Current Gig: 2011 Pipeline Fund Fellow, Inaugural class. Pipeline Fund Fellows program goal is to train women philanthropists to become angel investors through education, mentorship and practice. Collectively, we will invest $50,000 in one women-led tripled bottom line venture.
Business Creds: co-founder/owner of a profitable boutique retail business offering a unique mix of antiques, home furnishings and specialty gifts. Business was bootstrapped with a variety of funding sources including a maternity leave (seed capital) and line of credit against our home. Profitable since Year 2, we successfully weathered the Great Recession by overhauling virtually every aspect of the business. Bucked the prevailing retail trend and did NOT discount. Prior to these seven years of self-employment, spent seven years working in marketing, business development and operations in the Internet, primarily in the online music space. Worked three years as an Executive Recruiter placing high level executives within the pharmaceutical, biotech and consumer packaged goods industries.
Non-Profit creds: Chair or member of several boards including: Fourth Arts Block, responsible for the development and promotion of the East 4th St. cultural district; the in formation Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District, dedicated to the promotion and vitality of Downtown Atlantic Avenue businesses; Girls Scouts of Greater New York Leadership Advisory Board; and various positions with my Alma Mater (Smith) including VP of class and member of the Campaign Council which is in the process of launching a comprehensive campaign.
Pet peeve: funding of non-novel ideas via the Old Boys Network.
Personal hobbies: international and adventure travel. Most remote place visited: SCUBA dived in Antarctica on my honeymoon. Most times, I can be found at home, curled up with a book, vicariously traveling via my favorite genre: historical fiction.
I’m a 40-year old Brooklynite, embarking on a new career journey via the Pipeline Fund Fellowship, into the elusive and intriguing financial industry, with a specific focus on investing in women-led social ventures. I’m also very interested in funding/financing for small businesses, and I don’t mean $50 million small, I mean Mom and Pop small. The way to make money is through ownership and the advantage begins with those who already have money in the first place. I’m interested in disrupting this self-perpetuating cycle by getting more capital into the hands of the historically marginalized and to ventures that pay not only their shareholders but the larger community and planet as well. I invite you to join me as I attempt to make heads and tails of the money machine and throw a few wrenches into its cogs along the way.
Inside An Angel 
Wow. I didn’t know you are an Angel investor. Congrats! Helping women entrepreneurs this way is awesome!