Webinar
Innovate, Operate, Prosper: The Superpowers of Female Founders. A Conversation with CNBC’s Julia Boorstin
Watch an on-demand presentation as Alumni Ventures’ Women’s Fund welcomes CNBC’s Senior Media & Tech Correspondent and author of When Women Lead, Julia Boorstin, to our webinar series.
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Post Webinar Summary
Watch a conversation between two Venture minds discussing the importance of investing in female founders and the challenges they face. The speakers highlight that female founders receive only 2-3% of all venture capital dollars invested and are involved in about 6% of the deals. They discuss the unconscious bias and pattern matching that often prevent investors from identifying opportunities with female-founded companies. The speakers also discuss the advantages of female leadership traits, such as empathy and crisis management, and how these align with the challenges of startups. They emphasize the importance of diversity in investment portfolios and the need to base investment decisions on data rather than perpetuating existing cycles. The conversation ends with an encouragement for the audience to back female founders and to avoid falling prey to pattern matching.
Julia has been an on-air reporter for the network since 2006 and is the creator of CNBC’s Disruptor 50 franchise, having interviewed and studied thousands of executives.
In her book When Women Lead, Boorstin brings together the stories of over sixty female CEOs and leaders and provides “critical insights into how women-founded companies begin, operate, and prosper.” Her combination of narrative and research reveals how once-underestimated characteristics can be vital superpowers—and that anyone can work these approaches to their advantage.
Why Watch?
- HomeGain exclusive insights from Julia Boorstin, drawing from her extensive research and interviews with over sixty female CEOs and leaders.
- HomeDiscover the transformative power of vulnerability, empathy, and divergent thinking in leadership, as highlighted in Boorstin’s acclaimed book.
- HomeLearn firsthand from the experiences of trailblazing women like Katrina Lake, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Whitney Wolfe Herd, and uncover how they revolutionized industries.
Don’t miss this opportunity to tap into the wisdom of renowned experts and redefine your approach to leadership.
About Alumni Ventures
Top 20 VC Investors in North America (2024)
#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2023)
#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2022)
World's Most Innovative Companies (2022)
Note: You must be accredited to invest in venture capital. Important disclosure information can be found at av-funds.com/disclosures.
About your presenters
Laura Rippy is a Managing Partner and Board Member at Alumni Ventures. She runs the Harvard-focused fund (The Yard Ventures), the Dartmouth-focused fund (Green D Ventures), the Women’s Fund at Alumni Ventures, and our US Strategic Tech fund. Alumni Ventures is “America’s Largest Venture Firm for Individuals” with $1.5B raised, and 1500 portfolio companies. AV is one of the top 3 most active venture capital firms globally, per Pitchbook 2018-24. Previously, Laura was a serial CEO, Chairman, Board Member, Advisor, and Executive in high-technology companies including Microsoft. Business Insider ranked Laura in the Best Early Stage Investors of 2024 and 2025. Laura Rippy holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB in Government from Dartmouth College.
Senior Media & Tech Reporter, CNBC
Julia Boorstin is CNBC’s senior Media & Entertainment Reporter, with a special focus on the intersection of media and technology. She leads the CNBC Disruptor 50, an annual list highlighting private companies transforming the economy and challenging established industries, which she created in 2013. She also pioneered CNBC’s ‘Closing the Gap’ coverage of women in business. Additionally, she reported a documentary for the network, “Stay Tuned…The Future of TV.” Boorstin joined CNBC in 2006 from Fortune Magazine, where she was a writer and reporter since 2000. In her time at Fortune, she contributed weekly to CNN Headline News’ “Street Life” business coverage. In 2003, 2004, and 2006, The Journalist and Financial Reporting newsletter named Boorstin to the “TJFR 30 under 30’ list of the most promising business journalists under 30 years old. She also worked for the State Department’s delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and for Vice President Gore’s domestic policy office. She graduated with honors from Princeton University with a B.A. in history.