Venture F: The Podcast Laura Nix Gerson

In this episode we discuss Lara O’Connor Hodgson's founder journey and how her company NOW has solved the cash flow challenge for small business owners nationwide.

Lara is the President & CEO of NOW, a fin-tech company she founded with her business partner and co-author of “Level Up" Stacey Abrams. Prior to Now, Lara co-founded Nourish (the manufacturing company), and Insomnia, LLC, a firm specializing in investment, development, and management of complex and innovative “world-changing” projects.

Tracy L. Prigmore is an award-winning executive and the Founder of TLTsolutions, a real estate investment and development firm providing unparalleled access and insight to alternative investments. Tracy’s mission is to empower people to build generational wealth, and through TLTsolutions she creates opportunities for individuals, families and entities to obtain passive income by investing in residential, multifamily and hotel projects.

As the sponsor for real estate investments, Tracy works with property management to maximize the value of each asset. She has a sterling record of bringing real estate ventures to life and maximizing their financial performance through sound asset management, as well as disciplined investment and renovation strategies. Currently, TLTsolutions has a multi-million-dollar portfolio of real estate assets under management in four states. Tracy recently led the acquisition of a luxury inn and winery on a 40-acre vineyard estate in California, and is currently constructing a 90 room Tru by Hilton.

As the recipient of the 2024 Pioneer Award from the ISHC (International Society of Hospitality Consultants), recognized by International Hospitality Institute (IHI) in 2022 as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality; designation Person of the Year by LODGING in 202 and one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality, Tracy has received wide acclaim for her leadership in the hotel industry and her dedication to elevating women in the space. She created She Has a Deal, an EdTech platform, real estate investment accelerator and ecosystem that creates new pathways to commercial real estate ownership and development for women and BIPOC. She Has a Deal’s renowned Hotel Investment Pitch Competition, SHaDPitch, is creating a pipeline of women owners and developers by preparing them to become sponsors and lead hotel investment projects. TLTsolutions recently established SHaD Prosperity Fund I and is raising capital to fund the women led projects originating from the pitch competition and the She Has a Deal platform.

Dr. Ruth Shaber is a changemaker and innovator, moving from a robust career as an OBGYN and senior executive at Kaiser Permanente to empowering women across finance and healthcare. Currently, she is the founder and president of Tara Health Foundation, a philanthropic investment group that uses evidence-informed programs to promote women's well-being and opportunities.

She is also the co-founder and board chair of Rhia Ventures, a collective of foundations and investors committed to bringing new types of capital to the reproductive health field.

Her recently published book, The XX Edge: Unlocking Higher Returns and Lower Risk, serves as the basis for her new initiative - The Diverse Investing Collective - which aims to increase the assets managed by gender-diverse and racially-diverse teams to 33 percent by 2033.

In this episode we discuss angel investing strategies and why angel investing should be fun and easy with Cheryl Kellond, a concept-to-launch product expert - turned founder - turned angel investor. As a product builder, she’s delivered nearly $1B in V1 products to market. As a founder, she’s raised $20M in VC for her own companies and worked 1:1 with 200 other early-stage entrepreneurs. As a funder, she’s a loud and proud baby-check writer who has invested in nearly 50 startups using the funds in her IRA. Now, she is bringing all of these experiences together and Taylor-Swifting the angel economy with her latest venture, Play Money.

Cassandra Cummings, is the author of Fearless Finances: A Timeless Guide to Building Wealth, and founder of The Stocks & Stilettos Society, an online community of more than 100,000 women investors. She is a Registered Investment Advisor, a Real Estate and Angel Investor and has provided investment, retirement and wealth-building strategies to women across the country for more than 20 years. As a highly-sought after speaker, she has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Marie Claire, Black Enterprise, Essence and AfroTech.

In this episode we talk about fearless finances, building a wealth mindset, surrounding yourself with your money squad and learning to invest.

In this episode we discuss how the team at IRL Ventures fully integrates into the startups they work with as COO/ CCO, investing in female founders and stepping up for the next generation of women in venture.

President and Founder of IRL Ventures, Taryn Jones Laeben. You may know of her from her previous role as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of SoulCycle, the revolutionary indoor cycling brand, founded in New York City in 2006. Before her time at SoulCycle, Taryn was the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Casper, the fast-growing sleep company, where she led rapid expansion across retail, wholesale, partnerships, customer experience, and strategy at large. Prior to joining Casper, Taryn spent many years generating industry leading results in fashion & retail. Taryn led NYC-based jewelry brand Alexis Bittar as President after having run the North America and International businesses for Kate Spade New York as Senior Vice President of North America and Vice President of International.