The Angel Next Door Podcast: 2024 Year in Review
On this special, year-end episode, our host Marcia Dawood wraps up the year with a joint episode with Laura Nix Gerson, host of the Venture F podcast.
This year marked a significant milestone for The Angel Next Door podcast, hosted by Marcia Dawood. With a full year of weekly episodes, we celebrated key achievements, impactful conversations, and global recognition for our contributions to angel investing and impact-driven funding. Here are some of the year's highlights:
Milestones Achieved
- �� Winner of Best Financial, Investing, and Money Podcast: We are honored to have received
this prestigious award from the Women in Podcasting Awards, recognizing the show's
commitment to educating and inspiring listeners in the world of early-stage investing.
- �� 100th Episode Celebration: In December 2024, we celebrated a major milestone with a
special episode featuring Catherine Gray, Executive Producer of the award-winning documentary
Show Her The Money. This conversation spotlighted the funding disparities women face in
venture capital, discussed how education and awareness can drive systemic change, and
highlighted the transformative potential of investing in women-founded funds for both economic
and social progress.
- �� 20,000+ Downloads: This year, the podcast crossed 20,000 downloads, a testament to the
growing interest in angel investing, impact-driven funding, and the role listeners can play in
shaping the future of startups.
- �� A Year of Weekly Episodes: We committed to delivering fresh, insightful content every
week, ensuring that our community of listeners stayed up-to-date on the latest trends, strategies,
and opportunities in the angel investing world.
- �� Launch of Marcia Dawood’s Book: Do Good While Doing Well: In September 2024, Marcia
released her highly anticipated book, Do Good While Doing Well, which demystifies angel
investing and empowers individuals to make impactful investments in early-stage companies.
The book serves as a "why-to" guide, helping readers understand how angel investing can be
accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy. It offers practical tools to align financial
contributions with personal values while supporting startups that drive innovation and social
change. The book launch was celebrated with a virtual event attended by listeners, readers, and
angel investors from around the world.
A Few Episode Highlights
AI and Entrepreneurship
One of the year's most thought-provoking episodes featured Sharon Zhang, an AI expert, who
provided a forward-thinking perspective on AI's impact on business, society, and
entrepreneurship. Key takeaways included:
- The growing AI ecosystem — from chips to infrastructure and foundation models.
- How AI is unlocking new business models and entrepreneurial opportunities.
- Insights into data privacy, user sovereignty, and the financial hurdles faced by AI startups.
Philanthropic Investing
With Sally Boulter from Impact Assets, we explored a powerful way to merge philanthropy with
investment. This episode shed light on how to use donor-advised funds (DAFs) to invest in for-
profit startups, creating both financial and social returns. Highlights included:
- How philanthropic capital can fuel impactful, for-profit startups.
- Success stories like Seth Goldman's journey with Honest Tea.
- The growing opportunity for individuals to leverage DAFs as a meaningful way to support
entrepreneurship while achieving impact-driven goals.
Equity Crowdfunding and the Future of Private Markets
The conversation with Kendrick Nguyen, founder of Republic.com, spotlighted the evolution of
equity crowdfunding and its potential to democratize access to private market investing. Key
insights from this episode included:
- How regulatory changes enabled everyday investors to participate in private markets, opening
up new opportunities beyond traditional tech companies.
- Republic's early challenges in competing with established platforms and the importance of
transparency and trust between companies and investors.
- The role of blockchain technology in fractionalizing assets, reducing participation costs, and
providing education for new investors.
- Kendrick’s inspiring journey from a career in law and traditional finance to building Republic
into a trailblazing platform, driving accessibility and opportunity in private market investing.
Looking Ahead
As we wrap up this incredible year, our mission remains the same: to empower individuals to see
themselves as change-makers, investors, and catalysts for innovation. Whether it's unpacking the
complexities of AI, exploring new ways to use philanthropic dollars, or shining a light on the
importance of investing in diverse founders, The Angel Next Door continues to drive
conversations that matter. We’re beyond grateful for our listeners, guests, and supporters who
have made this year so memorable. Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to more
insights, inspiration, and impact in 2025!
To get the latest from Laura Nix Gerson, you can follow her below!
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauragerson/
https://lauranixgerson.com/
Sign up for Marcia's newsletter to receive tips and the latest on Angel Investing!
Website: www.marciadawood.com
Learn more about the documentary Show Her the Money: www.showherthemoneymovie.com
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