240: Jessica Weldon—How To Get More Women More Venture Capital Funding

<p style="text-align: center;"><span style= "font-size: 24px;"><strong>Hear how to change the way people see each other!</strong></span></p> <p>I have had the pleasure of working with Jessica Weldon at Washington University in St. Louis where she is Assistant Director of Programs at the <a href="https://skandalaris.wustl.edu/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship</a>. My husband Andy and I created the <a href= "https://skandalaris.wustl.edu/sc-programs/the-simon-initiative/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Simon Initiative for Entrepreneurship</a> at the Skandalaris Center to help aspiring minority and women <a href= "https://www.simonassociates.net/entrepreneurs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">entrepreneurs</a> take an idea and turn it into a successful innovation and a business that can thrive. Do you have a big idea that could maybe become the next blockbuster business? Don't miss this podcast!<img class="mce-hs-more" style= "height: 20px !important;" src= "data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" data-mce-placeholder="" /></p> <p style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 20px;"><strong>Women entrepreneurs not being heard</strong></p> <p style="vertical-align: baseline;">When we were discussing the challenges of women entrepreneurs, Jessica shared with me that she had observed a serious problem for women who were pitching their ideas to investors. As great as the ideas were, the women were not being heard. The investors had biases that influenced how they responded to the women presenting their ideas and seeking funding and support.</p> <p style="vertical-align: baseline;">So what did she do? Design a program to help teach those investors how to listen to aspiring businesswomen in a more balanced and equitable way. Actually, her program should be taught to investors everywhere if women are ever going to grow themselves and their businesses, because it's not enough for women investors to try and find gre