Jennie Montano, MSEE’s Post

I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately to why it is that women founders, and women leaders covet the opportunity to create prosperity in their lives. Why do we care about wealth? What do we hope to do with our abundance? One thing that is notably, unique about women, founders, and leaders is that we often find the reasons for building prosperity is for giving back. Investing in others. Creating a larger impact in the world. Sure, we like to have nice homes, wear nice clothing, and drive a comfortable car, but the next Italian sports car doesn’t hit the same note for women as does the opportunity to create greater influence and impact in making the world better. One of the greatest joys I’ve experienced from growing a prosperous company, is the opportunity to invest in other women founders. Very few things give me greater joy. I am an investor in several women focused investment funds. At the top of my list is the How Women Invest Fund If you haven’t learned yet about venture investing, I highly recommend you tune in to the webinar below, led by Nancy Hayes . I also recommend you follow Julie Castro Abrams , and How Women Lead to discover the power of your prosperity.

Want to learn more from pioneers in the Angel and Venture Cap field? Check out the How Women Invest event next month with the talented Nancy Hayes.

Ready to learn how to navigate the world of early-stage investment? Join us in episode 132 with the founder of ALW Finance & Innovation, Anne LEBRETON-WOLF, a seasoned investor with a passion for impact! Discover hot trends, hidden opportunities, and expert tips for identifying promising startups. Learn how to balance risk and reward, and how to invest for good! Go to this link and click 'Attend' so you will be notified once the hashtag #livestream starts: https://lnkd.in/e_8dv2Zu #WomenOnIT #earlystageinvestment #venturecapital #startupfunding #investment P.S. Don't forget to share this episode with your network and anyone interested in the world of startups and impactful investing!

📢 Welcome to the Level Up Ventures Startup Spotlight Series, ✨ where we feature interviews with the inspiring entrepreneurs behind our portfolio companies. First up is Options MD, a groundbreaking telehealth platform that's changing the game for individuals battling severe and treatment-resistant mental illnesses. Their AI-powered tool, Thalamus MD, developed by psychiatric researchers at Harvard, UCSF, and Carnegie Mellon Universities, offers personalized treatment recommendations and diagnostic suggestions. We're excited about the difference Options MD is making with an impressive 88% rebooking rate and a 27% patient remission rate which is 2x higher than industry average for treatment-resistant depression. By the way, Options MD is currently fundraising and we're happy to make any intros or provide additional info upon request. 🤝 About Level Up Ventures: Level Up Ventures is a Hearst-backed investment vehicle launched in 2021 with a mission to help close the racial wealth gap. We invest in early-stage, tech-enabled startups led by Black and Latino founders, providing them with capital and the support of our Level Up Scout network, comprising professionals from across Hearst’s global businesses. Level Up Ventures is currently investing—please visit our website to check out our investment criteria and recommend a great startup today! 📺 Watch the full interview and be sure to share with your networks! #InvestInTheFuture #BlackAndLatinoFounders #Telehealth https://lnkd.in/e6TRVyjf

🌟 How can impact ventures secure funding and achieve their vision? 💡 Impact Entrepreneur's inaugural event of our live, in-person series, "Impact Encounters," happened at Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area, and gathered over 70 changemakers to explore "Financing Strategies for Impact Ventures."  Esteemed panelists Carol Caruso, Josh Cohen, and Peter Strugatz shared valuable insights on balancing impact and financial performance. Key takeaways include finding mission-aligned team members, reducing risk, and measuring performance rigorously. They discussed various funding strategies beyond traditional VC, such as SAFEs, grants, and tax credits, emphasizing the importance of demonstrating traction for long-term success. 📈 Read the full article by Isabelle Swiderski: https://lnkd.in/eyY4EtPy What innovative funding strategies have you explored for your impact venture? Share your experiences! 🌍 . . . . #ImpactEntrepreneur #ImpactEconomy #SocialImpact #SustainableFunding #ImpactInvesting #SocialEntrepreneurship #MissionAlignment #VCFunding #AngelInvestors #Crowdfunding #RevenueBasedLending #SocialGood #FinancialStrategies #EconomicJustice #VentureCapital #SustainableDevelopment #ChangeMakers #Innovation #FundingSuccess

Day 30: Seed Funding Seed Funding is the initial capital used to start a business, often provided by angel investors, venture capitalists, or family and friends. This early investment helps entrepreneurs turn their ideas into viable products and services, setting the foundation for future growth and success.

One of the most untapped ways to build wealth is as an angel investor--a private backer of startups and small or midsize businesses. It's also a great way to support women and underrepresented founders, who unfortunately have never had much access to venture capital, statistically speaking. Lori Ioannou, an incredible business journalist whose work appears in publications like the Wall Street Journal, is moderating this incredible panel on July 17, where you can learn from some of the best minds in this field how you can add angel investing to your wealth-building strategy. https://lnkd.in/enEDFMxj #entrepreneurship #angelinvesting

How to use venture capital for good? Dr Freada Kapor Klein isn't your typical venture capitalist. She's thrown out the standard investment playbook in order to close the opportunity gap for low-income communities. She explains how her firm is investing in entrepreneurs and startups solving real-world problems — and the measurable difference it's already making. Watch this inspiring Tedx ⤵️ #venturecapital #capitalforgood #weimpactworld #impacteconomy #impactassets #problemsolver #closethegap #investment WEIMPACT.WORLD 🔗Link in the first comment

“I can see you will succeed in raising.” I found myself saying this to a founder raising an early investment round. And I meant it. In 8 years of working with startups, I've seen many different types of founders. Over time, I've started to recognize patterns that help me predict who will win investors' trust And who will not. This insight comes from understanding the same red flags that investors look out for And spending enough time with them to learn what truly matters in their decision-making. No, my next business won't be "reading into the future" I’m not a fortune teller 😅 But I do focus on eliminating these red flags and positioning my clients in the best light possible. P.S. Preparing for an early investment round? Check out my free pitch deck guide. You can get it on my profile.

**Raising Funds: It's a People Business** Every day, I receive an email or two asking me to angel invest. If an opportunity sounds even remotely interesting, I usually respond with one filtering question: "Why me?" I've been doing this almost daily for the last 10 years since my first angel investment. You'd be surprised how many startups pitching me as their "smart money" actually have an answer to this question—almost none. When founders are in the early stages of their company and need it to survive, they tend to switch to scarcity mode, especially in the current market. There's not enough money; they need it all, they need it fast, and they forget that they'll be with those investors for the long run. If I could give one piece of advice to founders of early-stage companies, it would be this: pitch fewer angels, but pitch them smartly. Have a clear answer for yourself about why them and how they fit into your story. In the last 20 years that I’ve been in the game of "getting cash," I’ve learned that there's always money available. You just need to stop panicking and start dreaming. Look around and make an educated guess. If those people don’t have anything to invest in you, they might know other great people who will. Just tell them what characteristics you are looking for. Raising your angel round, as well as any other round, is a people business. So, choose your "partners" wisely.