Lights, Camera…All Raise Los Angeles!
It’s official — All Raise is starting an L.A. chapter.
Los Angeles is a rising star in the venture capital and startup world. In 2018 alone, more than $60 billion was invested in L.A. startups. Los Angeles also consistently shows up as one of the most diverse cities in the country, across dimensions like socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household, and religious diversity.
As we forge ahead on our mission to accelerate the success of all female founders and funders, we want to expand to places where people share our vision about building a more prosperous, equitable future. Los Angeles, a city at the intersection of the arts and activism, couldn’t be a better match as a location for a new All Raise chapter. For instance, we are excited to be closer to the headquarters of our sister organization and program partner, TIME’S UP, so we can find more opportunities to collaborate. Their persistent advocacy for women’s safety, equity, and power at work inspires us.
Speaking of inspiration — for our inaugural event in L.A., “The Beauty of Ambition,” we’ve joined forces with our founding partner, Silicon Valley Bank, to host a conversation with Gwyneth Paltrow from goop and Moj Mahdara from Beautycon, two incredible leaders whose companies have garnered massive followings and widespread admiration. These founders raise capital and the bar on what it means to be true to yourself, sharing their experiences of growing their companies while making authentic and inclusive culture a core part of their business operations and success with customers.
When it comes to living up to our name and helping all female founders and funders succeed, we knew we had to assemble a very special group of women in L.A. — from both sides of the table and all walks of life. I want to first thank Dana Settle, Eva Ho, Judene Small, and Kara Nortman for their tireless work as All Raise volunteers in Los Angeles. We’re so grateful for their continued support and advice as we establish our community.
Eva, Judene, and Kara also played important roles in recruiting the amazing members of our L.A. Steering Committee. *Cue montage from action movies where they assemble a crack team of various specialists.* Meet the leaders who will build and grow the All Raise L.A. chapter!
Anna Barber, Managing Director, Techstars
Anna Barber is the Managing Director of Techstars LA and a coach and advisor to founders. Prior to Techstars, roles included: founder and CEO of Scribble Press; VP Product at Petstore.com; corporate lawyer; McKinsey consultant; and co-founder of the US Air Guitar Championships. Anna serves on the advisory board for Pledge LA and is an executive coach. She graduated from Yale and Yale Law School and is a proud native New Yorker raising two boys in Los Angeles.
Bonnie Oliva-Porter, Global Director of Diversity, Equity and Workplace Culture at Tala
Bonnie Oliva-Porter is one of the founding team members at Tala, and is currently the Global Director of Diversity, Equity and Workplace Culture at Tala. Previously, as Global Operations Director she worked on a variety of projects to ensure that the wheels were always turning at the company. From people operations and culture to finance, compliance and investor relations, her role continues to evolve as the company evolves. She is a StartingBloc Fellow and an Echoing Green Fellow. She serves on the Board of Trustees at De La Salle Academy in New York City and is a member of the Equity and Inclusion committee on Alumni Council at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.
Carmen Palafox, Partner at MiLA Capital
Carmen Palafox is a Partner at MiLA Capital, she has an MBA from Berkeley-Haas, an MA in sports management from USF, and a BA in economics from USC. She is on the advisory board at Santa Monica City College’s Business Department and Aura, a venture capital-backed Fintech startup. She is also a member of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Entrepreneurship Task Force. Carmen is dedicated to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Venture Capital and serves on the advisory board of PledgeLA on the core team of LatinxVC.
Sofya Polyakov, Founder & CEO of Noun Project and Lingo, Founder of Kindred Collective
Sofya Polyakov is a serial entrepreneur with over a decade of experience building products and communities that empower creation. She is the CEO & Co-Founder of Noun Project, the largest and most diverse marketplace for iconography built by designers from around the world. She is the Co-Founder & COO of Lingo, a modern digital asset manager for brands. She was previously President of the Associates Board for Teach for America LA, where she currently serves as Board Advisor. Sofya is an active advisor to women in the LA tech community and founded Kindred Collective, a dinner series that brings together extraordinary women leaders. Sofya is a mom to two rambunctious toddler boys and a dog named Monkie.
Interested in raising your hand for All Raise L.A.?
We’re actively growing our crew of volunteers, partners, and allies — women, men, and non-binary individuals are all welcome. Our conversation is just getting started. Sign up here to get updates from us.
