InvestHer Podcast

Hosted by Anne Ravanona: entrepreneur, funding expert, women's advocate and podcaster

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Aug 2026

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InvestHer Podcast is a podcast for women entrepreneurs who want to learn about funding and get funded faster, and for investors and ecosystem players who want to learn more about what it's really like for female founders in the world of funding today. It's a behind the scenes look at the funding tactics and strategies that really work, to give women founders more confidence to get the funding you deserve to take your business to the next level. Each episode will be short, energetic and action-oriented, giving you lots of practical funding tips, so that you can get investor-ready, get the funding you need and back to building your business, FASTER. Join entrepreneur, consultant, TEDx speaker and women's advocate, Anne Ravanona, as she shares how to put the fun back into funding for female founders, with real truths about what it's like for women entrepreneurs in the funding world today, inspiring and practical interviews with the investors who actually do fund women-led companies, as well as key ecosystem players you need to know about. We've got your back! This show is not only about demystifying funding, it's also about understanding what are the key market dynamics and realities that impact HOW investors make decisions on who to fund, the existing biases and paradigms that need changing, and how we can ALL benefit from the biggest untapped resource to boost the global economy - women entrepreneurs. Anne Ravanona created Global Invest Her and is on a mission to help get 1M women entrepreneurs funded by 2030. She is a recognised international keynote speaker who inspires the hearts and wins over the minds of both investors and women entrepreneurs about funding female founders, coaches women-led businesses and helps corporates partner with and serve women entrepreneurs. So, whether you are starting out on your own funding journey, want to learn more about it before jumping in, or are curious about the real funding challenges women entrepreneurs face and the investment opportunity they represent, this podcast is for you! Let's change the funding game, together.

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August 25, 2026Episode 651 hr 16 min

Capital With a Conscience: Pierre Norman Rolin on Investing in Women Who Change the World

"There is no financial logic why women only get two or three percent of venture capital. It just doesn't make economic sense." 🔑 Capital With a Conscience: Pierre Norman Rolin on Investing in Women Who Change the World! 🎙 In this episode of the InvestHer Podcast, host Anne Ravanona speaks with Pierre Norman Rolin, Founder of Ankh Impact Ventures, about what it truly means to align capital with purpose — and why he believes backing first-time women founders is one of the most compelling and undervalued opportunities in venture capital today. Pierre shares the personal, professional, and philosophical journey that took him from over three decades in global real estate to becoming an early mover in gender lens investing, and what he has learned along the way from the 40-plus ventures and funds he has backed across six high-impact sectors. 🌍 Discover how Pierre Norman Rolin — shaped by a mother who was both a Holocaust survivor and a corporate executive, galvanised by two private philanthropic foundations, and awakened to entrepreneurship through the innovation labs of USC, Caltech, and UCLA — came to believe that grants alone cannot create systemic change, and that the most powerful tool for transformation is intentional, mission-aligned venture capital in the hands of women founders building solutions to the world's most pressing problems. 💡 Don't miss this episode with actionable insights on: • Backing women founders is not altruism — it is a clear market arbitrage that most of venture capital has failed to price correctly. • Pierre decides to invest within the first or second meeting, reading character and grit long before evaluating the business plan or MVP. • His three investment pillars: a woman agent of change shaped by adversity, a scalable solution to a pressing societal problem, and science or technology to measure impact. • Philanthro-capitalism means profit and mission are not in tension — the companies Pierre backs never sacrifice returns to be green. • Non-dilutive grants and pitch competitions are underrated — the people in the audience matter as much as the prize money. • Getting into a reputable accelerator is an insurance policy against the 90% startup failure rate, not a concession on equity. • The great wealth transfer — up to $200 trillion moving predominantly into women's hands within 20 to 30 years — will reshape how capital is deployed and what it prioritises. If you have ever wondered what it looks like when decades of real-world capital experience meet genuine conviction about women-led innovation, this conversation with Pierre Norman Rolin is essential listening. 🔗 Listen Now | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ▶️ Full Show Notes About Pierre Pierre Norman Rolin is the Founder of Ankh Impact Ventures, a gender lens impact fund he established in 2020 after more than 35 years closing in excess of $19 billion in real estate investments and achieving a 20% net IRR for clients. His path into impact investing began in 2006 when he set up two private foundations — a British charity and a US 501(c)(3) — supporting gifted, underprivileged children through art, education, and music, which exposed him to the transformative work women were doing across the non-profit sector. Through consulting roles with women-led companies in Los Angeles from 2013 onward, Pierre became an early mover in gender lens investing, ultimately dedicating a permanent personal capital pool to backing first-time women co-founded and solo-founded startups as well as first-time women fund managers. Today, Ankh Impact Ventures has backed 40-plus ventures and funds across six strategic sectors, supported by an advisory board of 85 women and partnerships with seven leading universities including Imperial College London, Cambridge, Stanford, and Princeton. Pierre is also a sought-after voice on philanthro-capitalism, mission-aligned investing, and the coming wealth transfer that he believes will reshape global venture capital. 🌐 Website: https://www.ankhimpactvc.com 💼 LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/pierre-n-rolin 📸 Instagram: @ankh.impact.vc 🐦 Twitter (X): @AnkhImpactVC About Ankh Impact Ventures Ankh Impact Ventures (AIV) is an early-stage gender lens impact fund founded in 2020 and dedicated to backing first-time women co-founded and solo-founded startups, as well as first-time women fund managers, at the pre-seed and seed stages. Named after one of the oldest recorded symbols in the world — the ancient Egyptian ankh, representing harmony between masculinity and femininity, transformation, and the key to opportunity — AIV invests catalytic capital across six strategic sectors: Inclusive Digital Economy, Sustainable Consumption, Climate Tech and Smart Cities, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Arts and Culture Tech, and Quantum Technologies. AIV's thesis rests on three pillars: a woman agent of change shaped by personal adversity, a scalable solution to an urgent societal challenge, and the science or technology to measure and grow that impact — without sacrificing financial returns. Resources Mentioned 🌐 Ankh Impact Ventures Website: https://www.ankhimpactvc.com 💼 Connect with Pierre on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/pierre-n-rolin Connect with Anne & Global Invest Her 🌐 https://www.investherpodcast.com/ 📂 Funder Directory: https://funderdirectory.globalinvesther.com/ 🛍 Buy From Her Directory: https://www.buyfromher.com/ 🗨️ LinkedIn: Anne Ravanona https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneravanona/ #InvestHerPodcast #InvestHer #WomenFounders #FemaleFounders #WomenEntrepreneurs #GenderLensInvesting #ImpactInvesting #AnkhImpactVentures #PhilanthroCapitalism #VentureCapital #EarlyStageInvesting #WomenInVC #MissionAlignedCapital #ClimateInvesting

August 18, 2026Episode 6458 min

Dream Bigger: Nikki Barua on Building an AI-Native Company Without Raising a Cent

"Dream big. There's never been a better time to not only dream big, but to actually bring those dreams to life." 🚀 Dream Bigger: Nikki Barua on Building an AI-Native Company Without Raising a Cent! 🎙 In this episode of the InvestHer Podcast, host Anne Ravanona speaks with Nikki Barua, CEO and Co-Founder of FlipWork, about why she is building her fastest-growing company yet without raising a single cent, how AI has fundamentally collapsed the cost and complexity of starting and scaling a business, and what it really takes — in mindset, identity, and strategy — for women founders to seize what she calls the greatest wave in modern human history. 🌍 Discover how Nikki Barua went from a front-row seat watching her mother bootstrap a business from nothing in India, to managing hundreds of millions in corporate accounts, to founding four companies and arriving at FlipWork — a fully AI-native transformation platform — armed with the conviction that the human being is the greatest technology on earth, and that women who lean into AI now will not just survive disruption but lead it. 💡 Don't miss this episode with actionable insights on: • AI has shrunk the time humans have to adapt so radically that all old entrepreneurial playbooks are now dead. • Women founders can build and scale without outside capital — and raise later from a position of strength, not desperation. • A 29-question psychometric diagnostic can reveal your AI readiness and the precise bottlenecks holding you back. • Encoding your unique human judgment into AI tools is the only way to differentiate your output from everyone else's. • Identity can be shifted immediately, even when skills and confidence take time — so architect the person who wins first. • Women are 25% behind men in AI adoption, creating a compounding career and business risk that is entirely reversible. • First-principles thinking means refusing commonly held beliefs — because following the herd produces only common results. This is your invitation to stop waiting for capital, permission, or certainty — and start building the future on your own terms. 🔗 Listen Now | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ▶️ Full Show Notes About Nikki Nikki Barua is a serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, and keynote speaker with over 25 years of experience guiding some of the world's most iconic brands through digital transformation, workforce reinvention, and organisational change. As CEO and Co-Founder of FlipWork, she is on a mission to ensure that humans co-evolve alongside AI rather than get left behind by it. Her personal journey from humble beginnings in India to building global companies has made her a sought-after voice on resilience, reinvention, and leading through disruption. Nikki has been featured in CNBC, Bloomberg, Fortune, and Forbes, and recognised as an EY North America Entrepreneurial Winning Woman, one of Entrepreneur Magazine's 100 Most Influential Women, and Entrepreneur of the Year by ACE. 🌐 Website: https://flipwork.ai 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkibarua/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.nikkibarua.com/ 🐦 Twitter (X): https://x.com/NikkiBarua About FlipWork FlipWork is an AI-native transformation platform helping organisations and individuals reinvent their culture, capabilities, and competitive edge for the AI age. Through a proprietary psychometric diagnostic and a personalised eight-week sprint guided by an AI change agent called Flippy, FlipWork extracts what makes each person uniquely human and encodes that judgment so they can amplify — rather than be replaced by — artificial intelligence. The result is a Reinvention Passport: each participant's AI twin, ready to deploy across any tool or workflow. Resources Mentioned 🌐 FlipWork — take the free AI readiness diagnostic: https://flipwork.ai 💼 Connect with Nikki Barua on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkibarua/ 🐦 Follow Nikki Barua on X (Twitter): https://x.com/NikkiBarua Connect with Anne & Global Invest Her 🌐 https://www.investherpodcast.com/ 📂 Funder Directory: https://funderdirectory.globalinvesther.com/ 🛍 Buy From Her Directory: https://www.buyfromher.com/ 🗨️ LinkedIn: Anne Ravanona https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneravanona/ #InvestHerPodcast #InvestHer #WomenFounders #FemaleFounders #WomenEntrepreneurs #AIForFounders #AINative #FlipWork #NikkiBarua #HumanTransformation #FounderMindset #BootstrapWithAI #WomenInAI #ReinventYourself

August 11, 2026Episode 631 hr 6 min

Proof of Concept, Proven: Megan Sorby Is Scaling Regenerative Aquaculture

"Food is infrastructure, and that's what we're building here: infrastructure for the future of clean and healthy food" 🌊 Proof of Concept, Proven: Megan Sorby Is Scaling Regenerative Aquaculture! 🎙 In this episode of the InvestHer Podcast, host Anne Ravanona speaks with Megan Sorby, Co-founder and CEO of Pine Island Redfish, about how she is building a circular, land-based regenerative aquaculture company in Florida — farming redfish sustainably, growing 50,000 mangroves a year from fish waste, and closing a $5.5M Series A to scale domestic seafood production across the United States. 🌍 Discover how Megan Sorby's two decades of commercial aquaculture experience — spanning broodstock management, new species development, and land-based facility design — led her and her co-founder husband Tom to return to the Gulf Coast of Florida and build something the U.S. seafood industry has long needed: a fully circular, recirculating aquaculture system that pairs responsible redfish production with coastal mangrove restoration, funded by the farm itself. 💡 Don't miss this episode with actionable insights on: • The U.S. imports 80–90% of its seafood despite having vast coastlines and some of the world's highest-value fish species. • Redfish was commercially fished to near-collapse in the 1980s, then America sent broodstock to Taiwan — and now buys it back with less traceability. • Pine Island Redfish proved its full model on under $1.5M, deliberately staying lean before scaling rather than chasing large early rounds. • Fish waste from their recirculating system feeds mangrove seedlings — turning a disposal problem into a self-funded nature-based restoration programme. • Community came first: a single phone call to a former colleague connected Megan to Publix's seafood director, who visited the farm before committing. • Growing fish in a fully controlled indoor environment produced a cleaner, more translucent fillet — opening redfish to crudo, ceviche, and sushi markets where it had never appeared before. • A volunteer network of 300 people plants the farm's mangrove seedlings on local coastlines, and many of those same volunteers become loyal fish customers. Megan Sorby is proof that the most powerful infrastructure investments don't always look like tech — sometimes they look like a tank full of redfish and a field full of mangroves. 🔗 Listen Now | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ▶️ Full Show Notes About Megan Megan Sorby is the Co-Founder and CEO of Pine Island Redfish, a Florida-based regenerative marine aquaculture company cultivating redfish within a circular food system built to support coastal resiliency. She brings over two decades of commercial aquaculture experience across North America, with deep expertise in new species development, land-based facility design, broodstock management, and production planning to market. Megan holds a Master's degree in Sustainable Aquaculture from the University of Stirling in Scotland and a BSc in Marine Biology and Chemistry from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science. A winner of the InvestHer Summit 2024 global pitch competition, she is widely recognised as one of the most knowledgeable and passionate voices in responsible domestic seafood production. Megan leads with both scientific rigour and a community-first mindset, building Pine Island Redfish into a model for how food production can simultaneously nourish people and restore the ecosystems they depend on. 🌐 Website: https://www.pineislandredfish.com/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-sorby-237b73159/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pineislandredfish/ About Pine Island Redfish Pine Island Redfish is a land-based regenerative aquaculture company based in Florida, farming red drum — redfish — in a state-of-the-art recirculating system that gives fish their optimal environment year-round while capturing and repurposing every byproduct the process creates. The company's circular model transforms nutrient-rich fish waste into compost and liquid fertiliser used to cultivate mangrove seedlings, which are then planted by a growing volunteer network to restore threatened coastal ecosystems. Currently operating out of Mote Marine Laboratories Aquaculture Park, Pine Island Redfish supplies retail partners including Publix and distributes to food service and culinary markets across the United States, from the Southeast to Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C. Resources Mentioned 🌐 Pine Island Redfish — Website: https://www.pineislandredfish.com/ 💼 Connect with Megan Sorby on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-sorby-237b73159/ 📸 Pine Island Redfish on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pineislandredfish/ Connect with Anne & Global Invest Her 🌐 https://www.investherpodcast.com/ 📂 Funder Directory: https://funderdirectory.globalinvesther.com/ 🛍 Buy From Her Directory: https://www.buyfromher.com/ 🗨️ LinkedIn: Anne Ravanona https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneravanona/ #InvestHerPodcast #InvestHer #WomenFounders #FemaleFounders #WomenEntrepreneurs #Aquaculture #RegenerativeFarming #CircularEconomy #SeafoodSustainability #MangroveRestoration #CoastalResilience #FoodSystems #WomenInAgriculture #DomesticSeafood

August 4, 2026Episode 621 hr 14 min

Tech Is Not Neutral: Mara Bolis On Building an Equitable AI Future for Women

"If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring your own folding chair." ⚡ Tech Is Not Neutral: How Mara Bolis Is Building an Equitable AI Future for Women! 🎙 In this episode of the InvestHer Podcast, host Anne Ravanona speaks with Mara Bolis, Founder & CEO of First Prompt and Fellow at Harvard's Berkman Klein Centre for Internet and Society, about why women's hesitation toward generative AI is not a knowledge gap but a risk intelligence signal — and what women founders, enterprise leaders, and everyday users must do right now to claim their agency in one of the most consequential technological shifts in human history. 🌍 Discover how Mara Bolis's career arc — from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the U.S. Development Finance Corporation to Oxfam's women's economic empowerment programmes and Harvard Kennedy School — gave her a systems-level lens on inequality that she now applies directly to the AI era. This led her to found First Prompt, publish her 'Fierce Ambivalence' framework in Stanford Social Innovation Review, inspire an OECD expert focus group supported by the German Ministry of Labour, and co-host the Womansplaining AI podcast. 💡 Don't miss this episode with actionable insights on: • Women use generative AI at work roughly 20% less than men — a gap that risks widening the pay divide. • Why hesitation toward AI is a rational response to bias, privacy risk, and unequal judgment, not a lack of confidence. • Mara's 'Fierce Ambivalence' framework: use AI passionately while holding it to the highest ethical standard. • Every major AI tool hallucinates, and Mara shares which ones to trust and how to catch a fabricated answer. • Why free AI tools make you the product, not the customer, and how to protect your data. • The 'shadow usage' risk facing companies without a clear AI policy — and why silence lets bias creep in. • How to turn AI into an investor-pitch coach that stress-tests your fundraising story before the real thing. This episode is essential listening for every woman who wants to shape the AI era rather than be shaped by it. 🔗 Listen Now | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ▶️ Full Show Notes About Mara Mara Bolis is the Founder and CEO of First Prompt, an equitable AI adoption lab, and a Fellow at Harvard's Berkman Klein Centre for Internet and Society. Her career spans the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Oxfam America, the Harvard Kennedy School, and the role of Chief Strategy Officer at Moms First, giving her a rare systems-level perspective on how technology, finance, and gender inequality intersect. Her framework, 'Fierce Ambivalence', published in Stanford Social Innovation Review, directly inspired an OECD expert focus group on women's attitudes toward AI, supported by the German Ministry of Labour. A sought-after speaker and media commentator — interviewed by Bloomberg, CNN, the Washington Post, Reuters, and Forbes — Mara is also the co-host of the Womansplaining AI podcast. She holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and an MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. 🌐 Website: https://www.firstprompt.net/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mara-bolis-z123/ About First Prompt First Prompt is an equitable AI adoption lab founded to ensure that women engage with generative AI on their own terms, at their own pace, and in community with peers. Inspired by the flat, peer-driven structure of women's savings groups, First Prompt runs learning programmes within organisations, advises leaders on inclusive AI rollout, and conducts research that connects women's lived experience of AI to policy recommendations at the national and international level. First Prompt's work sits at the intersection of gender equality, emerging technology, and systems change. Resources Mentioned 🌐 First Prompt — Mara's equitable AI adoption lab: https://www.firstprompt.net/ 🎙 Womansplaining AI Podcast — co-hosted by Mara Bolis: https://www.womensplainingai.com 💼 Connect with Mara Bolis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mara-bolis-z123/ Connect with Anne & Global Invest Her 🌐 https://www.investherpodcast.com/ 📂 Funder Directory: https://funderdirectory.globalinvesther.com/ 🛍 Buy From Her Directory: https://www.buyfromher.com/ 🗨️ LinkedIn: Anne Ravanona https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneravanona/ #InvestHerPodcast #InvestHer #WomenFounders #FemaleFounders #WomenEntrepreneurs #AIForWomen #GenerativeAI #GenderAndAI #FierceAmbivalence #FirstPrompt #WomensplainingAI #AIPolicy #EquitableAI #WomenInTech

July 14, 2026Episode 6151 min

100 Women, One Mission: Dr. Anino Emuwa on Power and Access

"Make sure you're part of a network that supports female entrepreneurs. Do not do it on your own." 🌍 100 Women, One Mission: Dr. Anino Emuwa on Power and Access! 🎙 In this episode of the InvestHer Podcast, host Anne Ravanona speaks with Anino Emuwa, Managing Director of Avandis Consulting and Founder of 100 Women@Davos, about dismantling the gender funding gap, the systemic barriers women entrepreneurs face when accessing capital, and why advancing women's leadership demands action at every level — from boardrooms to government policy. 🌍 Discover how Anino's journey from corporate banker at Citibank to global advocate for women's leadership spans continents, decades, and disciplines. Armed with a Doctorate in Business Administration focused on overcoming barriers to entrepreneurial finance, she turned a WhatsApp group of women at the World Economic Forum in Davos into a thriving global community — 100 Women@Davos — that amplifies women leaders on the world stage and inside the rooms where decisions are made. 💡 Don't miss this episode with actionable insights on: • Why less than 2% of VC funding goes to female-led businesses — and how the culture of Silicon Valley's origins created a self-perpetuating DNA of exclusion • The Harvard study that revealed how women founders are asked defensive questions while male founders are asked about opportunity — and why bias, not logic, is the real barrier • Why grants are massively underutilised by women entrepreneurs — and how even small grants can act as a credibility stamp that opens further doors • The critical importance of understanding what type of finance you actually need — and why working capital, angel investment, and grants deserve as much attention as VC • How Anino built 100 Women@Davos from a WhatsApp group to a global paid membership community — entirely purpose-driven and organically grown • Why governments must step in as active partners to fix the funding gap — and the powerful UK precedent of an 11-year Bank of England initiative that proved systemic change is possible • The investor case: why female-led businesses exit faster at higher value, make excellent creditors, and represent one of the most undervalued return opportunities in the market today Learn how to access funding, build your network, and advocate for the systemic change that will finally close the gender gap — on your own terms. 🔗 Listen Now | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ▶️ Full Show Notes About Anino Dr. Anino Emuwa is a global expert on women's leadership working at the intersection of emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, and inclusion. A former corporate banker turned consultant and advocate, she holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Nottingham Business School focused on overcoming barriers to entrepreneurial finance, an MBA from Cranfield School of Management, and a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics. She sits on several boards including Nottingham Trent University and the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030, advises the Institute of Directors' Expert Advisory Group on Diversity and Inclusion, and is a member of the UN Women Leaders Network. 🌐 Website: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/100womendavos/?viewAsMember=true 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-anino-emuwa/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.emuwa/ 🐤 Twitter (X): https://x.com/DrEmuwa About 100 Women@Davos 100 Women@Davos is a global community of impact-driven women CEOs and founders, launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2019. Supporting UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 Target 5.5, the community advances women's leadership by enabling growth, amplifying international visibility, and creating access to high-level decision-making opportunities across global summits and institutions. What began as a WhatsApp group of women attending Davos has grown into a structured paid membership community with events, partnerships, and a seat at the table wherever it matters most. Resources Mentioned 🌐 100 Women@Davos: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/100womendavos/?viewAsMember=true 🌐 Avandis Consulting: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-anino-emuwa/ 🏛 World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/ 🏛 UN Women: https://www.unwomen.org/ 🏛 Cartier Women's Initiative: https://cartierwomensinitiative.com/ 🏛 Nottingham Business School: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/ Connect with Anne & Global Invest Her 🌐 https://www.investherpodcast.com/ 📂 Funder Directory: https://funderdirectory.globalinvesther.com/ 🛍 Buy From Her Directory: https://www.buyfromher.com/ 🗨️ LinkedIn: Anne Ravanona https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneravanona/ #WomenFounders #WomenLeadership #GenderFundingGap #InvestHerPodcast #WomenInBusiness #StartupFunding #VentureCapital #WomenEntrepreneurs #100Women@Davos #PolicyChange #InvestHer #FemaleFounders #WomenInVC #GlobalLeadership

July 7, 2026Episode 601 hr 5 min

Money as a Tool: Julianne Zimmerman's Investing Playbook

"Whether you're a funder or a founder... we all have more levers than we tend to think of. Use all the levers." 💰 Money as a Tool: Julianne Zimmerman's Investing Playbook! 🎙 In this episode of the InvestHer Podcast, host Anne Ravanona speaks with Julianne Zimmerman, Co-CEO of Adasina Social Capital, about the current state of global startup funding in 2025, the generational wealth transfer reshaping who controls capital, and why social justice investing is not only possible — it's essential. 🌍 Discover how Julianne went from aerospace engineer and two-time NASA astronaut finalist to clean energy co-founder to venture capitalist — and ultimately to Co-CEO of Adasina Social Capital, a public equities impact asset manager with a global social justice investing strategy. Along the way, she was repeatedly told her ideas were impossible. She proved them wrong every time. Now she's on a mission to help founders and funders alike recognise every lever available to them — and use them all. 💡 Don't miss this episode with powerhouse insights on: • Why less than 2% of global capital still goes to female-led founder teams — and what's shifting beneath the surface • The generational wealth transfer: trillions moving to women, and what that means for the future of investing • Why our over-reliance on venture capital has distorted the entrepreneurial ecosystem — and which models are making a comeback • The hottest sectors for 2025: distributed energy, regenerative agriculture, circular manufacturing, employee ownership, and more • Why AI is only as fair as the assumptions it's built on — and why regulating it now, even though we're late, still matters • Julianne's core advice to founders: know your why, define your version of success, and never just "take the money and figure it out later" • How every founder and funder can use ALL their financial levers — from where your money sleeps at night to pressuring your pension plan Learn how to use money as a tool for systems change — and build a future worth passing on. 🔗 Listen Now | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ▶️ Full Show Notes About Julianne Julianne Zimmerman is all in on durable, transformative, reparative systems change. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience putting technology and capital to work for the greater good, she has been a change instigator across aerospace, clean energy, and venture — co-founding a seed stage venture practice, standing up a fund focused on women and people of colour, and teaching Innovative Social Enterprises at Tufts University for eight years. She is a 2020 World Changing Woman, a 2022 Forbes 50>50 honouree, and a two-time NASA astronaut finalist. 🌐 Website: https://adasina.com/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliannezimmerman/ About Adasina Social Capital Adasina Social Capital is a public equities impact asset manager with a global social justice investing strategy. They employ a holistic, community-centric approach to using the tools of the market to transform finance for the benefit of all — working to advance social justice across the entire market, with a team that is predominantly BIPOC, female or gender expansive, and queer. Resources Mentioned 🌐 Adasina Social Capital: https://adasina.com/ 🌐 Malaika Ventures: https://malaika.com/ 🏛 Boston Impact Initiative: https://bostonimpact.org/ 📊 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report: https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-risks-report-2025/ Connect with Anne & Global Invest Her 🌐 https://www.investherpodcast.com/ 📂 Funder Directory: https://funderdirectory.globalinvesther.com/ 🛍 Buy From Her Directory: https://www.buyfromher.com/ 🗨️ LinkedIn: Anne Ravanona https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneravanona/ #WomenFounders #SocialJusticeInvesting #ImpactInvesting #InvestHerPodcast #WomenInFinance #VentureCapital #SystemsChange #WomenInvesting #WomenEntrepreneurs #StartupFunding #Sustainability #InvestHer #FemaleFounders #WealthTransfer

June 30, 2026Episode 5940 min

The Guild Is Open: Chloe Guilfoyle Rewrites the Rules for Founders

"Find your people, find your tribe, find your believers — because they exist." 🏰 The Guild Is Open: Chloe Guilfoyle Rewrites the Rules for Founders! 🎙 In this episode of the InvestHer Podcast, host Anne Ravanona speaks with Chloe Guilfoyle, Founder of Avalon, about cooperative entrepreneurship, raising funds as a woman in France, and building a founder community rooted in strategy, well-being, and collective intelligence. 🌍 Discover how Chloe shut down her first venture-backed startup — not from lack of ambition, but from isolation and the absence of aligned support — and channelled every hard lesson into building Avalon, a hybrid entrepreneurial guild with a physical hub in Paris and a growing digital community now 200+ members strong. From leading France's top female investor network, Femmes Business Angels, to bootstrapping her pre-seed round and securing half her 300k target exclusively from women investors, Chloe is proving that cooperation, not competition, is the new competitive advantage. 💡 Don't miss this episode with actionable insights on: • Why Chloe shut down her first startup — and what she'd do radically differently the second time around • The funding biases women face in France: from risk-heavy questioning to being asked about family plans mid-pitch • How leading a 200-person female investor network changed everything about the way she pitches and builds relationships • Why she bootstrapped Avalon for six months before raising — and how arriving "de-risked" changed investor conversations • The power of warm intros and LinkedIn visibility in building a pipeline of aligned, women-led investors • What makes Avalon different from accelerators, incubators, and co-working spaces — and why "no selection committee" matters • Her vision to bridge Paris, London, and Casablanca into one decentralised, cooperation-first entrepreneurial ecosystem Learn how to build a fundable, scalable business — and a life you don't burn out from — on your own terms. 🔗 Listen Now | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ▶️ Full Show Notes About Chloe Chloe Guilfoyle is a Franco-Irish entrepreneur and the Founder of Avalon, a hybrid entrepreneurial guild helping founders build strong companies without burning out. With a background in business law, community building, and startup leadership, she previously founded a travel tech startup, led Femmes Business Angels — France's leading network of 200 female investors — and has helped dozens of women entrepreneurs raise funds and grow with confidence. 🌐 Website: https://www.avalon.fr/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cguilfoyle/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avalon.fr/ About Avalon Avalon is a hybrid entrepreneurial guild for high-performing founders who want to grow their business without burning out. Blending a curated digital platform with a physical hub opening in Paris in October 2025 — and soon expanding to London and Casablanca — Avalon offers strategic guidance, expert mentorship, and a human-centred community built on cooperation, not competition. Membership starts at €49/month, with no selection committee and a clear belief that ambition and well-being are not opposites. Resources Mentioned 🌐 Avalon: https://www.avalon.fr/ 🏛 Femmes Business Angels: https://www.femmesbusinessangels.org/ Connect with Anne & Global Invest Her 🌐 https://www.investherpodcast.com/ 📂 Funder Directory: https://funderdirectory.globalinvesther.com/ 🛍 Buy From Her Directory: https://www.buyfromher.com/ 🗨️ LinkedIn: Anne Ravanona https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneravanona/ #WomenFounders #CooperativeEntrepreneurship #InvestHerPodcast #WomenInBusiness #StartupFunding #FemaleFounders #FrenchStartups #CommunityIsCapital #WomenEntrepreneurs #FounderWellbeing #InvestHer #WomenInVC #EuropeanStartups

June 23, 2026Episode 581 hr 3 min

Pitch, Bootstrap, Build: Christine Ntim's Funding Masterclass

"The moment your name becomes a solution, that's when you know you've won." 🚀 Pitch, Bootstrap, Build: Christine Ntim's Funding Masterclass! 🎙 In this episode of the InvestHer Podcast, host Anne Ravanona speaks with Christine Ntim, CEO of Global Startup Ecosystem, about creative fundraising strategies, building a personal brand as a founder, and why pitching is an invitation — not a request for permission. 🌍 Discover how Christine, a Forbes 30 Under 30 Haitian-American and Ghanaian serial entrepreneur, turned a passion for street market economies into a Harvard Business School case study — and then went on to build the world's first and largest digital startup accelerator, supporting 1,000 companies a year across 70–90+ countries. From winning pitch competitions across 90+ applications to raising half a million dollars through equity crowdfunding in 30 days, Christine's funding journey is a masterclass in resilience, creativity, and knowing your strengths. 💡 Don't miss this episode with actionable insights on: • How Christine raised $250K in six months purely through pitch competitions — and the exact system she used to track, apply, and follow up across 90+ applications • Why equity crowdfunding works best when you treat it as a campaign, not a form — and how to mobilise ambassadors, build momentum, and gamify your goals • Using event marketing and sponsorships to raise six figures — and how to get venue space, partnerships, and resources without spending a cent • The hidden capital sitting in your Stripe and PayPal accounts right now — and why bootstrapping smarter beats fundraising faster • Why a pitch is an invitation, not a permission slip — and how changing that mindset transforms how investors respond to you • The danger of moulding your mission to chase VC funding — and why doubling down on your natural strengths will take you further, faster • Building a purpose-driven personal brand that outlasts any single business — and why "thought leader entrepreneur" is the identity of the next generation Learn how to fund your business creatively, build your brand with integrity, and grow on your own terms. 🔗 Listen Now | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ▶️ Full Show Notes ## About Christine Christine Ntim is an award-winning Haitian-American and Ghanaian serial entrepreneur, global speaker, tech ecosystem leader, and personal branding expert on a mission to build the next generation of thought leader entrepreneurs. She has been featured in Forbes 30 Under 30, AdAge 40 Under 40, TEDx, Entrepreneur Magazine, Essence, Black Enterprise, Ebony Magazine, Inc Magazine, and more. As a three-time founder, Christine has built globally recognised, award-winning businesses and has spoken on stages across the world. **🌐 Website:** https://globalstartupecosystem.com/ **💼 LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinentim/ ## About Global Startup Ecosystem Global Startup Ecosystem (GSE) is home to the world's first and largest digital startup accelerator programme, supporting approximately 1,000 companies per year across 70–90+ countries. GSE helps entrepreneurs take ideas to market by combining world-class startup education with a focus on impact-led, digitally powered businesses. Beyond the accelerator, GSE convenes the global innovation community through tech summits — including the inspiring Haiti Tech Summit — and empowers founders to build not just successful businesses, but lasting legacies. ## Resources Mentioned 🌐 **Global Startup Ecosystem:** https://globalstartupecosystem.com/ 🏛 **StartEngine (equity crowdfunding platform):** https://www.startengine.com/ 🏛 **Harvard Business School (Vendetti case study):** https://www.hbs.edu/ ## Connect with Anne & Global Invest Her 🌐 https://www.investherpodcast.com/ 📂 **Funder Directory:** https://funderdirectory.globalinvesther.com/ 🛍 **Buy From Her Directory:** https://www.buyfromher.com/ 🗨️ **LinkedIn:** Anne Ravanona https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneravanona/ #WomenFounders #StartupFunding #PersonalBranding #InvestHerPodcast #WomenInTech #PitchCompetitions #EquityCrowdfunding #WomenEntrepreneurs #Bootstrapping #GlobalStartups #BlackFounders #InvestHer

June 16, 2026Episode 5744 min

Flipping the Switch: Tracy O'Rourke's Clean Energy Bet

"Keep your energy on your vision. Not your current problem and not your bank balance. Keep it on your vision, because where you put your energy is where you're ultimately going to grow." ⚡ Flipping the Switch: Tracy O'Rourke's Clean Energy Bet! 🎙 In this episode of the InvestHer Podcast, host Anne Ravanona speaks with Tracy O'Rourke, Founder & CEO of Vivid Edge, about building an award-winning climate tech startup from a financial services background, navigating a funding journey that defied conventional wisdom, and why the right investor fit matters far more than the size of the cheque. 🌍 Discover how Tracy transformed her expertise in aircraft leasing and financial services into Vivid Edge — a pioneering platform that helps commercial organisations eliminate energy waste through fully funded retrofits, with zero capital outlay for customers. After years of bootstrapping through accounting rule changes and a global pandemic, Tracy flipped the switch on her fundraising approach and closed a €555K angel round in just six weeks — through her own network, without ever directly asking anyone for money. 💡 Don't miss this episode with actionable insights on: • How Tracy identified a massive funding gap in energy efficiency — and why it represents 40% of the climate solution that the world is largely ignoring • The innovative risk and funding model behind Vivid Edge that gives customers fully funded energy retrofits with no upfront capital and no obligation until after installation • Why Tracy said no to an investor when the bank account was nearly empty — and why she has never once regretted that decision • The "flip the switch" fundraising moment: how Tracy closed €555K from seven investors in six weeks by telling everyone she was fundraising — without asking anyone directly for money • Thinking of your investor relationship as a marriage: the questions to ask before you sign, from board control and voting rights to timeline alignment and cultural fit • Why regulatory drivers like CSRD and commercial property energy ratings are creating powerful new tailwinds for Vivid Edge — and what that means for investors right now • Tracy's parting wisdom for every entrepreneur in the trenches: keep your energy on your vision, not your bank balance Learn how to build a fundable, scalable business — on your own terms. 🔗 Listen Now | 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ▶️ Full Show Notes About Tracy Tracy O'Rourke is the Founder & CEO of Vivid Edge, a climate tech company that delivers fully funded energy efficiency retrofits to commercial businesses with no capital outlay required. Drawing on her background in financial services and aircraft leasing, she is also a Fellow of the Cartier Women's Initiative and the Barclays Unreasonable global programme for entrepreneurs. About Vivid Edge Vivid Edge is an Irish-founded climate tech company that helps commercial businesses identify energy waste, access fully funded energy efficiency retrofits, and manage ongoing reporting — all through one comprehensive platform. Vivid Edge removes the financial and operational barriers that have historically slowed energy efficiency adoption. Customers save energy, reduce costs, and cut carbon emissions with no capital outlay, while Vivid Edge manages the entire process as a long-term service partner. Resources Mentioned 🌐 Vivid Edge: https://www.vividedge.ie 🏛 Enterprise Ireland: https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/ 🌍 Cartier Women's Initiative: https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/ 🌍 Barclays Unreasonable Programme: https://www.unreasonablegroup.com/ 📋 CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive): https://finance.ec.europa.eu/capital-markets-union-and-financial-markets/company-reporting-and-auditing/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en 🏆 Earthshot Prize: https://earthshotprize.org/ Connect with Anne & Global Invest Her 🌐 https://www.investherpodcast.com/ 📂 Funder Directory: https://funderdirectory.globalinvesther.com/ 🛍 Buy From Her Directory: https://www.buyfromher.com/ 🗨️ LinkedIn: Anne Ravanona https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneravanona/ #WomenFounders #CleanEnergy #EnergyEfficiency #Climatetech #InvestHerPodcast #WomenInClimate #StartupFunding #IrishStartup #WomenEntrepreneurs #SustainableBusiness #ImpactInvesting #InvestHer #FemaleFounders #ClimateAction

June 9, 2026Episode 551 hr 18 min

From Serial Fundraiser to VC: Melinda Wittstock's $20M Journey

"There's a lot of education that needs to be done to get women more comfortable with investing." 🎙 From Serial Fundraiser to VC: Melinda Wittstock's $20M Journey 🎙 In this episode of the InvestHer Podcast, host Anne Ravanona speaks with Melinda Wittstock, Founder & CEO of Podopolo, about her journey raising $20 million across multiple tech ventures—and why she's now on a mission to change the venture capital game for women founders. 🌍 Discover how Melinda built Podopolo, an AI-powered podcasting platform, while navigating one of the most challenging funding climates for women in tech. She shares candid insights from her serial entrepreneurship journey, the reality of keeping momentum alive during delayed funding rounds, and why she's now stepping into the investor role as a junior partner at a VC focused exclusively on backing women. 💡 Don't miss this powerhouse episode packed with actionable insights on: • What it really takes to raise $20 million across multiple ventures as a woman in tech • The harsh realities of fundraising delays—and how to maintain company momentum when capital calls stretch for months • Why tech fundraising is uniquely difficult for women founders compared to consumer product or female-focused industries • The shift from founder to investor—and how Melinda is working to close the funding gap from the other side of the table • Why women make better CEOs and how to educate more women to become comfortable with investing Learn what it takes to not only survive the funding journey—but come out the other side ready to lift other women up. 🔗 Listen Now 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ▶ Full Show Notes Resources Mentioned 🌐 Podopolo: https://podopolo.com Connect with Melinda 🌐 Website: https://podopolo.com 💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/melindawittstock Connect with Anne & Global Invest Her 🌐 investherpodcast.com 📁 Funder Directory: https://funderdirectory.globalinvesther.com/ 🛍 Buy From Her Directory: https://www.buyfromher.com/ 💬 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneravanona/ #WomenFounders #PodcastTech #AIInnovation #InvestHerPodcast #WomenInTech #StartupFunding #VentureCapital #WomenEntrepreneurs #SerialEntrepreneur #InvestHer #WomenInVC