11/18/21 – Episode 7
Anna studied Political Science and Government at Harvard, and after some time on the Hill, she decided to pursue a career where progress happened faster than a glacial pace, so, Anna went to Wall Street. In today’s episode, Anna and Emily discuss her experience as one of the only women on the Wall Street trading floor, how being a successful founder helps her as an investor, and why Rise of the Rest is leveraging early-stage capital to drive economic growth.
About Anna Mason:
Anna Mason had multiple government internships while studying Political Science at Harvard. After Harvard, Anna Mason started her financial career with Lehman Brothers before trading bonds with The Seaport Group while getting her MBA in Marketing from NYU Stern at night. She then took on the entrepreneur role as Co-Founder of Burn This, a fitness lifestyle and tech company that she later sold to Beachbody. She joined the Vinetta Project as a volunteer, later becoming Co-Director and Co-Chair of the Advisory Board. Currently, Anna is Managing Partner at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund and is on the board of Collective Retreats and AppHarvest.
In this episode with Anna, you’ll learn:
- How Anna “fell” into Wall Street and got a “street education” in her 20s
- Anna’s definition of an entrepreneur
- How her founder experience plays a role in her investing
- The power of community
- Rise of the Rest’s mission and investment thesis
- How Rise of the Rest evolved from a bus tour to a seed fund (still with a bus tour!)
- Which cities have newly growing startup communities and why
- Anna’s advice for those looking to get into venture investing
Mentioned in this episode…
Companies:
Revolution
People:
Anna Mason
Steve Case
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