World We Dare To Imagine
To be frank, I would not consider myself as much of a social activist or humanitarian. Empathy is not something that comes very naturally to me, and I generally believe that everyone should be responsible for their own fates. When my parents came to this country, they had communication barriers, no connections, and only $1000. But with a strong work ethic, they have been able to find success and send me to one of the most expensive universities in the country. Consequently, I do believe in the American Dream and I don't really believe in government handouts. Still, injustice exists all over the world, and we have the power to change that.
Growing up in the Bay Area, I was always acutely aware of the lack of representation of female entrepreneurs. People would discuss Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg, but where were the successful female disruptors? Even if we examine the list of top richest women in the world, the list comprises almost exclusively of women who inherited their money from their fathers or husbands. My one female beacon of hope was Elizabeth Holmes, who turned out to be a scammer. I know countless brilliant women, but are smart women just not capable of coming up with good ideas? I doubt it. I think the biggest reason is that women are conditioned from a young age to avoid risks, while men are taught to be fearless. Most of the brilliant people I know are women, but they aren't out there trying to create startups. They are finding stable, risk-averse jobs. Unless women start to accept failure more openly, we will never have a female Elon Musk.
I would change the world by investing in women's ideas. With my foundation, we would provide funding for great ideas, in exchange for a small amount of equity. I want the women I support to own their creations, and to be proud of them. We will also provide compensation to lessen their exposure to risk and incentivize them to chase their dreams.
This is an awesome idea! I obviously can't speak on behalf of women, but it makes me sad to think that women are taught to avoid risks at a young age. I have enjoyed reading the Blue Sweater because Jacqueline is willing to take so many risks and encourages other women to as well. I 100% support this idea and see it as a viable venture. Do you know what kind of ideas you would be providing funding for specifically? Or would it just be any great idea? I think this program will help combat the idea that women should avoid risks, and this organization may help find the female Elon Musk!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there is a lack of female entrepreneurs in the world today, even though there are millions of brilliant women in business. I think women should be encouraged more to go after their ideas to the same extent that men are. Are you planning on narrowing down your scope of female ideas to invest in? I think that if you set some parameters to it, you may find it is easier to set up.
ReplyDelete-Ryan Baer
The world needs more Women in the work force and more Female entrepreneurs...thats a fact! I appreciate your honesty towards activism and investing in female entrepreneurs is a great way to check both boxes!
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is a lack of major female entrepreneurs in the world. A foundation that is dedicated to funding women’s ideas sounds like a great way to pave the path to rectifying this inequality. I think you should touch own what kind of investment fund you would like to start. Would it be a VC firm, Angel Investing, or something else? I like that you are seeking to change the mindset and not just fund startups. I think that is one of the most important points of this because sometimes this is what is needed more than the funding. I took a few entrepreneurship classes over my years here and they completely changed my view of starting a business. It seemed impossible at first and as if only crazy new inventions can be successful but I learned that that is far from the the reality.
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