Welcome to She Invests, where you’ll hear from existing female angel investors, venture capitalists and fund managers on their investment thesis. From deal flow to exits, they will share the best practices that contribute to their success.

In this episode, Dr. Silvia Mah welcomes to the podcast entrepreneur, Product Coach, author and co-founder, Vidya Dinamani. Vidya has a passion for coaching product leaders and teams. She is one of the founding partners of Ad Astra Ventures. She is also Principal with Product Rebels, a company founded to help product managers, founders and entrepreneurs make customer breakthroughs. Vidya has also recently been focused on investing and mentoring startups and early stage companies. She has over eighteen years of experience specializing in business and technology strategy development and product design, development and management. Vidya has held multiple executive roles at leading companies, including executive positions leading innovation and product management at Mitchell International, Director of Customer Experience for TurboTax Intuit. She also served as Director of Business Operations and Chief IT Architect for the software provider. Prior to Intuit, Vidya was a consultant with Deloitte Consulting, specializing in technology strategy consulting. She holds seven U.S. patents for software technology and is a certified Net Promoter associate.

Today, Dr. Sylvia and Vidya talk about Vidya’s ‘Why’ of investing and her goal to achieve equality among men and women on both sides of the investment table. Vidya expounds on what it means to go from the first meeting with a startup company to actually writing a check and investing. Finally, Dr. Sylvia and Vidya discuss the work Ad Astra Ventures is doing to educate entrepreneurs today.

• 04:30 – Dr. Silvia Mah introduces today’s guest, Vidya Dinamani, who discusses her professional background, her very first investment and her ‘Why’ of investing
• 10:22 – Vidya talks about identifying the right founder and the right product-market fit when she seeks out early stage startup companies to invest in
• 13:45 – Vidya talks about the origin story of Ad Astra Ventures and the commitment they’ve made to help more female founders
• 20:55 – Vidya speaks to the impact Ad Astra Ventures wants to create
• 29:15 – Vidya talks about her book, Groundwork: Get Better at Making Better Products and some of the great testimonials she’s received as feedback
• 37:02 – Vidya expounds on her background in product and how it’s impacted how she shows up as an investor
• 38:55 – Vidya talks about the work she’s doing at Lash.Live
• 45:56 – What abundance mindset means to Vidya
• 47:32 – Dr. Silvia recaps her interview with Vidya

Full show notes: https://www.sheinvests.com/41

Welcome to She Invests, where you’ll hear from existing female angel investors, venture capitalists and fund managers on their investment thesis. From deal flow to exits, they will share the best practices that contribute to their success.

In this episode, Dr. Silvia Mah welcomes to the podcast attorney and angel investor, Rose Bowlus. Rose is an experienced attorney and former in-house counsel with extensive transactional, regulatory and compliance experience at industry leading financial institutions and energy companies. She is a strong leader, seasoned negotiator and excellent communicator, all traits that have prepared her for her transition to angel investing. Today, Dr. Silvia speaks to Rose about Rose’s journey from aspiring angel investor to an expert who is ingrained in the startup ecosystem. They discuss Rose’s background in law, the work she’s doing to help and advocate for start-ups and some of projects she’s currently taking part in, including Angels in the Law and The Fourth Floor.

• 05:12 – Dr. Silvia Mah introduces today’s guest, Rose Bowlus who speaks to her involvement in the San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC), her background as a lawyer and finding her voice as an investor
• 11:01 – Rose recounts the finalist companies at San Diego Angel Conference
• 13:24 – Rose expounds on her latest project, Angels in the Law
• 18:51 – Bringing a different perspective and doing your due diligence as an angel investor
• 24:02 – What Rose is doing to help and advocate for start-up companies
• 29:28 – Rose talks about one of the start-up companies that she’s particularly excited about
• 37:56 – Rose speaks to her involvement in an early stage company, The Fourth Floor
• 42:14 – What abundance mindset means to Rose
• 43:40 – Dr. Silvia recaps her interview with Rose

Full show notes: https://www.sheinvests.com/40

Welcome to She Invests, where you’ll hear from existing female angel investors, venture capitalists and fund managers on their investment thesis. From deal flow to exits, they will share the best practices that contribute to their success.

In this episode, Dr. Silvia Mah welcomes to the podcast entrepreneur, founder and fellow angel investor, Dr. Kay Olmstead. Dr. Kay is an angel investor who has a particular interest in investing in technology-based companies in biotech and clean tech. She looks for investment opportunities in socially responsible companies with technologies to make our world better by creating products to tackle tough problems. Dr. Kay is also an accomplished entrepreneur and is a co-founder and CEO of Nano PharmaSolutions. Throughout her thirty-two year career in the pharmaceutical industry she led the development efforts of five FDA-approved drugs and holds nineteen issued patents to date.

Today, Dr. Silvia speaks to Dr. Kay about her investment thesis, one that is rooted in impact investing and legacy building through philanthropic investment vehicles, such as Donor Advised Funds, or DAFs. Dr. Kay continues by discussing the importance of commercialization and provides general advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

• 04:40 – Dr. Silvia Mah introduces today’s guest, Dr. Kay Olmstead who speaks to her investment thesis and the decision to pursue impact investing
• 16:44 – Dr. Kay talks about how her approach to investing has been influenced by her background as both an intrapreneur and entrepreneur
• 20:53 – Dr. Kay provides some poignant investment questions that are important to ask
• 24:03 – Dr. Kay comments on the importance of commercialization
• 29:33 – Dr. Kay speaks to the value of relationship building in investing
• 34:35 – Dr. Kay talks about her experience with San Diego Angel Conference
• 38:47 – Dr. Silvia recaps her interview with Dr. Kay

Full show notes: https://www.sheinvests.com/39