Now it's three months later…
So what have I been up to ...
The short answer is: Not much.
Now it's been 3 months since I transitioned out of my operating role at Hatch Apps, and also 3 months since I sent my last update email. I spent the first few weeks reconnecting with a bunch of folks (many of you on this list!) who reached out to support me during this transition. I'm so grateful to have so many wonderful friends and colleagues - cheers to you. I also had the opportunity to work on some really interesting consulting projects.
But mostly I've been hanging out, working out, and sleeping a whole awful lot. I needed it.
Now I'm starting to peek out from under my rock, and have been having some interesting conversations about next steps. I wrote a resume (first time I've ever had to share one of those!) and I'm hoping to find a new role in the next few months. I've been looking mostly at general manager / city manager roles and venture roles (platform or portco support) in a whole cross-section of industries (education, transportation, real estate, fintech, etc). It's been fun to learn about new roles and industries, and to meet so many wonderful new people. I'll keep you all in the loop on where I land :)
Awesome reads...
Bill Gates tweeted some charts on global poverty, education, democracy, etc. The charts paint a picture of progress, but sparked a debate on whether said "progress" truly deserves celebration. (TY for putting this on my radar Peter!)
Tomasz Tunguz published data on decline of angels in favor of seed stage venture funds. I feel like I see new angel groups forming all the time, so I wonder the extent to which this applies to our DC market... to be continued. (TY C'pher!)
Pitchbook published this VC Female Founders Dashboard. It's kind of depressing to read: 88% of venture dollars are still going to all-male founding teams. That said, I'm really glad to see this data out there. The dashboard allows us to click around to filter down the data to whatever's most relevant for us - state, industry, stage, etc. (TY Todd!)
I just finished Educated by Tara Westover. It totally lives up to the hype. For those who aren't familiar, Educated is a memoir about Tara's life growing up with a survivalist father on a junkyard. She doesn't enter a classroom until age 17, and ends up with a PhD from Cambridge. There's so much I can say about this book— about how her father was nearly burned alive but still refused to go to a hospital, about how her brother's abusive behavior went unchecked, and about how this brilliant woman became what she was without even the most basic of homeschooling. It's an incredible story.
Brilliant stuff my friends are building...
For those of us looking for our next great read, my high school bestie Arvin Ahmadi just published his second YA novel, Girl Gone Viral. It's a bit of a blast from the past for me as it's centered at a hyper-competitive magnet school (a throwback to our four years at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology). I'd describe it as a near-future thriller, and it's got something for everyone: politics, privacy, tech, romance, Spice Girls references. Def recommend :)
For those of us looking for a community-driven accelerator to support, Sibyl Edwards has built a wonderful program at #BFF Labs, supporting cohorts of black female founders as they launch their business. I had the opportunity to meet with the most recent cohort and learn more about the program, and I'm beyond grateful that Sibyl contributes so much of her time to make #BFF Labs a reality in DC.
For those of us looking to invest in female founded companies, Allyson Redpath is launching Citrine Angels, a DC-based angel group for women and investing in women. Access to capital is a real challenge in DC, especially for female founders. Allyson is focusing not only on congregating existing lady investors, but also training up folks that are interested in learning about investing. Super excited about this!
A few ways to help...
I'm looking to explore new roles, so if you have any leads for cross-functional roles (e.g. General Manager, City Manager, or Chief of Staff), roles in platform / portfolio support in venture, or other cool opportunities that I might be a good fit for, please let me know! I'm looking at companies of all sizes, from later stage startups to Fortune 500.
Anyone know of nonprofit fiscal sponsors with reasonable rates, ideally ones that also handle payroll? I'm helping out with the launch of a new org.
Sending some love...
To some of the many who made the last couple months great like dozens upon dozens (too many to name) people that reached out to support me post-transition; like Chris Wink who let me crash at his place in Philly; like Shizu Okusa, Kevin Alansky, and Jake Schaufeld who send the most generous check-in texts; like Anthony Beverina, Michela English, Celia Karam, Laura Rodriguez, Alex Swartsel, Steve Taylor, Anna Mason, Penny Lee, Alex Fife, Katherine Feeney, Jinnyn Jacob, and many many more who have mentored me on next steps and opened their networks to me as I begin my job search; and to everyone who have been supportive of me over the past three months. I'm so lucky to be surrounded smart, connected, generous people.
Thanks for skimming this email and being a part of this journey :)
Onward and upward,
Amelia
