“That’s a really big definition point for women-led companies, we think of the group, we’re a tribe.”
Yulia Laricheva
Season 2 · Episode 8
When you hear the word “entrepreneur”, do you picture an 11-year-old girl who recently emigrated from Russia? Our guest, Yulia Laricheva, started her first successful venture at age 11 and hasn’t slowed down since. Her ventures have ranged from an online publication to promote women artists, to a children’s apparel line, to a crowdfunding platform to support women and diversity-led projects. Today, as the co-founder of Fund Dreamer, she’s determined to level the playing for all aspiring entrepreneurs and to unite people through projects that can change the world.
Our mission is to unite the whole entire world behind projects and make the world better.
When Yulia was young, her family immigrated to America from a small village in Russia. The village they left behind had limited access to resources and no running water. Yulia remembers what it was like upon first landing in the affluent area of Woodbridge, Connecticut:
It was shocking. It really was. I thought everyone in America lives like this until I realized it’s abnormal. It’s just privilege.
Growing up, Yulia didn’t shy away from challenges, in fact, she sought them out. At age 11, she began her first venture, selling items door-to-door in her town. This piqued her interest in business, but she knew she needed more room to exercise her creativity. At age 15, she started a company called Mercury Retrograde, a silk-screened apparel line designed for skater girls. Her company filled a much-desired niche and eventually became so consuming that her mom had to shut it down as it was interfering with her school work. When asked about her what attributed to her boldness at such a young age, she shared:
I’m kind of fearless in a weird way. Maybe there’s a certain part of my brain that’s just missing that says don’t do this.
Yulia continued to carve her own path in college, designing her own major and minoring in fine art. After several media internships, Yulia and a friend got together and created Artsy Mag, an online publication promoting women artists.
It was about starting a conversation of how women are perceived but also getting the men to be a part of it. It’s a broader conversation than just painting, it’s about how we view women.
In the Internet’s early days, Artsy Mag rose to great heights, interviewing artists ranging from Yoko Ono to Judy Chicago and even beginning to sell art online. However, in 2001 when the dot-com bubble burst, their funds dried up and they decided to close up shop. Since Artsy Mag, Yulia has gone on to start a myriad of companies and has become an inspiring voice to many young women venturing into tech and entrepreneurship.
I think the only way we can change [inequality in tech] is by becoming VCs ourselves and investing that money in other women.
With her current venture, Fund Dreamer, she’s truly out to change the world. Their women and diversity led projects have already made remarkable impact in many areas of the world. Yulia shares some of her favorite projects with us–tune in below to hear more:
We were left infinitely inspired after chatting and you can find out more about what she’s doing and get involved at Fund Dreamer, or follow the story at @FundDreamer and @yulianyc.
