Leap and Lead: The Stories of Female CEOs and the Art of Building a Company

As a female founder/ CEO-turned-investor, I have a personal passion to invest in more women in the top seat of fintech companies. More women leading companies means that there are more products and teams that have a fundamentally different perspective, which leads to better social, economic, and financial outcomes. So I’m excited to share today our inaugural video in a new series called The Restive Perspective, where I tell the stories of female CEOs and the journeys they took to launch their companies. 

This isn’t your typical business profile series. My goal here is not only to turn the spotlight on some incredible leaders, but also to talk about the challenges, fear, and doubts they had before starting their companies- and importantly, the tactics they used to actually make the leap. After transitioning to the VC seat, I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many amazing female operators who are contemplating founding a company- but I see them frequently self-selecting into the #2 or #3 role because they don’t think that they have what it takes. This dynamic only exacerbates the problem that within fintech, less than 5% of CEOs are women. My motivation in telling the stories of other women who have made this transition previously is that everyone has these doubts, and that no one is fully “qualified” for this role - it is a constant state of learning. There are many reasons to not start a company - but a lack of conviction in your own potential should not be one of them. 

When I stepped into the CEO seat at my company (at 8 months pregnant to boot) the experience was one of the most intense, scary- and impactful - things I’ve ever done. What we unlocked as a team as a result, and the personal and professional growth I experienced, were the ultimate rewards. I’m thrilled to share the stories of other women that have similarly made that leap, and I hope it will inspire some others to do the same.