Karen Cahn is an entrepreneur, investor, start-up guru, and the Founder and CEO of iFundWomen, a crowdfunding platform for women entrepreneurs with big ideas. A pioneer in tech and media, Karen was an Intrapreneur at Google, where she spent over a decade leading monetization teams in search, display, and video. Additionally, Karen started the Branded Entertainment business at YouTube, creating the first native video ad experiences monetized on the web. Karen is an active angel investor and sits on the Board of Advisors of Girl Rising, a global movement for girls’ education and empowerment. Karen has been named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Female Founders of 2020 as well as one of the City and State of New York’s Most Responsible CEOs of 2020.

Karen joins us today to share how feminism and the unexpected loss of her corporate job led her to found iFundWomen. She discusses how market research and testing can help you be proactive in your business. She explains how hiring a coach can make you more attractive to investors and reveals some common terms to know when raising capital. Karen also highlights how iFundWomen helps women entrepreneurs from all walks of life succeed in their Entreprenista journey.

Be sure to join the Entreprenista Circle for even more amazing support and guidance in your entreprenista journey!

“Crowdfunding is sales and marketing. It’s about your ability to go out and sell your product, service, vision, or dream.” - Karen Cahn

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

Karen’s career journey and what led her to found iFundWomenHer stint at Google and YouTube and why she left Google after a decadeKaren’s move to AOL and the company’s first-ever nod from EmmyBecoming a feminist and creating economic opportunities for womenHow Karen handled being unexpectedly let go from a companyHow she started VProud, her first business, and the lessons she learned from the experienceCrowdfunding at the beginning of a business journey to prove demandHow iFundWomen is empowering women entrepreneurs, creating jobs, and supporting the economyWhy reaching for perfection hinders opportunitiesThe biggest challenges Karen faces five years into running iFundWomenHow hiring a coach helped iFundWomen raise capital“Oversubscribe,” “common stock,” and other venture capital terms Entreprenistas need to include in their vocabulary

Resources Mentioned:

Podcast: Masters of Scale

Our Favorite Quotes:

“Less than 1% of companies will raise venture capital. The other 99% will max out their credit cards and their loans—and the problem is worse for women.” - Karen Cahn“When you teach people how to fish and give them a pole, it changes everything” - Karen Cahn“Nothing about starting a business is for the faint of heart. But it’s rewarding if you’re mature enough to handle the roller-coaster ride.” - Karen Cahn

Connect with Karen Cahn:

Karen Cahn WebsiteiFundWomeniFundWomen of ColoriFundWomen on LinkedIniFundWomen on InstagramiFundWomen on FacebookiFundWomen on TwitterKaren Cahn on LinkedInKaren Cahn on InstagramKaren Cahn on FacebookKaren Cahn on Twitter

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