SheVentures

Inspired by her lawyer grandfather, from a young age Caroline Whistler grappled with the question: What does it mean to serve others in a measurable and impactful way?

To that end, Whistler co-founded San Francisco–based nonprofit Third Sector Capital - a consulting firm that has deployed $800 million in government resources and $40 million of private funding to help 40 U.S. communities. Whistler advises governments, community organizations, and private funders on how to help the public sector measure the effectiveness of their social programs to truly impart change and racial equity across the United States.

After college, Whistler received a Fulbright scholarship to study how nonprofits in Brazil scaled their public programs — and that's when she began to effect change. Given her self-described "very white suburban upbringing," Whistler learned that the best way to help was to listen — to take a step back from academia and work in solidarity with the communities that knew the issues they faced better than an outsider.

Named as one of San Francisco Business Times "40 Under 40" in 2020, Whistler is working toward improved and equitable outcomes for Black Americans, as she believes that if we can tackle racism in the public sector, there will be enormous strides toward equity and opportunity in this country.

Anna Lee never wanted to be an entrepreneur, much less design and champion a data-driven sex toy.

Graduating from University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in the male-dominated field of mechanical engineering, Lee — the daughter of conservative Korean immigrants — worked at corporate giant Amazon as the sole woman on the concept engineering team. Having fully realized the "American dream" for which her parents sacrificed, Lee still felt professionally unfulfilled.

In time, Lee found her purpose when she and her co-founders joined to create Lioness: the award-winning, first smart vibrator. Lioness improves sexual health and wellness by measuring your pelvic walls while you are having an orgasm. The data helps women learn more about their bodies and feel comfortable talking about sex. Think of it as a fitness tracker for female pleasure.

Added bonus: Studies and awareness surrounding female sexuality are severely lacking, and Lee and Lioness are helping to solve that.

Lioness partnered with the Center for Genital Health and Education on the world's largest physiological data set on sexual behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic that asks "How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed our sex lives?" It's also the world's largest study of data collected from inside the bedroom, rather than in a lab.

On this episode of SheVentures, discover the roadblocks to advertising a sex-tech company — even if it's for health — how women can take charge of their sexual health and pleasure, and how we can all help to destigmatize female sexuality.

Cynthia Coredo's childhood was rife with loss. At age 6, her father was murdered. Coredo witnessed his lifeless body lying on the streets of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. As a teen, she lost her older sister to illness and her mother to suicide, the result of depression from joblessness.

Coredo embraced the realization that she was responsible for raising her siblings and herself, and she knew that vocational training and education would be the pathway to self sufficiency. As a result, Coredo recognized a broader vision and created Footsteps a leadership and entrepreneurial incubator for young women and girls.

With three grants totaling about $5,000, World Connect, a nonprofit that invests in sustainable grassroots projects, collaborated with Coredo to expand her vocational vision. To date hundreds of Nairobi women have been taught vocational skills and placed in internships; the majority now work full time.

Pamela Nathenson, executive director of WorldConnect and two-time guest of SheVentures, emphasizes that World Connect has a high project success rate after several years because of the nonprofit's emphasis on local entrepreneurs being the key to understand the roadblocks in their own communities. WorldConnect provides some of the capital to jumpstart their solutions.

In sum, these two women — one in New York, one in Nairobi — are working for the betterment of women in under-served, poor, and slum communities.

On International Women's Day, listen to this riveting story and consider how you can effect change for women and girls internationally on this episode of SheVentures.

Kimberly Ellison-Taylor is an advocate for inclusive leadership, and what it means to create an equitable workplace environment. It's not as simple as giving everyone the same opportunity — you need to meet people where they're at. We are, unfortunately, not all created equal.

The first Black woman and the youngest person to act as chairperson of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, on top of a career including roles at NASA, KPMG, and Motorola, Kimberly Ellison-Taylor is a pioneer.

On #BlackLivesMatter, Ellison-Taylor doesn't care if your business is buying into it for commercial purposes: Net net, if you are creating opportunities for people of color who would not have them otherwise, it's a move in the right direction, she explains.

Listen as Ellison-Taylor talks about diversity in the workplace, being a woman in a man's world, structuring your business so diversity is not only doable but also scalable, and having to work twice as hard to get half the credit on this episode of SheVentures.

Spoiler alert: If you want to eavesdrop on a candid conversation about being a black female entrepreneur, this is a must listen.

Imagine being told repeatedly that no market or need for your business exists — yet your experience and social and financial acumen tell you otherwise.

Makisha Boothe experienced this firsthand; now she helps other black women navigate their business lives.

Raised by strong women who were adamant she wouldn't get stuck in the "system," Boothe has spent five years building a black female entrepreneur community with Sistah Biz. "If just one woman crosses the six-figure line and breaks the cycle of poverty in her family, it's empowering."

A nonprofit accelerator for black female entrepreneurs, Sistah Biz offers free and low-cost business coaching sessions and courses. In 2019 alone, the company provided 151 free coaching sessions, 12 weeks of free business bootcamps, and scholarships to aspiring entrepreneurs. Check out Boothe's work, and if it's close to your heart, you can make a donation.

Listen as Boothe discusses the landscape of black women business owners, dealing with racial trauma, and acknowledging how the #BlackLivesMatter movement impacts her work and life. Boothe also emphasizes self care, pacing oneself, and creating a sustainable business plan supported by a community that supports you.

"We are building success on our own terms and in our own way," says Boothe. Listen to her candid tips on being a black female entrepreneur on this episode of SheVentures.

As the daughter of first-generation immigrants, Sima Gandhi is no stranger to hard work. Her father encouraged her to succeed, and her desire and drive to take risks and break down barriers may come from her humble but stable early family life. Determined not to define female business acumen by the 90s pantsuit — Gandhi found her own direction.

With an industrial engineering degree from Stanford University and a J.D. from NYU School of Law, Gandhi's career has spanned from the U.S. Department of Treasury to American Express to being one of the first 20 employees and head of business development at fintech giant Plaid.

Now, Gandhi is using her experience to advise fintech start-ups through mentoring and angel investing. She's also focused on helping marginalized populations become more visible through technology.

Listen as Gandhi discusses the potential impact of fintech on financial literacy (but how it's not there yet), the importance of building great business partnerships, and how diversity in the workforce is essential on this episode of SheVentures.

At the age of 6, Ngozi Okaro knew she was going to be a lawyer and change people's lives.

Growing up, Okaro's clothes were mostly handmade by her mother to accommodate her towering 6-foot-tall figure. While she resented it at the time, it instilled an appreciation for design and inclusivity within her.

Now, with a law degree from Georgetown and 14 years of experience in organizational development in NGOs under her belt, Okaro has pivoted back to design. Okaro is executive director of New York City- based Custom Collaborative, a development program that combines teaching design skills with empowering women from low-income and immigrant communities.

About 80 percent of women who study at Custom Collaborative live below the poverty line. Okaro and Custom Collaborative provide life-changing opportunities for women to break out of the poverty cycle.

Listen as Okaro talks sustainable fashion, the challenges of fundraising as a Black woman, and the inherent problems in the fashion industry on this episode of SheVentures.

For 25 years as a writer and editor for large magazines like Suede, Essence, and Latina to name a few, Marcia Cole embraced the editorial realm and conquered it.

Now, as founder and CEO of Ivy Digital (a content, technology, and data-driven marketing agency) and as the founder of nonprofit organization Passion Meets Purpose a service that empowers the homeless), Cole is constantly learning to better meet the needs of those her companies serve.

And that's not all: Cole is also a certified career and life coach using her own experience to help other professionals succeed.

Listen as Cole discusses the evolution of pop-culture media in the '90s, the rise of hip-hop and how it brought a voice to the previously unheard Black community in more ways than one, the importance of giving back to your own community, and helping yourself, too, on this episode of SheVentures.

From a young age, Kaitlin Maier's parents were huge advocates for her pursuing a career in STEM, which still sees female participation at a paltry 28 percent of the workforce.

A mechanical engineer, Maier wanted to do something in the often-overlooked field of women's health. While in college, she stumbled upon pelvic organ prolapse (POP), a condition that affects 35 to 50 percent of women — of all ages. In severe cases of POP, the uterus can protrude from the vaginal opening. With such high numbers, it's surprising more women don't know about the condition. Maier and her team want to change that.

The current most popular form of treatment for POP is called a pessary, a silicone device inserted into the vagina to support the surrounding organs: the bladder, vagina, uterus, cervix, and rectum. But current iterations of this device are often difficult for women to use, according to Maier's research, resulting in doctor visits every few months and even surgery in some cases.

Enter Reia, the femhealth company of which Maier is co-founder and CEO, and the company's innovative product that wants to reshape the industry around POP. Maier and her co-founders have developed a new form of pessary that women could potentially use themselves, reducing the total number of doctor visits per year, thereby reducing their healthcare costs as well as increasing their self-confidence and autonomy. Reia recently received a grant of $1.9 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Listen as Maier discusses POP, the process through which medical devices get funded, how femhealth entrepreneurs can seek NIH grants, and advice for small business owners in the medical field on this episode of SheVentures.

Advocacy runs in this woman's blood. As the current director of advocacy and action for the National LGBTQ Task Force, Stacey Long Simmons has dedicated her life to helping others.

The LQBTQ task force website reflects the current state of affairs in America. The homepage reads: "Stonewall was a riot. #BlackLivesMatter. We support and protest and revolutionary fighting for the dignity of black people."

A lawyer, political strategist, and civil rights lobbyist in Washington, DC, and a woman of color, one of Simmons' — and the tasks force's — current initiatives is #QueertheCensus, the goal of which is to ensure the LGBTQ and other under-represented and under-served communities are counted in the 2020 Census. Simmons is a realist who recognizes that affecting change at the legislative level starts with being counted, gaining visibility, and representation.

Listen as Simmons candidly discusses the real issues that the LGBTQ community are facing in the current political climate and what you can do to help the community on this episode of SheVentures.