney, American author, investor and entrepreneur, one of the most influential women in tech according to Inc Magazine and founder & CEO of Digitalundivided.Access the latest report that uses Refinitiv ESG data to analyse the governance & sustainability aspect of modern corporations: https://www.refinitiv.com/en/resources/special-report/corporate-governance-analysisKeesa's email: keesa.schreane@refinitiv.comPodcast hashtag: #RSPodcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kathryn Finney, CEO of digitalundivided (DID), quantifies the role of black and latinx women in the startup world.

Check out Episode 11 of She Leads Podcast Season 3 for Leadership Empowerment with Kathryn Finney, Advocate for WOC in Tech, Echoing Green Global Fellow, and White House Champion of Change. In this episode of She Leads Podcast, Kathryn Finney founder of Digitalundivided (DID) shares insight on: Mindfulness Following Your Gut Useful Business Applications Being a Mentor Listen in to learn about Kathryn’s experiences and lessons on her quest to be an Ultimate Leader! And, Don’t forget to share and subscribe to She Leads Podcast for first access to future episodes. “Be Empowered and Empower On!” ~ Nicole Walker

There’s little question that technology – software – is shaping the future of our work, our play, and even how we form opinions. But who is shaping that technology?  It’s been quite an economic run. The stock market’s been climbing for a decade, and in that time, tech companies like Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook have gone from underdogs to overlords. Even as that’s happened, employees and observers have settled on a nagging question: Is there room for more women and minorities on the campuses and in the startups where this future is crafted?   With me in New York this week, Anu Duggal, founding partner at Female Founders Fund. Joining me from Atlanta, Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director at Digital Undivided, which encourages entrepreneurship among black and Latina women. And from San Francisco, Ruben Harris is CEO of Career Karma, host of the Breaking Into Startups podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ETHINKSTL-110--Episode 9.1 Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the “real unicorns”, Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more: Website: https://www.digitalundivided.com digitalundivided

ETHINKSTL-110--Episode 9.1 Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the “real unicorns”, Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more: Website: https://www.digitalundivided.com digitalundivided

ETHINKSTL-110--Episode 9.1 Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the “real unicorns”, Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more: Website: digitalundivided

February 11, 2019 Black History Month digitalundivided Kathryn Finney and 1000 Angels Erica Duignan Minnihan

In this episode Iman is joined by Kathryn Finney , founder and CEO of DigitalUndivided , who is paving the way to an innovated ecosystem by empowering and encouraging women of color to own their own economic security through entrepreneurship.  Finney talks about her early career choices,  what brought her to create the first incubator for Black and Latina women, her advice on how women can approach the world of fundraising, and her goals on expanding the social enterprise of DigitalUndivided. 

Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the "real unicorns", Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more: https://www.digitalundivided.com/

Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the "real unicorns", Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more: https://www.digitalundivided.com/

Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the "real unicorns", Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more:

The Startup Catalyst® Podcast is back! Sultan Ventures is launching Season 2 with an important and timely theme: inclusivity in the startup and venture capital community. We're kicking things off with one of the most influential women in entrepreneurship and tech: Kathryn Finney, founder of digitalundivided. Kathryn has been a changemaker in the industry for nearly two decades via her roles as a tech entrepreneur, social media innovator, and investor. In today's episode, we'll hear how she got her start in entrepreneurship at a young age, from her lucrative friendship bracelet business in elementary school, to cornering the hair-braiding market at Yale, and her pioneering fashion blog in the early days of the internet. Kathryn risked her career and personal finances to create digitalundivided (DID), an incubator focused on accelerating entrepreneurship for black and latinx founders. Tune-in to find out why she's so passionate about the power of women owning their work. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/startup-catalyst-podcast/support

Today’s episode features writer, women’s advocate, and tech entrepreneur Kathryn Finney. Named one of the most influential women in tech by Inc Magazine, she’s the Founder and Managing Director of digitalundivided, which fosters economic growth by empowering black and latina women entrepreneurs.More about this episode: majomolfino.com/blog/2018/4/4/something-more-with-kathryn-finneyKathryn talks about the courage required to find your tribe and take a leap when you feel there’s more out there for you. From her travels to Ghana during the height of the AIDS epidemic and deciding to become an epidemiologist, to starting one of the first fashion blogs and changing up all of her plans, Kathryn shares how she’s dealt with fear and challenges on her path to figuring out what she wants most out of life.Show Notes:-Kathryn as a little girl: Business savvy from a young age, she learned the value and power of making her own money. Plus, the examples of entrepreneurship that had an impact on her growing up. [1:58] -Challenges during her formative years, and Kathryn’s inspiring message on finding your own tribe and having the courage to take a leap. [7:42] -Her first trip to Ghana on a college fellowship, the humbling experience of contracting malaria, and how it all inspired her work. [13:35]-Her thesis on how the HIV AIDS virus impacted violence against women in South Africa, deciding to become an epidemiologist, and the events that changed her trajectory. [19:20] -Reaching a crossroads: Kathryn’s insights on sacrifice vs decision, and figuring out what you really want out of life. [24:20]-How Kathryn found herself running a non-profit organization and starting an influential blog. [30:35]-On teaching herself how to make money from her blog before there was a clear path to doing it, landing a book deal, and how Kathryn compartmentalizes fear. [35:50]-The TV deal she almost went through with: Realizing it wasn’t what she wanted, what she learned, and how she handled the backlash. [39:51]-The movement that emerged for Kathryn as a result of attending conferences and realizing there were so few women who looked like her. [49:53]-What Kathryn has reclaimed on her heroine’s journey. [55:58]References:Majo's website – majomolfino.comKathryn's website – kathrynfinney.comCheck out digitalundivided – digitalundivided.comMusic by Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs – carolynpennypackerriggs.comWant to support women's voices? Go to patreon.com/heroinefm & become a bigger part of the Heroine community. Check out our rewards for supporters.

Today’s episode features writer, women’s advocate, and tech entrepreneur Kathryn Finney. Named one of the most influential women in tech by Inc Magazine, she’s the Founder and Managing Director of digitalundivided, which fosters economic growth by empowering black and latina women entrepreneurs.More about this episode: majomolfino.com/blog/2018/4/4/something-more-with-kathryn-finneyKathryn talks about the courage required to find your tribe and take a leap when you feel there’s more out there for you. From her travels to Ghana during the height of the AIDS epidemic and deciding to become an epidemiologist, to starting one of the first fashion blogs and changing up all of her plans, Kathryn shares how she’s dealt with fear and challenges on her path to figuring out what she wants most out of life.Show Notes:-Kathryn as a little girl: Business savvy from a young age, she learned the value and power of making her own money. Plus, the examples of entrepreneurship that had an impact on her growing up. [1:58] -Challenges during her formative years, and Kathryn’s inspiring message on finding your own tribe and having the courage to take a leap. [7:42] -Her first trip to Ghana on a college fellowship, the humbling experience of contracting malaria, and how it all inspired her work. [13:35]-Her thesis on how the HIV AIDS virus impacted violence against women in South Africa, deciding to become an epidemiologist, and the events that changed her trajectory. [19:20] -Reaching a crossroads: Kathryn’s insights on sacrifice vs decision, and figuring out what you really want out of life. [24:20]-How Kathryn found herself running a non-profit organization and starting an influential blog. [30:35]-On teaching herself how to make money from her blog before there was a clear path to doing it, landing a book deal, and how Kathryn compartmentalizes fear. [35:50]-The TV deal she almost went through with: Realizing it wasn’t what she wanted, what she learned, and how she handled the backlash. [39:51]-The movement that emerged for Kathryn as a result of attending conferences and realizing there were so few women who looked like her. [49:53]-What Kathryn has reclaimed on her heroine’s journey. [55:58]References:Majo's website – majomolfino.comKathryn's website – kathrynfinney.comCheck out digitalundivided – digitalundivided.comMusic by Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs – carolynpennypackerriggs.comWant to support women's voices? Go to patreon.com/heroinefm & become a bigger part of the Heroine community. Check out our rewards for supporters.

On this episode of Support is Sexy, DigitalUndivided CEO Kathryn Finney talks about dispelling the myths about Black and Latina technology founders, what DigitalUndivided is doing to make a BIG difference in the industry and why she says getting an investor for your startup is NOT ideal. (Apply now for the BIG Incubator, if you're a tech founder who needs support with your vision! Go to digitalundivided.com.)

Interview with Kathryn Finney of the Budget Fashionista, the blog and best seller, and Digital Undivided, an incubator program for Black and Latinx women business founders. Kathryn takes some time to chat about the BIG Incubator program (in it's third year), share some great insights about the state of Black and Latina entrepreneurship + anecdotes from the cohort participants who have started the program with a mere idea and graduated as full-fledged founders. But first, we chime in on the H&M ad and Revolve drama. Get more information here: https://www.digitalundivided.com Apply for the BIG Incubator here: https://www.f6s.com/bigcohort3/apply Find them on Instagram @digundiv Follow us on social: Instagram @curlsculturecouture Facebook.com/CurlsCultureCouture Twitter @curlsculcouture Got topics? Hit us on social or email us at curlsculturecouture@gmail.com!

S3, EP # 5 - Women Who Startup Radio with Kathryn Finney All Show notes here: www.womenwhostartup.com/thepodcast Women Who Startup Radio official Women Who Startup podcast, sharing the stories of women who startup, women founders, women who code, women in tech and female entrepreneurs. Women Who Startup Radio is a podcast hosted by Lizelle Van Vuuren (@HeyLizelle), Founder and CEO of Effectively Labs and Women Who Startup. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/womenwhostartup/support

There’s been a lot of debate and controversy around the lack of women and minorities being represented in tech companies from entry-level to the C-suite and board room. However, what isn’t showcased is how there is sisterhood within tech, where women are helping each other out, and enacting change at every level from schools to the board room. To talk about how women are investing and encouraging each other, I’ve invited Samantha Walravens who is the co-author of the new book Geek Girl Rising: Inside the Sisterhood Shaking Up Tech. If you’re a woman, minority, or male ally you’ll learn from Samantha how: Women like Maria Klawe at Harvey Mudd have tripled the number of women graduating with Computer Science degrees Women are connecting female founders to female angel investors and influencers to grow their startups Corporations are changing and disrupting the dynamics of the boardroom   This is the last episode of FemgineerTV but don’t worry it’s not the end... After hosting FemgineerTV and listening to audience members like you for the past 2 ½ years, myself and my sponsor Pivotal Tracker decided it was time for a fun format! Starting next month, I’m going to be launching a new show called Build. I think you’ll enjoy the new format for Build. Each week you’ll receive a short video on a topic to help you build a product, company, and career in tech. So stay tuned for the launch of Build :) Want to help us get the word out about Build? Please take a moment to leave a review on iTunes here. If you’ve never left a review, here is a quick tutorial on how to do. -- Poornima: Welcome to another episode of *Femgineer TV*, brought to you by Pivotal Tracker, I'm your host, Poornima Vijayashanker, the founder of Femgineer.                                 In this show, I invite innovators in tech, and together we debunk myths and misconceptions related to building tech products and companies.                                 One of the most heated topics today is the lack of women and minorities represented in tech; from entry level, to the C suite, to the board room. While we all know this is already a problem, in today's episode, we're going to be talking about some of the solutions, and showing how there are companies and organizations enacting these solutions.                                 And to help us out, I've invited Samantha Walravens, who is the coauthor of the latest book, *Geek Girl Rising: Inside The Sisterhood Shaking Up Tech*. Thanks so much for joining us today, Samantha.   Samantha: Thanks for having me!   Poornima: Yeah, it's wonderful.                                 Let's start by talking about why you and your coauthor, Heather Cabot, decided to write this book.   Sharing The Unspoken Narrative of Women In Technology   Samantha: The inspiration for this book was a conversation I had about three years ago with a friend of mine, who's been in Silicon Valley for 20 years. She's a woman, she's the VP of sales in business development, and she's worked in a number of tech startups, and we were having coffee, and she said, "Sam, I cannot tell you what just happened in my performance group review, it was last week, and my manager commented on what I was wearing, the color of my dresses, the jewelry I wore, and he told me that I was too aggressive, and too bossy, and I needed to tone it down a bit." Meanwhile, she is the head of sales, and she was rocking her number out of the park. So she said, "Sam, you've got to write something." She knew I was a journalist. She said, "You've got to write something and you have to talk about this kind of discrimination and this kind of sexism in Silicon Valley."                                 Mind you this is before the *Newsweek* article came out, "What does Silicon Valley really think of women," people were discussing women in technology, but it really was not a top of mind—and so I started to do a little digging, and researching and interviewing women. And what I found was, yes, there's sexism, there is harassment, there's discrimination, there's unconscious bias, it's there, it's a problem we need to talk about it and deal with it.                                 But there was another narrative, another discussion that wasn't being told, which was: these women want to talk about the companies they were building, the technologies they were creating, the women who are supporting them and helping them along the way in their careers. There was this whole other narrative that was missing from the conversation that was happening in the national news media about sexism in Silicon Valley.                                 And I thought, "we have to discuss this." So, Heather Cabot, who's my coauthor, was in New York, I'm in San Francisco, we talked, and she said, "Sam, I've been researching this topic," it was kind of a coincidence, it was like one of those weird moments of weird fate. And she said, "I've been researching this topic, let's work together." So we put our heads together and we just started digging into the topic, and it's been three years now, and finally the book is coming out!   The Sisterhood That Is Supporting Women In Tech in Silicon Valley And Beyond   Poornima: So one thing I experienced early on in my career, and it keeps me motivated, is the women who inspired me. So, early on, when I was a college student in engineering school, I had a professor, and she had twins, and she was doing her research, and she was teaching, and she was leading the department, and I thought, "If she could do it, I could do it." And as I was reading the book, I noticed the theme of the sisterhood kind of coming up again and again.                                 Tell us how you discovered this theme as you started writing or as you were doing your research.   Samantha: Of course. Well, I too had a mentor back in my Silicon Valley days when I worked for a software startup during the dotcom boom in 1998 to about 2003, so I saw the dotcom boom and the bust happen, I was living through it, our company went public, stock went to 130, then went down to two, so I lived and breathed the dotcom boom and bust.                                 My manager/boss at that point was Carol Carpenter, who has since gone on to become—she was the CEO, actually CMO of ClearSlide and then CEO of ElasticBox, so she's a prominent woman in Silicon Valley, and she really pulled me up. She really, when I was lacking confidence, and I thought, "I can't do this," I'd just had my baby, my first baby, we were going public, and I thought, "I can't do this, this is crazy." We're working 24/7 and I have a newborn at home. She was the one who said, "Sam, you can do it, you can do it." And having that kind of mentorship and that kind of woman who was going through it herself pulling me up, really encouraged me.                                 So as we were researching the book, we started noticing these pockets around the startup universe, women who were supporting each other, investing in each other, encouraging each other in their careers and inspiring the next generation of girls and young women to pursue technology and continue their careers in technology.   Encouraging The Next Generation of Women To Consider Careers In Tech   Poornima: Yeah, that's great. I think you're absolutely right, that is a narrative that's missing from the media and more women need to know that that's out there as well, so that they don't feel like all there is is just what the media portrays.                                 Now, the first place that you write about change happening is at the primary school up to the high school level, so walk us through what that looks like.   Samantha: Well, fortunately, before Obama left office, he did create an initiative, a $4 billion initiative called "Computer Science for All" that is encouraging and putting funds towards creating computer science curriculum in schools throughout the country. I was so excited to read about Rahm Emanuel in Chicago, in the Chicago public schools now, computer science is a requirement for all high schools in Chicago. So I think we're going to see more of that.                                 When you look at the numbers, though, we still have a long way to go, cause 25% of high schools in the U.S. offer computer science, I think it's like 22% of girls, of students taking the computer science AP exam are girls, so we still have a long way to go.                                 What we noticed, though, it's sort of this grassroots movement of women who are encouraging the younger generations to start building, to start creating, to start coding. For example, we start our book talking about Debbie Sterling, who's the founder and the CEO of Goldie Blocks, and she's got this great—I have two little girls, we have it at home, it's a great toy that encourages girls to build, and there's a really fun, positive role model, Goldie, who builds a spinning machine and she has all these sorts of engineering—you wouldn't even know it's engineering, it's really just building Ferris wheels and building merry-go-rounds and all these fun things, along with the story, talking about Goldie and her friends, and how she's building these different fun games and amusement park rides. We have that in our household.                                 These are the kinds of things that women are doing to try to inspire the next generation. There is a woman in our book who started a company called Bitcode, she's actually working with the public schools to get them to use video to teach girls how to code. So if you have kids you know that they're on video, they're on YouTube, and they're really tech savvy. I have four kids, they can get around YouTube, and iMovie, and they're all over it. So, this tool is used in the public schools, to teach coding, using videos, to make it fun.   How Colleges Are Changing The Ratio Of Women Graduating With Computer Science Degrees Poornima: It's great, yeah, it's good to see these grassroots efforts, so that even if there is kind of a gap in terms of change for public schools or the school system in general, there's ways in which parents and teachers can supplement that.                                 So, the next place in which a lot of women and minorities drop off is at the college level, tell us who's working on changing that.   Samantha: Well, we had the most amazing experience at Grace Hopper in 2015. I believe you were there, and Heather and I, my coauthor and I went, and just to see, I think it was 12,000 women there in computing, and it is a true celebration. And to see the enthusiasm and the excitement and the bonding between these young women, it was so encouraging.                                 When you look at specific colleges, there's a lot being done to encourage more women in to pursue technology and computer science. I met with Maria Klawe, who's the president of Harvey Mudd, and wow! What a firecracker she is, she skateboards around campus, she's just a really fun, wonderful woman, and she implemented a program along with her colleagues a few years ago, where there are two tracks for computer science, so as a freshman you can take the gold track or the black track.                                 The gold track is for students who have not had any computer science experience in high school; the black track is for students who've had some experience. So, by doing this, the students who have not had experience don't feel so impostered, they don't have the confidence cause no one's had this experience, so they get through this year and I spoke to a couple of students who have taken these classes, and they say that by the end of the year, everyone's pretty much at the same level.                                 So, she, Maria Klawe, and her team has tripled the number of women graduating with computer science degrees at Harvey Mudd in the past ten years, and the number is, I hate to throw in all these numbers, cause they get little mind boggling at times, but 55% of the computer science graduates at Harvey Mudd are now women.   Poornima: That's great, it's a nice change to—the numbers go up.   Samantha: There's also Stanford. Another example of what's going on to encourage women to pursue computer science is Stanford University, of course a top institution, but they have a Women in Tech group called She++, which was started by Ayna Agarwal, and who was not even a computer science major by the way, but she started this group to encourage women and they had a Gala, every year, which gathers all the women in technology, not just Stanford. What they do is they go out into the communities and they take on high school students in different communities around the country and they support these young high school girls to start programs in their communities. For example, I live out in Marin County, and there is a girl who started a robotics happy schooler box program in Marin City, which is an underserved community in Marin County, and she runs this afterschool program in Marin City.                                 So all of these girls around the country who are starting these programs through She++ gather together for this gala, and I am telling you, if you could be there to see these college women, these high school girls who came, they were dressed to the nines, they were glamorous, I mean, talk about debunking the myths and breaking stereotypes about what a woman in tech looks like, I mean, we could have been in an LA nightclub, not to sound like—but they were so beautiful and wonderful and smart and excited to talk about their programs, and they were so excited to be in technology. And again, this is why Heather and I said, "This is a story that no one sees," you don't see this kind of enthusiasm around technology, you see, "Oh, it's so hard, numbers are dropping, it's all doom and gloom." And so we really wanted to tell that other story.   The Angel Investors And Others Who Are Supporting Female Founders   Poornima: OK. That brings us back to industry, and I know there's a lot going on at the corporate level, as well as startups. I'm of course partial to startups, so let's start there and talk about how the ecosystem is changing for women and minorities.   Samantha: There's a lot of momentum behind supporting female founders. For example, there are accelerator programs like the Women Startup Lab, which is down here at Menlo Park; there's MergeLane, which is in Colorado; there's The Refinery in Connecticut. These programs focus on female founders, and really giving them the tools, the skills they need to grow their company into a venture, fundable company. And they give the tools to learn how to pitch venture capitalists, and we all know the venture capital world is very male dominated.   Poornima: Yeah, it is a challenge. I know I've had my fair share of doing the fundraising.                                 So, there's a very common problem around women and minorities getting up and pitching their business to VCs, either male VCs not getting their idea, or they don't think it's a big enough market, or there's a lot of unconscious bias around it, so how are women getting their training to get over all of that?   Samantha: Well, you've started a company, so you know what it's like. The founders that we've met, that I've met in my journey with this book, are so passionate about their idea. But you can have an idea, and it's not going to go anywhere—you have to have the product market fit, you have to test the idea, you have to build your team out—and so these programs are really teaching women what they need to do to get to that level, to actually pitch to investors. But when you look at the numbers, I think it's 10% of the venture funding, globally, goes to female founders—it's still a really small percentage.                                 We've also noticed that there's women who are angels. So angel investors who fund companies at the early stages—for example, Joanne Wilson, aka Gotham Gal, who has a tremendous momentum in New York City, who has invested in a number of really great companies; Caren Maio, Nestio, Shanna Tellerman, Modsy—she finds these women, who have ideas that are big, that are scalable, and she nurtures them, and she's like the fairy godmother to these women. And there are other women that we talk about, we'd had to read the book to learn about all of them, but there are women who really take these female founders under their wing and support them on their journey.   Poornima: I think it's great that there are women like Joanne Wilson out there. Do you have a sense of how many companies she's invested in?   Samantha: Joanne Wilson has invested in around a hundred companies, and they're doing fantastic. One of them, Shanna Tellerman, started the company Modsy, which is an immersive, 3D environment for home décor, home design, and she told us that she created this project called “The Pinnacle Project,” at Park City, Utah, and it was Wednesday through Sunday, I think. And she invited Joanne, and Susan Lyne, and a bunch of angel investors, as well as a number of female founders, to come gather, network, ski, and have fun, and she said it was funny, because all the women were thinking, "We should be home, we should be working, we should be with the kids, we have so much to do," and she said she had to tell and remind people that, "This is what the guys do. They have a boys call and they pick off and it's all about business, whereas women don't have that sense of, “Let's go out to ski, or golf,” and that kind of networking, so it was an example of this pinnacle project, which is going to happen recurring every year, of, "OK, women, we can get together, have fun together, network, introduce each other to investors and influencers, and have fun while we're doing it. It's OK."   Poornima: Yeah. That's fantastic. And I think another thing you had mentioned pipeline ventures, or pipeline angels?   Samantha: Pipeline angels, yes, yes. Natalia Oberti Noguera is a force of nature and she started this angel investing group for women and I went through it and Heather went through it. I did it in San Francisco, Heather did it in New York, and basically it's a training, it's a bootcamp or a training program for women who are credited investors, to learn how to invest in female and minority-led companies. So it walked us through the process of how do you set evaluation on a company, what do you look for in a startup that you're investing in, what kind of traits you want to look for in the team, what's going to make this a good investment. So it trains women to invest as angels, and then you actually make an investment at the end.                                 We made an investment in a great startup—which I believe is still hush hush, underground at this point—but I believe we made a great investment and we're following the course of these early stage female founders, and it's really her goal to change the face of angel investing, to increase the amount of money going towards these early stage female founders.   Poornima: As we were doing research for your book and when I was reading it, I noticed that there was some astonishing findings, like only 11 companies that were founded by African-American women have received funding over a million dollars. So walk us through who is working to change this.   Samantha: Well, that number has actually increased, it's now 13 companies that have received more than a million dollars, but the numbers are still really low. One woman who is really on top of this problem is Kathryn Finney, who is the founder of DigitalUndivided, which is an organization whose main purpose is to increase the number of women, minorities in the tech world, latino women, and black women founders, and she just recently launched an accelerator, in Atlanta, Georgia, called the Big Innovation Center, and I think their first cohort is gathering this year to help skill up and prepare these minority founders to raise money.   How Tech Companies Are Growing Up And Changing How The Nature of Work   Poornima: So let's switch gears, and talk about corporations. We previously had Lisen Stromberg on the show, talking about the changes that were happening for parents—what have you seen?   Samantha: Well, what we've noticed is that Silicon Valley is growing up. They are trading in their ping-pong tables and foosball tables for nursing rooms, which is inspiring to see. When I started out, I had my Medela Pump in Style in a cold bathroom out of the courtyard of our startup, so it wasn't pretty, but we spent a day at Eventbrite not too long ago, and Julia Hartz, who's now the CEO of Eventbrite, it's very focused on woman, developing women in leadership positions and allowing for work-life balance. And I say that word, “work-life balance,” a term that is loaded, what she's trying to do with that company is focus on the whole person, not just the employee self.                                 For example, they have a program called “Take the time you need.” So if you need time to care for a child or to care for an adult, you can work from home, you can take time off, so she's really interested in her employees, and telling her employees, "You can do what you need to do, so you can live a life and you can be an employee."                                 And she also tells the women who are having babies at her company, she says, "You know what? You can get through the first six to nine months," it gets a lot easier, because a lot of women when they have their babies early on, they think, “I can't leave this poor creature alone with a daycare with a babysitter,” and she says, “If you can just get through that”—she's got two little girls herself—”If you can just get through that time, stick with it, come back, and we will support you while you're doing it,” which is fantastic.   Poornima: You also showcase companies like Power to Fly. Walk us through what Power to Fly is.   Samantha: Yeah, Power to Fly was started by Milena Berry and Katharine Zaleski. Katharine actually wrote an article apologizing to all the mothers out there. Before she had children, she was a little bit judgemental of mothers taking time off and having to leave work early, and then she had her first baby and she thought, "Oh, my gosh, this is really hard," so she and Milena got together and started this company, Power to Fly, which connects women with remote and flexible job positions, so they can actually care for their family and pursue careers in technology. The great thing about technology is that it can be done remotely. Especially if you're in coding, you don't have to be in an office 24/7, so Power to Fly works on that.                                 Another great program is Tina Lee started a program called MotherCoders, and she's based in San Francisco, a fabulous woman, her program retrains mothers in tech skills, so they can go off and they can—either they've taken time off or they have background in some other field, they can skill up in technology, and go out and get the tremendous amount of jobs that are available in technology as they get back to work.   Disrupting The Boardroom   Poornima: Well, that brings us to the boardroom, so walk us through what changes are happening there.   Samantha: The number of women holding board seats in our country is still very, very low, I think the number is 18% of board seats at Fortune 500 companies are held by women. So we still have a long way to go.                                 One real pioneer in this area is a woman, her name is Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, she's fabulous, she is the CEO and founder of a company called Joyus, a tech company, and she, a few years ago penned an article called "Tech Women Choose Possibility." And she really wanted to profile the women in Silicon Valley, in the startup world, who are doing great things, just founding great companies. There was a lot of positive response to that article, and so she created an organization called #choosepossibility.                                 Part of that organization is a group called, or an initiative called "The Boardlist." And basically it's a matchmaking tool that matches qualified, board-ready women with startup, tech companies, looking to fill board seats with women, so she made that happen, and they placed three women on the board, which it seems like it's very low, but what they're doing is they're connecting the VCs and the startup companies with these women, and a lot more placements have been made not directly through the platform, but just through the connections that have been made on this platform.   Poornima: OK, great, so it's good to know that there is some change happening at the board level as well.                                 Well, thank you so much for joining us today, Samantha, I know our viewers out there are going to enjoy reading your book, *Geek Girl Rising*. And for our viewers who are women, minority, and allies, is there anything else you would like to share with them in terms of resources?   Samantha: Yeah. I would love to see everybody come to our website. We have a gazillion resources on how you can join the digital revolution, just take a peek.   Poornima: Thanks for tuning in today and special thanks to our sponsor, Pivotal Tracker, for their help in producing this episode of *Femgineer TV*. If you've enjoyed this episode, then please be sure to share it with your friends, your teammates, your boss, and everyone so that they get to benefit from all the great resources, and subscribe to our channel to receive the next episode.                                Ciao for now! -- FemgineerTV is produced as a partnership between Femgineer and Pivotal Tracker. San Francisco video production by StartMotionMEDIA.

Today’s guest, Kathryn Finney, is the Founder and Managing Director of digitalundivided (DID for short), an organization that invests in the success of Black and Latina women tech founders by providing them with the network, coaching, and funding to build, scale, and exit their high growth companies. Kathryn was also one of the first social media “stars” and in 2014 sold her site, The Budget Fashionista, to a midwest media company and later was the editor at large at BlogHer, a platform representing 40MM+ women influencers. Named by Inc Magazine as one of the most influential women in tech, Kathryn has made her mark as a tech entrepreneur, social media visionary, an advocate, investor, writer, and television correspondent.   Listen on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode: Digital Undivided Headspace One Hundred Years of Solitude The Budget Fashionista Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements Important Announcements: If you’re interested in growing your business and brand using the powers of Instagram, register for MASTER THE GRAM. Master The Gram is the ultimate Instagram course for business owners who want to attract their true fans and turn them into loyal, returning customers. In a series of four modules, plus a bonus module, you will learn how to leverage Instagram to grow your brand, drive traffic to your site and increase your income. REGISTER HERE: http://sidehustlepro.co/masterthegram Side Hustle Pro is now over 1000 members strong. If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/mastermind Social Media Info Connect on Instagram: Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro #SideHustlePro

Do you feel like your business idea is an impossible dream? It doesn't have to be. Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of digitalundivided, a social enterprise that supports women of color entrepreneurs, shares her advice for how to start and grow a business. In Mailbag, we talk risk tolerance for saving for a home and for retirement, and how freelancers can save.

Kathryn Finney, founder of Digital Undivided, is someone I consider an O.G. -- the flyest O.G. -- in the technology space. Kathryn, who grew up in the midwest learning about computers from very early on, started one of the first big fashion and lifestyle blogs, The Budget Fashionista, back when Google was "a baby," as you'll hear in the episode. She later sold the blog and the brand, and has since moved on to really be an advocate for other women in the technology space. Today, as head of Digital Undivided, Kathryn provides programs and resources -- such as her BIG accelerator program in Atlanta -- to empower women in technology and give them access to the vital tools, knowledge and support they need to build successful, sustainable companies. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Kathryn talks about how to level the playing field when it comes to the number of Black and Latina women who receive investment, the kind of support network -- and romantic relationships -- entrepreneurs should consider, and how to build a badass brand that people may want to buy. On this episode, you'll learn... What entrepreneurs looking for love should consider.How becoming a parent empowers you to say no and mean it.The shift to the 1099 economy.Her advice for consultants looking to work with big corporations.How she built and sold her blog, The Budget Fashionista.The drawbacks of aligning your brand with yourself.3 ways to decouple yourself from your brand so that it can stand alone.4 reasons that people buy into a tech brand.How to change the disparity in how few Black and Latina women tech founders get investment.Why you should only take investment to get growth not to get started.Other ways your family and friends can invest in you that you may never have considered.And the POWER of asking for support.Why support networks -- especially with people who aren't afraid to tell you about yourself -- are key to your success.  Show notes, links, contacts and resources for this episode may be found at http://supportissexypodcast.com   [Music: "Someone Else’s Memories" by Revolution Void]

How do we get more funding for communities of color? Finney is founder and Managing Director of digitalundivided, and Co-Author/Research Lead on #ProjectDiane, a proprietary data project about the state of Black women in tech entrepreneurship in the United States. Leading with data, Finney is fundamentally changing the discussion about diversity in tech. In her interview with Kelly Hoey, you’ll hear Finney explain why she established BIG, a new accelerator in Atlanta dedicated to Black women founders, the Harriet Fund and Harriet Angels.  Finney’s confession that she was born to be an entrepreneur may explain why she is also so good as an investor and why, in one important way, she is no different than the rest:  she always looks to get her money back! Notes Why Diane Nash Is Selma’s Best Supporting Role by Christopher Wilson, Time It’s Embarrassing How Few Black Female Founders Get Funded by Davey Alba, Wired Digitalundivided Launches BIG Innovation Center in Atlanta for Black and Latina Women in Tech by Danielle Young, The Root Gayle Jennings-O’Byrne A New Way for Women of Color to Get Funding by Kimberly Weisul, Inc. Startup Investors Hit the Brakes by Scott Martin, Wall Street Journal Invest with Harriet Angels (Maya Venture Partners) 7 Ways Meditation Can Actually Change The Brain Alice Walton, Forbes Oprah Winfrey Delivers Empowering Speech at Essence Fest Debut: 'The Magic Is to Surrender to God's Dream for You' by Kathy Ehrich Dowd Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s Liberator as Prisoner and President, Dies at 95 by Bill Keller, New York Times Martha Stewart Unloads on Millennials: Here's What She Said (and Why) by Bill Murphy Jr., Inc. Additional Reading Inside One Woman Investor's Plan To Get Black Female Founders Funding by Clare O'Connor, Forbes Hey, How’d You Establish Yourself as The Budget Fashionista and founder of digitalundivided, Kathryn Finney? by Janelle Harris, MediaBistro The Divided American Dream by Emily Badger, Washington Post Syndicates / For Investors AngelList Where Do Venture Capital Dollars Actually Come From? This Visual Explains by Lee Hower, NextView Guest bios & transcripts are available on www.broadmic.com.

This episode I talk about the situation at the Cincinnati Zoo, Dave Mirra having CTE, Kathryn Finney networking with Black Entrepreneurs, No Man's Sky being delayed and Game 7 versus Roots and what I chose. Please be sure to leave likes, comments and Reviews on iTunes, Stitcher, Podomatic, Google Music and more. Twitter: @Jae_The_Host and/or @JustSayWordsPod Email: JustSayWordsPod@gmail.com

How does diversity help startups build great products? This week on BroadMic Bonus Cuts, listen to Tami Reiss, Nikki Kuritsky, and Allessandra McGinnis on… Why diverse hiring is important to building a world class team and product Their practical tips on managing diverse teams The core engineering hires you need for your startup What agile means in layman's terms Choosing the computing language you need to launch your business Notes Lean Case Study: Just Not Sorry by Tami Reiss, Medium Additional Reading How Do You Define Startup Culture? by Corey McAveeney, Wired Startups Are Personal: Focus On Company Culture by Mary Juetten, Forbes 80% of Your Culture is Your Founder First Round Review Diversity debt: how much does your startup have? by Andrea Barrica, 500 Startups Do Tech Startups Need More Diversity? Tell Me More, NPR It’s Time to Innovate Inclusion… The #ProjectDiane Report is Here by Kathryn Finney, Medium The tech industry’s “diversity” focus favors one group over pretty much any other by Erica Joy, Quartz Women and Minorities Are Penalized for Promoting Diversity by Stefanie K. Johnson and David R. Hekman, Harvard Business Review We’re Making the Wrong Case for Diversity in Silicon Valley by Todd L. Pittinsky, Harvard Business Review What does being Agile mean to you? Quora Choosing the Right Programming Language for Your Startup by AWS Startups, Medium Guest bios & transcripts are available on www.broadmic.com.

On part 1, I talk to Kathryn Finney, founder and Managing Director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Kathryn received the Champion of Change Award from the White House, and served as Editor-At-Large at BlogHer, INC.   I talk to Kathryn about minority participation in accelerators, how her blogging for fun turned into a multi-million dollar opportunities, and black-female tech entrepreneurship.   Part 2 is Dr. Paul Q. Judge - a serial entrepreneur and noted scholar. He’s cofounder and Executive Chairman of Pindrop Security, cofounder of Monsieur (the robotic bartender), a founding partner at Tech Square Labs in Atlanta, and currently serves as Chief Research Officer and VP at Barracuda Networks.   I talk to Paul about  his daily routine, how he got into tech, and his thoughts on the startup landscape. He gives some great advice for founders looking to raise capital.

Join digitalundivided for a fun talk about tech in "the hood."  Hear digitalundivided partner, Darlene Gillard with chat Pam Perry about the "digital divide." Is it a myth? Is it real? Do certain cities lag when it comes to technology and social media usage? Darlene Gillard and Kathryn Finney are the "tech superstars" who are also hosting numerous community "tech talk"  events. One event they will sit down with MC Hammer & others in Detroit at Cass Tech to chat about technology, tech ideas from urban communities, and the future of entrepreneurship in the black community.  Get the details for this free event at: Detroit Event  digitalundivided  is a social enterprise excelling at getting the urban community in the tech space! DID's forward-thinking initiatives increase the active participation of the urban community, especially women, in the digital space.  

Keith Chambers has assisted more than five hundred goods and service providers in formulating their marketing approach, including Clorox, Del Monte, Campbell's, Coppertone, Arm &Hammer, Sparkletts, Hormel, Scotch-Brite, and Equal.He has helped brands as varied as Claritin and the Miss America Pageant develop and convey their product message to the consumer.The firm began as a successful package design studio for brands such as Coca Cola Foods, Van de Kamps, and Minute Maid.The world could use more Kathryn Finneys! Kathryn reaches into the urban community to help entrepreneurs get their business started, and now you get to learn from on the industries best! Kathryn Finney is the founder and Managing Director of digitalundivided (DID), a social enterprise which develops programs that increase the participation of urban communities, especially women, in the digital space. DID's programs have reached over 4 million people. In 2013, Kathryn received the Champions of Change Award from The White House for her working in increasing inclusiveness in tech. Do you want to create a business that wow's the customer, indulge their senses, and leaves them begging for more?! The brainchild of Nancy Truman, f?nuts debuted in August '11 with a mission to elevate the coffee and donut experience into loftier and tastier realms. Baked and/or steamed and never fried, f?nuts replicate the donut taste you know and love, but give it a modern spin, featuring gluten-free and vegan options alongside traditional varieties. With an aversion to fryer oil and a focus on natural ingredients, Lucas and Truman accentuate the deliciousness of every f?nut bite. Nancy and Waylynn help our listeners open their mind to ideas on the "fringe!"

Today's industrial revolution is digital. Students must have fluency in science and technology in order to see real success in school and in life. Despite efforts to increase access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education for students of color, digital entrepreneurs continue to be overwhelmingly white. My guest, Kathryn Finney, is changing that. Kathy is the founder of digitalUNdivided, which develops programs, projects, and forward thinking initiatives that bridge the digital knowledge gap, particularly for women of color. ______ Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and founder of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans for schools and works with organizations to promote student equity.