Heather Harnett: Be Human

LISTEN HERE: iTUNES | OVERCAST Heather Hartnett is the CEO and founding partner of Human Ventures. She leads the Human Ventures team and advises each of Human Ventures’ portfolio companies. Heather brings a fresh new perspective to the technology scene and Business Insider recently featured Human Ventures as the first female-led startup studio in New York City. Heather was also named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in America by Marie Claire.

Before Human Ventures, Heather founded a FinTech company incubated within City Light Capital — a venture capital fund that invests in companies making social and environmental impacts. 

Heather and I talk about her childhood, and what she learned by traveling the world, focusing on the time she spent in Holland and India in particular. We talk about Heather’s favorite subject: people and the importance of having great energy, a singular vision, and how to get things done. 

We also explore the intersection of Eastern philosophies and western ways of living and working. Meditation plays a prominent role in Heather’s life and she serves on the Board of Directors of the David Lynch Foundation, which is dedicated to helping children around the world learn to meditate. Heather and I explore the impact of Transcendental Meditation on her life, her work, and her worldview. This was, without question, my favorite part of the episode. 

Links: 

Human Ventures

Hunter Walk Overview

Bob Roth

The Autobiography of a Yogi

Science of Being and Art of Living

Catching the Big Fish, David Lynch

Recommended for New Hires at Human Ventures:

Hard Things about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Start with Why by Simon Sinek