The Impact Seat Sponsors The 8th Annual Women’s Venture Summit
Last week, femme founders and funders convened from all corners of the earth for Stella Labs’ 8th annual Women’s Venture Summit. This year we had the honor of sponsoring the event alongside sponsors UBS, Cooley, C3 and more. Our mission was to help build an investor network where founders and investors alike could engage with a new ecosystem for a new economy. Featuring breakout sessions, a pitch competition, endless networking opportunities, panels, keynotes, and more, this year’s Women’s Venture Summit surpassed expectations.
With a new caliber of virtual production, the team at WVS proved that society has moved far past the phase of early COVID technical clumsiness. WVS provided a sleek, personally tailored interface (courtesy of Swapcard) that featured high end production, message boards, options to “connect” directly with attendees & more.
Kickoff: “Grow Your Money” With Janine Firpo
The Impact Seat kicked off the event by sponsoring a special breakout session with Janine Firpo, (Co-Founder, Invest For Better). In her session, Janine walked us through her journey becoming an impact investor, and how she invests within the topics she cares about the most, including women’s rights and sustainability.
Janine is a firm believer (as is The Impact Seat) that an investor does not need to compromise profit for ethical and mission aligned investing. In fact, Janine argues that sustainable investing is incredibly lucrative:
“There are a plethora of studies that show when you invest in sustainability you will be able to meet and exceed financial projections. You do not have to give up financial return to invest in sustainability” — Janine Firpo
During the session we also discussed Janine’s best-selling book, Activate Your Money, which our Chief Investment Officer, Cheryl Contee, was delighted and proud to review in its early stages.
Day 2: Building an On-Ramp to Investing in Women Founders
On WVS’s second and final day, we hosted a networking session for any and all investors interested in building a new economy, where women and founders of color can thrive and grow. The session featured an informative and relaxed conversation with investor attendees facilitated by The Impact Seat’s Founder and President, Barbara Clarke, and Chief Innovation Officer, Cheryl Contee. During the session, femme inverstors shared resources, tips and their investment journeys with one another.
Closing: Assemble Strong Leadership and Raise More Money
Closing the session, The Impact Seat’s Cheryl Contee and Women’s Innovation Fund Accelerator’s Barbara Bickham led a conversation on recruiting and managing strong leadership as a startup founder, including a lively Q&A for all participants.
Overall, the summit not only bridged connections between founders, funders, movers and shakers — it solidified the era of the new economy.
