Karen_Cahn

Creating Economic Opportunities through Fundraising with Karen Cahn of iFundWomen

October 29, 2021

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:19 — 80.7MB)

Karen Cahn is an entrepreneur, investor, start-up guru, and the Founder and CEO of iFundWomen, a crowdfunding platform for women entrepreneurs with big ideas. A pioneer in tech and media, Karen was an Intrapreneur at Google, where she spent over a decade leading monetization teams in search, display, and video. Additionally, Karen started the Branded Entertainment business at YouTube, creating the first native video ad experiences monetized on the web. Karen is an active angel investor and sits on the Board of Advisors of Girl Rising, a global movement for girls’ education and empowerment. Karen has been named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Female Founders of 2020 as well as one of the City and State of New York’s Most Responsible CEOs of 2020.

Karen joins us today to share how feminism and the unexpected loss of her corporate job led her to found iFundWomen. She discusses how market research and testing can help you be proactive in your business. She explains how hiring a coach can make you more attractive to investors and reveals some common terms to know when raising capital. Karen also highlights how iFundWomen helps women entrepreneurs from all walks of life succeed in their Entreprenista journey.

Be sure to join the Entreprenista Circle for even more amazing support and guidance in your entreprenista journey!

“Crowdfunding is sales and marketing. It’s about your ability to go out and sell your product, service, vision, or dream.” – Karen Cahn

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

  • Karen’s career journey and what led her to found iFundWomen
  • Her stint at Google and YouTube and why she left Google after a decade
  • Karen’s move to AOL and the company’s first-ever nod from Emmy
  • Becoming a feminist and creating economic opportunities for women
  • How Karen handled being unexpectedly let go from a company
  • How she started VProud, her first business, and the lessons she learned from the experience
  • Crowdfunding at the beginning of a business journey to prove demand
  • How iFundWomen is empowering women entrepreneurs, creating jobs, and supporting the economy
  • Why reaching for perfection hinders opportunities
  • The biggest challenges Karen faces five years into running iFundWomen
  • How hiring a coach helped iFundWomen raise capital
  • “Oversubscribe,” “common stock,” and other venture capital terms Entreprenistas need to include in their vocabulary

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “Less than 1% of companies will raise venture capital. The other 99% will max out their credit cards and their loans—and the problem is worse for women.” – Karen Cahn
  • “When you teach people how to fish and give them a pole, it changes everything” – Karen Cahn
  • “Nothing about starting a business is for the faint of heart. But it’s rewarding if you’re mature enough to handle the roller-coaster ride.” – Karen Cahn

Connect with Karen Cahn:

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join our Entreprenista League community of women founders! You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded Entreprenistas who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!

Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Get the Support You Need with the Entreprenista Circles

Entreprenista, it’s time to take your business to the next level!

We’re excited to share the launch of a brand-new group coaching opportunity through the Entreprenista League: The Entreprenista Circles! When you join the Entreprenista Circles program, you will be part of a small group to discuss your business challenges and opportunities, and tap into the support and experience from your peers – all led by an expert coach and facilitator.

Learn more about joining the Entreprenista Circle today! Head over to https://entreprenista.com/circles 

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Become An Entreprenista!

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