Brydge Club by Ruffin Mitchener

Epizody

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  How Bobbie scaled to $100 Million in Revenue and 1 Million Babies Fed with Laura Modi 16.08.2026 44min

  Welcome to the Brydge Club podcast! I'm your host, Ruffin, and today I'm joined by Laura Modi, Co-Founder and CEO of Bobbie, the infant formula company she started after a moment of shame in a pharmacy aisle. Laura built her career at Google and Airbnb before leaving tech to take on one of the most highly regulated, capital-intensive industries in America. Bobbie has since raised nearly $150 million, surpassed $160 million in revenue, and bought its own manufacturing facility in Ohio.In this episode, Laura talks about the emotional reality behind Bobbie's founding story, what she learned about sugar and formulation by cold-emailing 20-30 experts a night, and the FDA labeling issue that pulled her product off shelves for 18 months when she had only 100 customers. She explains why she turned off new customer growth during the 2022 national formula shortage against investor advice, how she convinced her board she'd been wrong about owning manufacturing, and what responsibility every formula brand carries when a recall hits the industry. Laura also shares how the Molly Baz Times Square billboard came together, why she hires the atypical candidate, the work Bobbie for Change is doing on federal paid leave and the Black maternal mortality crisis, and the moment with her daughter that finally loosened her grip on mom guilt.I hope you enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Vanta. Vanta's Agentic Trust Platform takes the manual work out of your security and compliance process and replaces it with continuous automation, whether you’re pursuing your first framework or managing a complex program.Go to http://vanta.com/ruffin for $1,000 off Vanta today!! More on Laura Modi:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraclairemodi/Website: https://www.hibobbie.com/Bobbie for Change: https://www.bobbieforchange.org/More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:https://beacons.ai/ruffinAbout Brydge Club:Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  From Top Secret Group at Apple to $4 Billion Consumer Venture Capital Fund 09.08.2026 41min

  Welcome to the Brydge Club podcast! I'm your host, Ruffin, and today I'm joined by Amy Moussavi, angel investor and advisor at Malo Partners. Amy took an unconventional path into venture. After studying cognitive neuroscience, with no background in finance, she was early at Snapchat, spent years inside a top-secret product group at Apple, and became an investor at a multi-billion-dollar VC fund before building her own portfolio of nearly 20 personal angel investments.In this episode, Amy breaks down how she wrote her very first angel check (and the one category Apple would let her invest in), how she developed a thesis around "building for humanity of the future," and how she evaluates founders from pre-seed to Series A. She shares why she passed on Liquid Death, the speed and precision she looks for in breakout founders, how she works backwards from exit math on market sizing, and the categories she's most excited about now: women's health, longevity, AI hardware, live shopping, and Gen Alpha. Amy also gets candid about why fundraising can feel like "asking for charity" for women founders, the gotchas of stacked SPVs in today's AI-hyped market, and the advice she ignored for a decade: that in venture, relationships are everything.I hope you enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Vanta. Vanta's Agentic Trust Platform takes the manual work out of your security and compliance process and replaces it with continuous automation, whether you’re pursuing your first framework or managing a complex program.Go to http://vanta.com/ruffin for $1,000 off Vanta today!! More on Amy Moussavi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-moussavi/Pitch her: amy@malopartners.comMore on Host Ruffin Mitchener:https://beacons.ai/ruffinAbout Brydge Club:Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  She sold Primal Kitchen to Heinz for $200M after just 3.5 years 02.08.2026 40min

  Morgan Zanotti built Primal Kitchen from a scrappy, bootstrapped mayonnaise brand into a $50 million business, then sold it to Kraft Heinz for $200 million just three and a half years after launch, signing the deal weeks after having her first baby at 32 weeks pregnant. After five years running the brand inside a multi-billion-dollar portfolio, she walked away to start again, this time as a solo founder building Waay, a clear whey protein isolate beverage created for women who are tired of choking down chalky shakes.In this conversation, Morgan traces her winding path from accountant to waitress to yoga instructor to CPG operator, and unpacks why she and Mark Sisson kept 95% of Primal Kitchen by refusing outside capital. She breaks down the mechanics of actually selling a company, from the banker "bake off" to the four-day management presentations, and explains why the second time around she raised venture capital from Kate McAndrew at Baukunst instead of mortgaging her own peace of mind. Along the way she gets candid about lifelong imposter syndrome, building all-female teams, the unsexy grind behind a nine-figure exit, and why she believes being a woman in business is a superpower, not a setback.This episode is brought to you by Vanta. Vanta's Agentic Trust Platform takes the manual work out of your security and compliance process and replaces it with continuous automation, whether you’re pursuing your first framework or managing a complex program.Go to http://vanta.com/ruffin for $1,000 off Vanta today!! More on Morgan Zanotti:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-buehler-zanotti-31989620/Website: https://drinkwaay.com/More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:https://beacons.ai/ruffinAbout Brydge Club:Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  How they built Hims & Hers from Zero to $1.6 Billion | What they're Building Now! 26.07.2026 1h 6min

  Welcome to the Brydge Club podcast! I'm your host, Ruffin, and today I'm joined by Hilary Coles and Emily Boschwitz, the powerhouse duo behind POCA, a better-for-you coffee syrup that lets people enjoy their favorite café drinks without the sugar crash. Before POCA, Hilary and Emily were on the founding team at Hims & Hers, which they helped scale to a $1.6 billion valuation in just three years and take public. In this episode, Hilary and Emily trace their unlikely paths, from Hilary starting out as an admin and being turned down by nearly every "dream" company, to Emily learning to read in seventh grade and turning dyslexia into a marketing superpower. They break down the early days of Hims & Hers: why they launched with stigmatized products, how men dancing in showers with shampoo bottles became an accidental growth engine, and the channel-diversification strategy that fueled explosive scale. Then they get into POCA, the consumer insight that coffee is "the last allowable vice," how they ran a paint-the-door test before building anything, the food science behind a syrup that actually dissolves in iced coffee, and why brand matters more than ever in the age of AI slop. Along the way, they share hard-won lessons on curiosity as a career strategy, growth marketing, and the AI stack every founder should be using today.This episode is brought to you by Vanta. Vanta's Agentic Trust Platform takes the manual work out of your security and compliance process and replaces it with continuous automation, whether you’re pursuing your first framework or managing a complex program.Go to http://vanta.com/ruffin for $1,000 off Vanta today!! More on Hilary Coles & Emily Boschwitz:POCA: https://pickpoca.com/Gossamer World: https://gossamer.world/Hilary Coles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilary-coles-11803b187Emily Boschwitz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyboschwitzMore on Host Ruffin Mitchener:https://beacons.ai/ruffinAbout Brydge Club:Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  How Figs went from $200 Million Lawsuit to $4.5 Billion IPO 19.07.2026 8min

  In this episode, I'm breaking down one of the most remarkable stories in modern consumer business: how FIGS went from selling scrubs in hospital parking lots to becoming the first company led by two female co-founders and co-CEOs to go public on the New York Stock Exchange.In 2012, Heather Hasson noticed a nurse friend stuck wearing shapeless, uncomfortable scrubs and saw an opportunity everyone else had ignored. Meanwhile, Trina Spear spotted the same gap from Wall Street, eventually quitting her job at Blackstone and liquidating her 401(k) to bet on it. Together they drove to hospital parking lots at 7 a.m. shift changes, coffee in hand, selling scrubs out of a car and listening relentlessly to the healthcare workers they served.I unpack exactly what it took to build a multibillion dollar business: developing proprietary performance fabric designed for grueling shifts, going direct-to-consumer from day one, and engineering a word-of-mouth marketing machine so powerful their customer acquisition costs actually dropped as they scaled. I also dig into the hundreds of no's they heard before landing a $50 million check, the $200 million lawsuit from a legacy scrub giant they fought and won, and the way they brought 60 healthcare professionals to ring the opening bell and opened pre-IPO access to everyday investors.It's a masterclass in product, distribution, community, and staying close to the people you serve.I hope you enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Vanta. Vanta's Agentic Trust Platform takes the manual work out of your security and compliance process and replaces it with continuous automation—whether you’re pursuing your first framework or managing a complex program.Go to vanta.com/ruffin for $1,000 off Vanta today!! More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:https://beacons.ai/ruffinAbout Brydge Club:Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Sunday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  How Kate McAndrew Built a $100M Venture Capital Fund (Without a Harvard Business School Degree) 12.07.2026 50min

  Welcome to the Brydge Club podcast! I'm your host, Ruffin, and today I'm joined by Kate McAndrew, Co-Founder and General Partner at Baukunst, a $100 million venture capital fund backing exceptional founders at the intersection of technology and design. Writing first checks of $500K to $2M at pre-seed, Kate was the first institutional investor in Bobbie, the first clean infant formula in the U.S. since the 1980s, and has spent over a decade backing founders long before anyone else believed.Kate is an "accidental VC" who broke into the industry without an MBA, management consulting, or a finance pedigree. She got her first taste of investing while volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity job site. In this episode, she shares what she really looks for at pre-seed (hint: the team beats the idea every time), why she describes her job to her five-year-old as being a "professional fairy godmother," and the anti-portfolio deal that still haunts her, passing on Mirror before its $500M sale to Lululemon. Kate also opens up about building her fund in public after a year of PR got her nowhere, how short-form video became her secret weapon for deal flow and LP relationships, her take on the "SaaS is dead" and hardware hype cycles, and why she's moving her own workflow toward more values-aligned tools. We close with rapid fire on killing imposter syndrome, the visioning exercise that changed how she shows up, and the legacy she wants to leave for the next generation of women.This episode is brought to you by Vanta. Vanta's Agentic Trust Platform takes the manual work out of your security and compliance process and replaces it with continuous automation—whether you’re pursuing your first framework or managing a complex program.Go to vanta.com/ruffin for $1,000 off Vanta today!! More on Kate McAndrew:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateprestonmcandrewInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/kate__mcandrewTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kate_mcandrew
Baukunst: https://baukunst.co/More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:
https://beacons.ai/ruffinAbout Brydge Club:
Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  How Perelel is redefining women’s health with over 48 million capsules sold 13.11.2024 44min

  Welcome to the Brydge Club podcast! I’m your host, Ruffin, and today I’m thrilled to be joined by Alex Taylor, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Perelel, the first OB-GYN-founded vitamin brand for women offering tailored nutrition for each stage of the hormonal journey. Since its inception, Perelel has made an impressive mark, selling over 48 million capsules in the last year and raising $12 million from investors like Willow Growth. Alex, named a Forbes 30 under 30, has a career built with companies like Vogue, L’Oreal, and Google, and is passionate about creating brands that make a meaningful difference. In this episode, Alex dives into her journey from working with major brands to co-founding Perelel and why they focused on prenatal vitamins. She discusses the complexities of the vitamin industry, including regulation, the importance of transparency, and how Perelel sets itself apart with doctor-led formulations. Alex also shares insights into Perelel's early marketing strategy, their growth despite minimal resources, and key lessons learned in fundraising.  I hope you enjoy! More on Alex Taylor: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-taylor-18b19b12/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its_alextaylor/?hl=en Website: https://perelelhealth.com/ More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Brydge Club: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  Sued by VCs, Sharon Gillenwater Bootstrapped a $25M Startup Sale 30.10.2024 1h 2min

  Welcome to the Brydge Club podcast! I'm your host, Ruffin, and today I’m thrilled to sit down with Sharon Gillenwater, author of Scaling with Soul and a resilient entrepreneur. Sharon’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary—she raised $3 million in venture capital for her first business before pivoting to bootstrap her second business, Boardroom Insiders, to a $25 million exit. Now a viral voice on TikTok, she demystifies entrepreneurship for a wide audience. In this episode, we dive into Sharon’s story of navigating venture capital, including her decision to raise funding and the challenges that followed. She shares insights on the venture capital versus bootstrapping paths and offers advice for founders considering both. We also discuss her experience in consulting, building strategic relationships, and selling to large institutions. Finally, Sharon shares key lessons from her M&A journey and tips on managing personal finances while scaling a business. More on Sharon Gillenwater: Buy her book: https://www.amazon.com/Scaling-Soul-Million-Company-Without/dp/1964377013 Website: https://www.sharonkgillenwater.com/ More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Brydge Club: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  Erin Levine Raised $6.5 Million to Save People 90% on Divorce Fees 16.10.2024 45min

  Welcome to the Brydge Club podcast! I’m your host, Ruffin, and today I’m joined by Erin Levine, Co-Founder and CEO of Hello Divorce, a platform that revolutionizes the divorce process. Hello Divorce combines self-service software and expert services to make divorce less stressful and more affordable. Erin’s 15 years of legal experience have led her to create a service that costs a tenth of the typical divorce and resolves cases in a third of the time. In this episode, Erin shares her journey to Hello Divorce, insights into the common challenges of divorce, and how the platform supports users through different phases. We also discuss topics like prenuptial agreements, expanding into new states, her experiences raising $6.5 million in venture capital, and her advice on navigating funding and entrepreneurship. I hope you enjoy it! More on Erin Levine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinlevine/ https://hellodivorce.com/ More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Brydge Club: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  Why Valentina quit investment banking, launched a startup, then pivoted into venture capital 02.10.2024 40min

  Welcome to the Brydge Club podcast! I'm your host, Ruffin, and today I’m thrilled to be joined by Valentina Rodriguez, investor at Wonder Ventures, an early-stage venture fund based in Los Angeles. Valentina has been involved in investments such as Clutter, Tala, Honey, Whatnot, Coinbase, and Bird. Before entering venture, she began her career at Morgan Stanley and founded Cannaves Oliva, a functional foods company that introduced organic hemp-infused olive oil. In this episode, Valentina dives into her entrepreneurial journey, starting with the creation of Cannaves Oliva and how it shaped her transition into venture capital. She shares insights into Wonder Ventures’ investment thesis, her approach to navigating different industries as a generalist investor, and the lessons she’s drawn from her banking and founder experiences. Valentina also discusses trends she’s excited about in consumer tech and enterprise, the importance of relationships in fundraising, and tips for founders on achieving product-market fit. Plus, she offers advice for those looking to break into VC and a behind-the-scenes look at raising Wonder Ventures' latest $57 million fund. I hope you enjoy! More on Valentina Rodriguez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentinaro/ https://wondervc.com/ More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Brydge Club: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  Selling Teachable for $250M, raising from Codie Sanchez, tax strategies, + more | Jess Catorc, Carry 25.09.2024 42min

  Welcome to the Brydge Club podcast! I'm your host, Ruffin, and today I’m excited to be joined by Jess Catorc, co-founder of Carry, the all-in-one platform for tax-advantaged accounts, investments, and strategy designed for business owners and high-earning professionals. Jess is an award-winning brand strategist who has helped thousands of entrepreneurs and startups scale their reach and revenue online. Prior to founding Carry, Jess led creator partnerships at Teachable, which sold for $250 million. In just two years, Jess and her team have grown Carry to $1 million in ARR, with backing from notable investors like Sophia Amoruso and Codie Sanchez. In this episode, Jess shares her journey from leading creator partnerships at Teachable to co-founding Carry. We dive into her experiences working at a high-growth startup and the lessons she’s brought into building her own company. Jess also discusses the challenges of understanding the tax code as a business owner, the inspiration behind starting Carry, and how they are empowering entrepreneurs to save money and grow their businesses. We also talk about the different tax strategies available, how Carry has grown its customer base, and the exciting future ahead for the company.  I hope you enjoy! More on Jess Catorc and Carry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-catorc-0635ba4b/ https://carry.com/ More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Brydge Club: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world. 
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  Lessons from Stanford GSB Founder: Raising $9 Million, pivoting, and more | Miri Buckland, Zeen 18.09.2024 29min

  Welcome to The Brydge Club podcast! I'm your host, Ruffin, and today I’m excited to be joined by Miri Buckland, COO and co-founder of Landing, soon to be rebranded as Zeen. Miri co-founded Landing alongside her Stanford Business School classmate, Ellie, and together they’ve scaled the product to nearly 1 million downloads and raised over $9 million in venture capital from investors like Cowboy Ventures and Defy Ventures. In this episode, Miri dives into the journey of building a high-growth tech startup, shares key lessons on knowing when to pivot, and offers practical advice for those applying to business school. She also reveals insider strategies for running a successful fundraising round. I hope you enjoy! More on Miri Buckland:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-biernacki-71b1b24a/ https://www.bbgventures.com/about-us More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Play Brydge: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  Why Claire Biernacki, Principal at BBG Ventures, is investing $50 Million into female founders 11.09.2024 37min

  Welcome to the Brydge Club podcast! I'm your host, Ruffin, and today I’m excited to be joined by Claire Biernacki, Principal Investor at BBG Ventures. BBG Ventures is known for being one of the most active investors in women and underrepresented founders across the U.S. Claire has been involved in investments such as Zola, Spring Health, and Blueland. Before joining BBG, she earned her MBA from Columbia Business School and began her career in investment banking and private equity.  Claire shares her inspiration for pursuing a career in finance before transitioning into venture capital. She discusses the decision to pursue an MBA and how it shaped her path in VC, as well as her strategies for breaking into the industry and landing key opportunities. Claire also provides valuable insights into how she supports founders after investing, the key metrics companies should focus on at the Series A level, and advice for founders on asking the right questions during investor meetings. I hope you enjoy! More on Claire Biernacki:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-biernacki-71b1b24a/ https://www.bbgventures.com/about-us More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Play Brydge: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  Emily Persky, founder of I Have This Friend, wants to help you host your next dinner party with a Michelin star chef! 28.08.2024 36min

  Welcome back to the Brydge Club Podcast! Today we welcome Emily Persky, Co-Founder of ‘I Have This Friend’, A curated directory of lifestyle services that allows you to book private chefs, interior designers, photographers, and more. They collaborate with top emerging talent to make these curated services accessible. Before co-founding 'I Have This Friend' with her childhood best friend Ingrid, Emily pursued a career in big tech, working at Instagram. Emily discusses her decision to pursue a career at Instagram in 'big tech' before launching her entrepreneurial journey. She shares her transition from Instagram to founding 'I Have This Friend,' how the platform was brought to life, the most popular services and talents booked, their strategies for expanding the marketplace, and much more! More on Emily Persky and I Have This Friend: https://www.ihavethisfriend.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-persky-961793105/ More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Play Brydge: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  How Cheryl Kellond is building an angel investment portfolio without millions, and you can too! 21.08.2024 47min

  In this episode of Brydge Club, we sit down with Cheryl Kellond, the founder and CEO of Play Money, a groundbreaking investment platform designed to help everyday investors build a diversified startup portfolio without committing to full-time angel investing. Cheryl shares her entrepreneurial journey and insights into the startups she has founded, including Bia Sport, Apostrophe, and Play Money. We dive deep into angel investing with a masterclass on the significant impact Play Money is making in this space. Cheryl also offers invaluable advice for first-time fundraisers, shares tips for avoiding common pitfalls in angel investing, and reflects on her experiences with the acquisition process and more! More on Cheryl Kellond & Play Money: https://www.linkedin.com/in/c2kprofile/ https://letsplaymoney.com/ More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Play Brydge: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world. 
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  $3.5M backed by Jessica Alba!? Joan Nguyen on why she’s building Bümo, the first marketplace for drop-in childcare 14.08.2024 39min

  In this episode of Brydge Club we welcome Co-Founder and CEO of Bümo, Joan Nguyen!  Joan shares a glimpse of her entrepreneurial journey thus far, highlighting her path to Bümo, offering solutions to the US childcare crisis in 2024, her experience as a childcare provider, pivoting from brick and mortar to starting Bümo, navigating VC for the first time, plans to expand Bümo across the US and much more! More on Joan Nguyen & Bümo: Joan Nguyen is the founder of Bümo, the best way for families to book on-demand childcare at daycare, preschools, and drop-in camps for school-age children. Bumo is backed by venture capital investors and celebrity advisors including Jessica Alba. And has been featured in the Today Show, Forbes, Techcrunch and more. Prior to Bümo, Joan previously built a Global test prep and educational consulting company.  https://book.bumo.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannguyen/ More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Play Brydge: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  92% of Venture Dollars are Controlled by White Men, Tanvi’s Building VC Unleashed to Change That 07.08.2024 43min

  In this episode of Brydge Club, we welcome Tanvi Lal, an investor at Intuit Ventures and the founder of VC Unleashed. Tanvi shares her inspiring journey from consulting to venture capital (VC). Learn about the glaring statistics on the lack of diversity in VC and how VC Unleashed is providing real opportunities for people of color to break into the industry.  Key topics discussed: Tanvi Lal’s career transition from Deloitte consulting to VC The inspiration and mission behind founding VC Unleashed Addressing the lack of diversity in venture capital How VC Unleashed is empowering people of color in the VC industry More on Tanvi Lal: Tanvi Lal is an Investor at Intuit Ventures focused on Series A-C fintech, commerce, and enabling tech. She is also the founder of VC Unleashed, a non-profit dedicated to increasing racial representation within VC investors. Prior to her role in venture, Tanvi earned her MBA at Berkeley and built a career in consulting with Deloitte.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlal/ Tanvi’s Guide to VC Recruiting: https://tlal.medium.com/tanvis-guide-to-vc-recruiting-part-1-set-the-groundwork-37b11b9ff58 More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Play Brydge: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world. 
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  $3.2M from YC to build Adyn, the first birth control test 31.07.2024 32min

  On this episode of Brydge Club we are joined by Founder & CEO of Aydn, Elizabeth Russo. We discuss Elizabeth’s journey to founding Adyn, modern issues in prescribing birth control, her personal battle with birth control side effects, her career in genetics, why she became an entrepreneur and much more! More on Elizabeth Ruzzo, PhD and Aydn: Adyn is the first and only test designed to prevent birth control side effects like blood clots, depression, acne, weight gain. Elizabeth received her PhD in Genetics and Genomics from Duke University and launched Adyn after her own experience with life-threatening birth control side effects. Elizabeth has raised $3.25M in VC funding from investors including M13, YC, Anne Wojcicki - the founder of 23&me.  More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Play Brydge: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world. 
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  Meet Ronit and Vida, the co-founders of WeNatal, building prenatal vitamins for her and HIM 24.07.2024 44min

  On this episode of the Play Brydge podcast, we sit down with Ronit Menashe and Vida Delrahim, founders of ingenious his and hers prenatal supplement company, WeNatal. We discuss the modern fertility crisis, the conceptualization, launch and operations of WeNatal, Ronit and Vida’s personal journeys with prenatal supplements, tips on increasing your chances of a successful pregnancy and more! Purchase WeNatal Supplements Ronit Menashe LinkedIn  More on Ronit, Vida and WeNatal: Ronit Menashe and Vida Delrahim are the founders of WeNatal, a prenatal supplement company that is transforming the fertility space with the first prenatal supplement optimized for her AND him. WeNatal’s mission to change the narrative surrounding fertility and reproductive health is personal; after suffering miscarriages a week apart Ronit and Vida were given little direction on what to do differently. More importantly, the health of Ronit & Vida’s partners (including the health of their sperm) was missing from their fertility dialogue completely with doctors… something had to change. WeNatal shifts the fertility journey from "me" to "we” and is backed by industry leading Functional Medicine doctors, nutritionists, and fertility experts, including Dr. Mark Hyman and Kelly LeVeque. With 24 key clean, bioavailable nutrients, WeNatal steps up where other supplements fall short for all things preconception to postpartum for both parents and baby. WeNatal is transforming the fertility space with the first prenatal supplement optimized for her AND him. In just 3 pills a day, WeNatal provides 24 key nutrients that are clean, bioavailable and third party tested for label claims, heavy metals and toxins.  Where most other supplements fall short, WeNatal stepped up including nutrients like iron, choline and methylated B vitamins; essential for all things preconception to postpartum. By prioritizing the right nutrients WeNatal gives couples a path forward and are backed by industry leading Functional Medicine doctors, nutritionists, and fertility experts, including Dr. Mark Hyman and Kelly LeVeque. More on Host Ruffin Mitchener:  https://beacons.ai/ruffin About Brydge Club: Brydge Club, hosted by Ruffin Mitchener, aims to bridge the $1.7 trillion financing gap for female founders. Every Wednesday, the show features in-depth interviews with industry leaders and innovators, educating and empowering women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. Through insightful discussions, the Brydge Club seeks to inspire listeners to break barriers and achieve success in the business world.
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  How Alexandra Mysoor raised $5.5 Million Venture Capital funding led by Initialized Capital 17.07.2024 44min

  For over 20 years, Alexandra has been a trailblazer in business innovation. She’s launched and scaled over a half dozen successful, multi-channel consumer brands. Now, as CEO of Alix, she oversees rapid growth while ensuring that each Alix family receives the world-class care they deserve.  Alexandra is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. Since 2021, she has served on the Board of Directors for Security National Financial Corporation (SNFCA).   In this episode:  Making the jump to entrepreneurship and brand creation  Challenges in estate settlements: what you need to know  Identifying everyday problems is the first step to building a business  Strategies for finding the perfect co-founder  Tips for finding funding and connecting with investors    Resources:  Alexandra Mysoor LinkedIn  Alix  Ruffin Mitchener LinkedIn  About:  They dared to dream and built empires. Join host Ruffin Mitchener as she unveils the inspiring stories behind the most inspiring female founders and women in venture. Every other week, we publish a new interview packed with startup secrets and the blueprint for your business success. Tune in on Wednesdays to meet the next game-changer!