April 29, 2024

S02:E04 Building a NEW Venture Ecosystem w/ Emma Clark, COO, Sweater Ventures

Building in the Wild: S02:E04 - Building a NEW Venture Ecosystem

‍S02:E04 Highlights:

In this in-depth conversation, Emma Clark, COO of Sweater Ventures, shares her journey from a background in FinTech and her pivotal role at Recurly to join Sweater Ventures, aiming to democratize access to venture capital. Through self-reflection on her pathway and experiences in the Boulder startup scene, she highlights the innovative approach of Sweater Ventures in opening venture capital investment to a broader audience. The discussion covers the creation of the Cashmere Fund, regulatory hurdles, marketing strategies, and the operational challenges of leading a fintech startup at the intersection of technology and investment. Additionally, Emma elaborates on the company's evolution towards enabling other fund managers to launch similar offerings and her vision for the future of accessible private market investments.

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00:00 Introduction and Getting to Know Emma

01:20 Journey to Sweater Ventures: From FinTech to Venture Capital

03:58 The Mission of Sweater Ventures: Democratizing VC Investment

05:23 Operational Challenges and Achievements as COO

06:22 Expanding the Team and Launching the Cashmere Fund

08:03 Navigating the Venture Capital Ecosystem and Fundraising Insights

19:23 Building Trust and Educating Investors

28:01 Future Directions and Expanding the Platform

36:39 Reflections and Advice for Aspiring COOs

39:16 Vision for Sweater's Future and Final Thoughts

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👥 CONNECT WITH US 👥
Roman Villard, CPA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rdvcpa
Emma Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmadonaho/