Stephanie Andrew – Women’s Equity Lab
Persistence, Perseverance and Innovation
In this episode Maria Pacella, Managing Partner of Pender Ventures, is joined by Stephanie Andrew, founding partner of Women’s Equity Lab (WEL). They discuss Stephanie’s background, the history behind the formation of WEL, the success it has achieved so far and the direction it is headed in. They also talk about diversity, the benefits of having women in leadership roles and the quantifiable difference it has made in the way WEL is investing in women. Stephanie also provides some insight into the success WEL has achieved through its process and how it is inspiring more women to create WEL chapters in different countries.
Key Takeaways:
03:00 – Stephanie details the venture capital conditions and the inspiration that led to the formation of Women’s Equity Lab.
07:00 – Stephanie shares some insight into WEL and how it has been performing since inception.
11:10 – Maria asks Stephanie for some early success stories with WEL with Stephanie providing a prime example of a company that grew to 20 to 30 times its initial evaluation.
15:05 – Stephanie details the WEL due diligence process and how it has helped minimize risk in future investments.
18:05 – The conversation flows to WEL’s investment process and how investor opinion is solicited on a potential investment.
20:02 – Stephanie provides some details on the shared benefits and experiences that women investors gain at WEL.
21:52 – Maria asks Stephanie about the challenges and surprises she has seen or overcome since co-founding WEL.
23:20 – Stephanie provides some insight into working during the pandemic and the challenges her team has faced and overcame.
24:50 – How leadership roles in boardrooms can help propel the WEL initiative forward.
27:47 – Stephanie talks about more groups like WEL forming and what that entails.
33:30 – Maria asks Stephanie for some key take-aways and learnings on early-stage investing, based on her experience so far.
37:55 – Stephanie provides a book recommendation.
Mentioned in This Episode:
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