Femmes Finance Podcast aims to support , educate & empower young women to achieve career success and financial freedom. In each episode, Assel Altayeva talks with successful leaders, entrepreneurs, founders, and investors to inspire you in your journey to financial freedom.
We’re honored to be joined by Robin Wood Sailer, a powerhouse in both media and venture investing. Currently a Venture Partner at Helena Capital, Co-Founder of Le Labs Group, and a Consultant at United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Robin holds a rare blend of editorial insight and investment acumen.Robin has an impressive background from CBS News, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and Dow Jones. As Bloomberg's Editorial Director, Robin played a key role in building Bloomberg’s events division and curated founder-investor showcases at top tech conferences. As Vice President at Dow Jones, she led the development of events and brand partnerships, expanding the company’s event business during the pandemic. Robin is channeling her expertise into venture capital by supporting & advising founders to build the next wave of innovation. At Helena Capital, she’s backing women-led startups at the Series B+ stage through a $200M growth fund. The fund focuses on deep tech, fintech, and impact ventures across the U.S. and Europe, with an eye on companies ready to scale globally. 🔍 In this episode, we explore: • How Robin’s media background gives her a unique edge in the venture capital • What makes Helena Capital’s approach to female founders different • How founders can navigate the leap from early traction to Series B+ stages
🎙️ #24 - The Path of Least Regret: How Parul Somani Overcame Cancer and Found Her Purpose Today on the Femmes Finance Podcast, we have a truly inspiring guest Parul Somani. Her life is a powerful testament to resilience, mindset, and the ability to turn any adversity into a growth opportunity. Just a week after giving birth to her second daughter, Parul was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. What followed was 10+ rounds of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries. But instead of allowing these challenges to define her, she turned them into a mission to empower others. Five years later, Parul is not only a cancer survivor but also the founder of Silver Linings, a platform dedicated to resilience, mental well-being, and patient advocacy. Parul is an award-winning patient advocate and lived experience expert who has shared her experiences and insights for premier health organizations, including at the White House for President Biden's Cancer Moonshot, the World Economic Forum's Global Precision Medicine Initiative, Stanford Health Care, American Cancer Society, and HLTH. Parul’s career is as impressive as her personal journey. With an MBA from Harvard and a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, she has over 20 years of experience in consulting, entrepreneurship, and coaching. She’s been featured in Forbes, MIT Technology Review, Thrive Global, and more. In this episode, we discuss: Parul’s life-changing diagnosis and the unexpected silver lining from that time Her bold career pivot and the lessons learned along the way The mindset and actionable tools she uses to help individuals and organizations navigate change 🎧 Listen to this inspiring conversation and learn how to build resilience in the face of life’s toughest challenges: Follow Parul Somani: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pdsomani/ Instagram: @pdsomani Website: https://www.parulsomani.com/ Follow Assel Altayeva: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asselaltayeva/ Instagram: @femmesfinance
Umaimah Mendhro, Founder & President of One League, grew up without formal education in rural Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Despite these early challenges, she went on to graduate from Cornell University and Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar. Umaimah is also the founder of VIDA & Co., a multi-million-dollar public benefit corporation, and has worked with top companies like Microsoft, McKinsey, and West, leading projects for Twitter, Dropbox, and Square. Her work has earned her recognition from Fast Company, CIO Magazine, and Forbes In this episode of the Femmes Finance Podcast, we explore Umaimah Mendhro’s journey as founder and president of One League. We discuss her experience raising funds from Google Ventures and Y Combinator, and building partnerships with prestigious universities like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. Umaimah shares her approach to decision-making, problem-solving, and scaling ventures with a focus on innovation. We also talk about her vision for global education and the impact of empowering change-makers through innovative platforms. And much, much more. Follow Umaimah Mendhro: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/umaimah/ Follow Assel Altayeva: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asselaltayeva/ One League Accounts: Instagram: instagram.com/oneleagueorg/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/oneleagueorg/ Website: one-league.org
🔊 #22 - The Art of Investing: Ellen Carr's Advice for Aspiring Portfolio Managers In this episode of the Femmes Finance Podcast, we are excited to interview Ellen Carr. She brings over two decades of experience as a high-yield bond portfolio manager, most recently at Barksdale Investment Management (BIM), an institutional fixed-income investment management firm. In addition to her impressive career, Ellen is an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School and the Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management, where she teaches courses on credit markets and cash flow modeling. She’s also a frequent contributor to the Financial Times and the co-author of the book "Undiversified: The Big Gender Short in Investment Management." We explore Ellen Carr's unique path into portfolio management and how writing became a secret weapon in her investment strategy. She reveals key theories that lead to success in the credit markets, shares her perspectives from teaching at Columbia University and Northwestern University, and explains the concept of undiversification. We also talk about risk management, mentorship, and sponsorship in making a thriving career in finance. Enjoy! Follow Us: Assel Altayeva: LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/asselaltayeva/ Instagram (@femmesfinance) Ellen Carr: Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-carr-3352084/ Columbia Business School | https://business.columbia.edu/faculty/people/ellen-carr Book | The Big Gender Short in Investment Management Book | The Credit Investor's Handbook
🔊 #21 - Shivam Khullar on AI Innovations, Leadership in Tech, and Financial Freedom In this episode of the Femmes Finance Podcast, we are thrilled to welcome Shivam Khullar, an influential leader in the Enterprise Platforms domain. Shivam currently serves as the Director of Engineering at NVIDIA and previously held the role of Head of Enterprise Products at Google. Her expertise include business and technology enablement, product vision, strategy, and engineering execution. As an immigrant from India and an accomplished engineer, Shivam's journey highlights her passion for technology and commitment to innovation. Additionally, she is the co-founder and host of The Real Women in Tech podcast, where she engages in candid conversations with senior women executives. In this conversation, we touch on the essential art of asking thoughtful questions in leadership, drawing from Shivam's personal executive experiences and training sessions. We explore latest breakthroughs in #AI, from automated content generation to its applications in education, healthcare, and robotics. We discuss how AI will shape future careers and important soft and hard skills needed in the #AI era. We also discuss actionable strategies for achieving financial freedom, goal-setting, and the importance of staying curious in all aspects of life. And much, much more. Enjoy! Follow Us: Assel Altayeva: LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/asselaltayeva/) Instagram (@femmesfinance) Shivam Khullar: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivamkhullar/) Writings - Shivi from Literal Musings (https://literalmusings.substack.com/) The Real Women in Tech Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/0gr2z1opqI0c0qfshK5e4X)