At Carta, we help VCs build enduring venture franchises, starting with fund one. That’s why we’re excited to spotlight their journeys with our new podcast, The First Close. In this podcast series, we interview new voices in venture about their ambitions and challenges as they aim to redefine the industry.
The next era of venture capital will be more diverse, more global, and more dynamic than ever. Every aspect of the venture capital industry is opaque, complex, and out of reach for most. As a result, there has been a massive lack of diversity in the venture capital industry and venture-backed companies, from race to gender to geography. Without intention and action, investors will keep missing out on diverse founders and emerging tech ecosystems.
To democratize venture capital, it is going to take new fund managers, new levels of transparency, and a greater commitment to diversity. In The First Close, we tell the stories of venture investors who are building new models that leverage the competitive advantage of diverse teams.
In our first-ever episode, we interview Kate Beardsley, founding partner of Hannah Grey. Kate is redefining venture capital by creating a data-informed community. Hannah Grey is a $50 million dollar first check fund investing at the intersection of human behavior and technology. Before Hannah Grey, Kate started her career as executive assistant to Martha Stewart and later worked for Ken Lerer, cofounder of the Huffington Post.
These early experiences eventually led her to venture capital. She worked with Ken Lerer to build what became Lerer Hippeau in New York and later became managing partner at Upslope Ventures in Colorado which spun out of Galvanize. On this incredible track record, Kate and her co-founder Jessica Peltz Zatulove have launched Hannah Grey.
You can preview Kate’s episode in the audiogram and stream The First Close on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
