MENTOR dna

I’d never given much thought to intellectual property law until one of our investment portfolio companies ran into lawsuits by trademark trolls. I’ve since learned about the subtle nuance of protecting and defending your ideas. Susan Natland is a partner at Knobbe Martens, a law firm specializing in intellectual property and also serves as Vice Chair of the USPTO Trademark Advisory Committee and we had a fantastic chat about staying true to yourself. 

We chat about Susan’s experience on her first Chinese factory raid to reclaim fake handbags and much more on this fun episode of MENTOR dna!   

mentordna.io
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I’d never given much thought to intellectual property law until one of our investment portfolio companies ran into lawsuits by trademark trolls. I’ve since learned about the subtle nuance of protecting and defending your ideas. Susan Natland is a partner at Knobbe Martens, a law firm specializing in intellectual property and also serves as Vice Chair of the USPTO Trademark Advisory Committee and we had a fantastic chat about staying true to yourself. 

We chat about Susan’s experience on her first Chinese factory raid to reclaim fake handbags and much more on this fun episode of MENTOR dna!   

mentordna.io
LinkedIn

I’ve noticed a few trends as I speak to my guests. One that shouldn’t surprise me, but hadn’t occurred to me, is that great leaders make career choices while also carefully considering their family’s needs. Whitney Gomez is a former finance executive who spent 11 years at Morgan Stanley, then 10 years at PAAMCO before choosing a more flexible schedule with non profit board work to focus on her family. 

Whitney is an inspiration to me with her east coast, no-nonsense, direct approach. She’s honest, confident, and leads with an open ear. Our chat on MENTOR dna will be insightful to hear how a busy executive can have it all...just not all at the same time.  

mentordna.io
LinkedIn

I’ve noticed a few trends as I speak to my guests. One that shouldn’t surprise me, but hadn’t occurred to me, is that great leaders make career choices while also carefully considering their family’s needs. Whitney Gomez is a former finance executive who spent 11 years at Morgan Stanley, then 10 years at PAAMCO before choosing a more flexible schedule with non profit board work to focus on her family. 

Whitney is an inspiration to me with her east coast, no-nonsense, direct approach. She’s honest, confident, and leads with an open ear. Our chat on MENTOR dna will be insightful to hear how a busy executive can have it all...just not all at the same time.  

mentordna.io
LinkedIn

This episode is in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania's Momentum Conference, an all-women's conference Oct. 1-3, 2021.

Coco Brown is an inspirational entrepreneur who's served on boards and has led teams through tough economic downturns. She now is living her life's passion to help women in the latter stages of their careers; whether they're seeking board seats or wanting to start their own businesses. The Athena Alliance is a powerful network serving women across the US to network, learn, and support each other in their professional endeavors.

Coco is a CEO and board member, actively leading Silicon Valley based professional services and tech companies since 1997. From 2002 to 2012 Coco was President and COO of Taos, a Gartner top 20 global IT professional and managed services company servicing hundreds of F1000 and top tier private growth companies nationally. She was also on the board of Taos for 12 years, leading the company through massive economic cycles and business model evolution and growth. Coco led the company to $54m in revenue, and the company has subsequently been sold to IBM. 

In 2016 Coco founded Athena Alliance, a digital platform for learning and agency for top business women striving for the c-suite and the boardroom. Athena has seen 2.8x growth in membership in the last 12 months since launching as a true subscription model and hosts over 1,000 women leaders today. Coco is a well-published expert and speaker on The Modern Boardroom. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Coco serves on the commercial boards of Athena Alliance, Inc and Archerpoint (an ESOP), as well as the non-profit board of Athena Rising Foundation.

mentordna.io
LinkedIn

This episode is in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania's Momentum Conference, an all-women's conference Oct. 1-3, 2021.

Coco Brown is an aspirational entrepreneur who's served on boards and lead teams through tough economic downturns. She now is living her life's passion to help women in the latter stages of their careers; whether they're seeking board seats or wanting to start their own businesses. The Athena Alliance is a powerful network serving women across the US to network, learn, and support each other in their professional endeavors.

Coco is a CEO and board member, actively leading Silicon Valley based professional services and tech companies since 1997. From 2002 to 2012 Coco was President and COO of Taos, a Gartner top 20 global IT professional and managed services company servicing hundreds of F1000 and top tier private growth companies nationally. She was also on the board of Taos for 12 years, leading the company through massive economic cycles and business model evolution and growth. Coco led the company to $54m in revenue, and the company has subsequently been sold to IBM. 

In 2016 Coco founded Athena Alliance, a digital platform for learning and agency for top business women striving for the c-suite and the boardroom. Athena has seen 2.8x growth in membership in the last 12 months since launching as a true subscription model and hosts over 1,000 women leaders today. Coco is a well-published expert and speaker on The Modern Boardroom. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Coco serves on the commercial boards of Athena Alliance, Inc and Archerpoint (an ESOP), as well as the non-profit board of Athena Rising Foundation.

mentordna.io
LinkedIn

Episode drops 9/14/21

I started my tech career in the late 90s with Braxton Woodham, now Founder and President of Unfinished Labs. His rigor for pushing intellectual thinking means he’s a lifelong learner and an extraordinarily deep thinker. He’s repeatedly identified important truths that lead to the creation of new businesses, impacting people worldwide. Braxton’s now stitching all of these experiences together into an important and beautiful passion project called Project Liberty. 

Braxton is truly an inspirational leader and if I’m honest, was who really the reason I started  this podcast. Stories of amazing leaders like Braxton need to be told!

We discuss the importance of taking risks, experiencing failures, and protecting our freedoms by giving people control of their own personal data. This episode of MENTOR dna will knock your spurs off! 

mentordna.io
LinkedIn

I started my tech career in the late 90s with Braxton Woodham, now Founder and President of Unfinished Labs. His rigor for pushing intellectual thinking means he’s a lifelong learner and an extraordinarily deep thinker. He’s repeatedly identified important truths that lead to the creation of new businesses, impacting people worldwide. Braxton’s now stitching all of these experiences together into an important and beautiful passion project called Project Liberty. 

Braxton is truly an inspirational leader and if I’m honest, was who really the reason I started  this podcast. Stories of amazing leaders like Braxton need to be told!

We discuss the importance of taking risks, experiencing failures, and protecting our freedoms by giving people control of their own personal data. This episode of MENTOR dna will knock your spurs off! 

mentordna.io
LinkedIn

Each Sunday as a kid, my Dad and I would go to church then head to a doughnut shop to get what was called a Texas doughnut. I’ve also spent hours riding bikes around NYC in search of the best doughnut the city has to offer. But when my friend Sumter Pendergrast, Founder of Sidecar Doughnuts approached my husband and me with his idea to open a gourmet doughnut shop in Orange County, we both poo poo’d the idea. Boy were we wrong! 

Sumter is a serial entrepreneur who followed his passion and thankfully brings his creativity and leadership to doughnut lovers across Southern California. We discuss lessons he’s learned  that set Sidecar Doughnuts apart from its competitors.  

mentordna.io
LinkedIn

Each Sunday as a kid, my Dad and I would go to church then head to a doughnut shop to get what was called a Texas doughnut. I’ve also spent hours riding bikes around NYC in search of the best doughnut the city has to offer. But when my friend Sumter Pendergrast, Founder of Sidecar Doughnuts approached my husband and me with his idea to open a gourmet doughnut shop in Orange County, we both poo poo’d the idea. Boy were we wrong! 

Sumter is a serial entrepreneur who followed his passion and thankfully brings his creativity and leadership to doughnut lovers across Southern California. We discuss lessons he’s learned  that set Sidecar Doughnuts apart from its competitors.  

mentordna.io
LinkedIn