A quarterly round-up from All Raise, including program updates, events, and wins.
VC Summit Summary
ALL RAISE VC SUMMIT 2023: A CUT ABOVE
Last November, we gathered 400+ of the top female and nonbinary venture capitalists for our annual All Raise VC Summit in San Francisco. The two-day event featured inspiring speakers and meaningful connections and fostered intentionality to advance the venture ecosystem in a safe and inclusive space. Like our theme, the female and nonbinary industry leaders at the event and working daily in venture are A Cut Above — where wildly successful VCs are often created through pressure and similar to gemstones in society; they hold great value for their firms and founders, and our collective work to forge the next generation of VC.
From main stage keynotes to closed-door peer-led breakout sessions, attendees left with tangible wisdom to apply to their funds and investments, feeling connected and ready to take action in the All Raise movement to move money, shift power, and change culture.
All Raise VC Summit is a closed-door event where we “don’t tweet the tea” as Paige said from the stage, but you can learn more about the excitement for and support of VC Summit in this summary blog and this Tweet/X thread.
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California recently passed a significant bill, Senate Bill 54, aimed at increasing transparency in venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE), especially in relation to diversity. The bill, signed into law on October 8, 2023, by Governor Gavin Newsom, mandates that VCs report annually to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) on the diversity of the founding members of their portfolio companies. This law is the first of its kind in the United States focused on enhancing diversity in VC funding.
Please take our 1 minute survey to share your sentiments and thoughts on this bill.
Here’s a look at everything that happened at All Raise through the end of 2023:
Community activation through All Raise Chapters
Our Chapters closed out the year strong! In Q4, the chapters hosted ten events that brought women and nonbinary investors, founders, and operators together to learn, connect, and advance their careers. Here are some highlights:
Boston
In October, All Raise Boston partnered with Harvard Business School’s Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship on EmpowerX, a virtual event where attendees gained insights, connections, and support to navigate entrepreneurship. The event featured a panel discussion with Christina Wallace and Lindsay Hyde, followed by breakout sessions led by industry experts.
Los Angeles
All Raise LA put on two back-to-back events! Its Negotiation Skills session, led by Orrick, Harrington, and Sutcliffe partner Caroline Cherkassky, equipped investors with the tools to advocate for their career growth confidently.
November closed with a Poker Power event that brought together GPs and LPs from the LA investor ecosystem to network and learn the strategy and skills required to play poker.
Chicago
Coming off the heels of the All Raise VC Summit, the Chicago chapter hosted its second annual Unconference in November to bring together top women and nonbinary founders, investors, and leaders in the local tech ecosystem. The day was filled with candid conversations, knowledge exchange, and creating real connections. All Raise HQ was on deck with a keynote address from our CEO Paige Hendrix Buckner and Senior Manager for Community Christie Lenox, supporting our volunteers.
New York
Poker is a game of risk and strategy that has a lot of crossover with investing! NYC’s Poker Power event created an interactive learning environment with lots of room for networking and connection.
NYC closed out the year overlooking beautiful waterfront views of the Big Apple with its Investor Holiday Party, hosted at Human Ventures. Attendees and the All Raise HQ team came together to connect and share their 2024 goals. We couldn’t have had more fun (or more food!); it was a great way to connect and celebrate all we achieved in 2023.
Washington, D.C.
In October, our DC Chapter partnered with the McGuire Method to host a workshop called “Becoming Your Most Confident Self — Overcome Imposter Syndrome + Build a Presentation Persona.” Led by Allison McGuire, Creator and CEO of the McGuire Method, and Maura Athari, Performance and Communications Coach at the TMM, this session was an immersive communications training geared toward helping attendees unearth their most confident, powerful selves.
Miami
Miami hosted three events in Q4, starting with a one-day retreat, “Funder Connections: Navigating Success with Health & Wellness” led by Dr. Bita Sarah Haynes, Founder and CEO of CoachEra Technologies. The event brought together investors from the state of Florida and beyond, offering insights into health and wellness strategies while also addressing the myth of work/life balance.
Also in October, the chapter hosted Unlocking the Power of Corporate-Startup Partnerships. A panel discussion with corporate innovation leaders at PepsiCo, TelevisaUnivision, Diageo, SGWS, and Ferguson to uncover the mismatched pace and differing motivators between startups and corporations. Attendees explored various strategies for startups and investors to identify and engage the right corporate contacts for investments and revenue-generating opportunities.
Lastly, All Raise Miami hosted ALL RAISE MIAMI: Innovation, Timing, & the Art of the Pivot as part of a five-day SVB House event experience at Art Basel, exploring the intersection of art, innovation, and technology. The All Raise panel brought experts together to discuss the dynamic interplay of innovation, timing, and strategic pivoting. Moderator Natalia Martinez-Kalinina, All Raise Miami SteerCo Member, and panelists Sophia Bush (actress and activist) and Nia Betts (General Partner, Union Heritage Ventures) covered topics including navigating the ever-changing landscape of business, when to seize opportunities, and understanding the critical balance between staying the course and making strategic pivots.
Power Conversations Recap:
More opportunities for women and nonbinary leaders in VC to learn from women in VC
Our popular Power Conversations series continued in Q4, with three virtual events:
In October, Janna Meyrowitz Turner, Mandy Bynum, and Christie Pitts of VCs for Repro talked to an All Raise audience about why abortion rights are an economic issue that funders and founders should care about.
In November, Heather Hartnett, CEO & GP at Human Ventures and co-founder of Transact Global, talked to an All Raise audience about the impact of emerging managers, how to demonstrate value for LPs, and how founders can pitch them, too.
And finally, in December, Betsy Fore, Co-Founder of Natives Rising and Tiny Organics and Investor at XFactor Ventures and LongJump, talked to an All Raise audience about being a Native, female founder, the importance of resilience, and how she made the jump from founder to investor.
I am what my ancestors prayed for, so I’m determined to honor them in my actions. It’s a big responsibility, and a driving purpose in my life. ~Betsy Fore
Program updates
Our VC Partner Cohorts met both virtually and in person throughout the last quarter of 2023 to connect with each other and hold valuable conversations. We’re now gearing up for the 2024 cohort season, and we expect more than 100 female and nonbinary VC Partners to join us.
Members of our Partner Cohorts, as well as our Principal Cohorts (more below) also got to take advantage of our private fall workshop series, which centered on LP and founder relationships, as well as women’s health:
Dayna Grayson, Co-Founder & General Partner at Construct Capital, led our Partners in a discussion about effectively structuring LP meetings in a session that Allianz Life Ventures Managing Director Brittney Clements said was full of “gems and words of wisdom.”
💎 “This is a funnel game. You have to talk to everyone, and hear everyone’s perspective. More is more.”
Eurie Kim, Managing Partner at Forerunner, shared her board expertise with our VC Partner Cohorts, giving tactical tools around founder relationships, exit plans, and all things board dynamics.
💎 “Only take board seats if you think it’s worth your time. The ones that aren’t good companies drain your time and keep you from other deals that could be more effective.”
In a session that received a 10/10 audience rating, Dr. Fahimeh Sasan, Chief Innovation Officer of Kindbody, helped us dive into the (unfortunately taboo) topic of fertility, giving us her signature presentation, and creating a safe space for our cohort members to ask all of their questions.
💎 “You’re never too young or too old to learn about fertility, how it works, and where things stand. Just as we’re proactive about so many facets of our life, we should be proactive about our reproductive health as well.”
In addition to participating in the virtual fall workshop series, our VC Principal Cohorts ended the year with in-person meetups in New York City and San Francisco. Each cohort is also preparing for its final meetings in April of this year. Meanwhile, at the All Raise headquarters, we’re preparing to launch the 2024 Principal Cohorts in the coming weeks.
VC Champions
During Q4 2023, we saw 46 matches in the VC Champions program which brings Principals and senior investors together for mentorship and meaningful connection that will help early-career investors succeed on their path to partner. Time and time again, we hear how invaluable these relationships are, and we are happy to report over 80 firms — including A16Z, Bessemer, Cowboy Ventures, First Round Capital, Forerunner, Greycroft, Kleiner Perkins, and USV to name a few participated.
Thriving at HQ and beyond
All Raise experienced unprecedented expansion in 2023. We added 5 new team members in Q4. Click on the photo below to meet our new additions!
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