Women in Venture Capital (VC)

4201 Main Street,Houston TX 77002

28 March, 2022

Description

We will discuss challenges, opportunities, strategies, and the state of funding for women founders, GPs, and entrepreneurs. Overview:Moderated by Urban Capital Network’s Managing Director and Co-founder, Lenny Saizan, a panel of diverse female leaders in VC will discuss their experiences, backgrounds, and journeys to VC. There will also be discussions focused on challenges, resources, and opportunities for female entrepreneurs, founders, and investors. In an industry dominated by men, join us to hear how these powerful women are blazing their own paths. Target Audience: While the discussion will be targeted towards women, and from the perspective of women, the Panelists are experienced entrepreneurs and VCs with a wealth of knowledge that will provide valuable insight for all entrepreneurs, investors, and aspiring VCs, regardless of gender. Anyone and everyone is welcomed. If you own a business, founded a startup, or you’re an investor, this panel is for you. About The Speakers:Moderator: Lenny Saizan is co-founder and Managing Director of Urban Capital Network (UCN), an invest firm focused on democratizing premium investment opportunities for a broader pool of investors. In addition to his role at UCN, Lenny owns and operates Murphy Business Sales – Southwest Houston, where he helps business owners exit plan, maximize value, and sell their business. Lenny also works with buyers interested in business acquisition or franchising. Prior to launching UCN and his Business Brokerage, Lenny worked 10 years in Oil and Gas, leading teams in Financial and Operational Controls, and Audit. Lenny started his career as an Electrical Engineer, specializing in automation and controls and systems integration. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from L.S.U. and his MBA from Tulane University. Panelist: Diana Murakhovskaya is the Co-Founder and General Partner of The Artemis Fund, a venture fund that leads seed rounds of female tech innovators modernizing wealth through fintech, e-commerce infrastructure, and care-tech. Diana and her two incredible female partners provide a stellar combination of skills and partnership for the next generation of iconic founders. She spent over a decade in tech investment banking M&A, and commodities sales, and trading on Wall Street. After building and launching the first women-only iPhone app for new friends and networking, she became compelled to solve the difficulties women founders faced in fundraising. She went on to co-found the Monarq Incubator, the first national, funding-focused incubator curated for gender diverse founding teams. She is an active angel investor and member of the Houston entrepreneurial community with deep roots in her hometown of NYC. She holds a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from The Cooper Union and is originally from Ukraine. Panelist: Pilar Johnson is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Debut Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in Black, Latinx, and Indigenous Founders. They look for companies and founders focused on a traditionally overlooked and underserved market within Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series-A stages. Pilar graduated from The University of Texas in Austin with her Bachelor of Science in Film & Communications. After graduating, she spent the next decade in NYC working in the Tech industry in Operations. Before Debut, she worked at Prolific Interactive, where she grew to become the Head of Operations and spent her 4.5 years working closely with the senior executive team implementing processes to improve the operations and culture of the company. This led to exploring what could be done beyond basic D&I training in tech, ultimately leading to the inception of Debut Capital. She brings that experience and her passion for creating equitable, safe spaces for the Black, Latinx, and Indigenous community to excel in Debut. Panelist: Veronica Juarez , is a seasoned silicon valley tech executive, with experience building public policy & enterprise teams from startup to post-ipo phase. Prior to tech, Veronica spent a decade in politics, working at the federal, state, and local levels for policymakers, working on behalf of their commitment to criminal justice reform, immigration reform, and the arts. Veronica is a fifth-generation Mexican-American, an honors graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, and a first-generation college graduate with an honors degree in Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity from Stanford University. Stanford awarded her the James W. Lyons Award for Service and the J.E. Wallace Sterling Book Award for her exceptional leadership, service, and contributions made to the university. Fast Company Magazine named her one of the Most Creative People in Business and The Alumni Society named her an executive to watch. Veronica is an active angel investor, a Scout for Lightspeed Venture Partners and manages the grant giving of The Juarez Family Foundation, a social impact fund she founded in 2019. Veronica serves on the board of Stanford's Center for Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity, and on the board of MACLA, a community arts organization in Silicon Valley grounded in the Latinx experience. Veronica currently serves as the Class President for Phillips Exeter Academy's Class of 2000, and is an active member of the Academy's Women's Leadership Circle. Veronica is an active member of Stanford University's First Principles Forum, an intimate invite-only organization dedicated to innovation in philanthropy and social impact. Veronica is a proud native Houstonian, home of her family's infamous taqueria, Villa Arcos, in the 2nd Ward. Parking InstructionsVisitor Parking Lot: Enter 4200 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to the visitor parking lot, located in front of The Ion building. Overflow Parking Instructions: Enter 4203 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to this parking lot, located across the street from The Ion building.