12/02/21 – Episode 8
Kate Beardsley studied English and played basketball at Middlebury College in Vermont, a college well known for its language arts. So how did Kate get involved in Venture? Well, it started with Martha Stewert. In today’s episode, we learn how Kate went from Chief of Staff for Martha to an investor with incredible intuition and her own firm, Hannah Grey.
About Kate Beardlsey:
After graduating from Middlebury College, Kate started her career at a sports marketing firm in Colorado before moving to New York to be Chief of Staff with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. From there, she became Chief of Staff to Kenneth Lerer at The Huffington Post. Kate got into investing when she joined Lerer Hippeau as a Founding Member, Investor and Director of Operations. Kate then moved from the east coast to Colorado, joining Upslope Ventures, Rockies Venture Club, Rocky Mountain Venture Capital Association and Oper8or. In April 2020, Kate founded Hannah Grey with Jessica Peltz-Zatulove.
In this episode with Kate, you’ll learn:
- How her family’s entrepreneurial spirit and endevours impacted her
- How Kate jumpstarted her career with Martha Stewart and The Huffington Post
- What draws Kate and Jessica to venture capital
- Hannah Grey’s investment thesis
- Innovations their portfolio companies are making
- The importance in building a network within VC and the startup world
- Why they place more importance on the team than the business plan
- Kate’s advice for founders
Mentioned in this episode…
Companies:
Hannah Grey
Martha Stewart Living Omnichannel
The Huffington Post
Lerer Hippeau
Upslope Venture Capital (FKA Galvanize)
Venmo
Warby Parker
Birchbox
Casper
Billie
August
People:
Kate Beardsley
Jessica Peltz-Zatulove
Ryan Bloomer
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