Emerson Exchange 365

Today, I continue to recount my inspirational visit with tech entrepreneur, investor and founder of Empower a Billion Women by 2020, Ingrid Vanderveldt. If needed, Brush up on Part 1. Ingrid often speaks about why it’s important to be your authentic self and tell your authentic story. That day at Exchange, she talked about a time in her life when she cut off all her hair, threw away her makeup and wore a men’s suit to meetings – which she hilariously refers to as “duding up”. The results this experiment were not so funny. You can hear more about this in a podcast with Ingrid by Forbes author, Denise Restauri.

By 2011, post-duding up phase, Ingrid had met Michael Dell. That year, she pitched her idea, Empower a Billion Women by 2020, to he and then President, Steve Felice. She lost a few pounds in sweat preparing for that meeting but, ultimately, it was telling her authentic story that helped her strike the deal. Here’s a bit of advice from her presentation at the Emerson Global Users' Exchange that she utilized in her pitch:

Every pitch must offer the audience clear answers to these questions:

1. What’s in it for you? (the organization or investor)
2. What’s in it for me? (what I want to receive in return)
3. In what time frame will we accomplish this? (this one is very important because without a set time, a job can easily become a hobby and can get put on the back burner by all involved.)

And, here’s an example of how successfully answering those questions helped Ingrid secure the relationship with Dell:

1. Dell wanted to become the leading tech company for entrepreneurs around the globe.
2. Helping Dell accomplish this goal would provide Ingrid with the opportunity to reach a global audience of women and move her initiative to Empower a Billion Women forward.
3. To reach the 2020 goal, they set annual goals, broken down to quarterly goals, broken into monthly goals, weekly goals and ultimately, daily goals.

Q:  Pitching your idea led to your role as the first ever Entrepreneur in Residence at Dell. Tell us how that came about?

A: Thinking back, I don’t know exactly what I was asking for in terms of a role. Up to that point, I had never worked for anyone else than myself. Steve and I defined the role of Entrepreneur in Residence (aka: EIR) on the spot that that day. It was what we both thought was the definition of what I wanted — to be creative within a structure.

That time in my life inspires me for so many reasons there. In 2011, there were only six or seven Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs) in the Fortune 500 space - all of whom were men.  Beginning my EIR career as (very likely) the first female EIR was exciting. Dell made a huge statement to the world; it had named its first EIR and that EIR was a woman.

Q: A previous Women in STEM blogger, Jordan Rogers, said that being your authentic self can help you attract employers that are a good fit for you. Do you think this is also true in business? Can being your authentic self, help you attract “the right” clients, the right investors, etc.?

A: Absolutely! It’s the most exciting thing to stand in your authentic self, but it can also be very scary. I prepare for every pitch by asking myself if this is the right resource/investor both for me and for THIS project.

Want another memorable quote from Ingrid’s presentation earlier? Get comfortable, being uncomfortable.

A: Here’s an example to really bring this (conversation) home. We currently have an opportunity on the table from a very high profile woman in Saudi Arabia who wants to invest a large sum of money in EBW2020.  We want her to be able to stand in her authentic self. However, she lives in an area of the world where leadership does not support this; they’ve told us so very clearly These are the realties: Her partnering with EBW could move the world forward. However, doing so could literally put her life in danger. That, is scary stuff.

Q: You speak frequently about the influence of your long-time mentor, George Kozmetsky (also mentor to Michael Dell). What’s your advice on finding the right mentor?

Find someone doing or who has done (as closely as possible) exactly what you want to do. Otherwise, you may sit through conversations that are not relevant or their resources may not match what you need. Time is the most valuable thing a mentor can give and “fit” is very important. That mentor should also choose you. Myself? As I mentor, I will roll up my sleeves and get out my rolodex. Thus, I want to mentor someone with whom I want to connect my resources.

And here’s a real secret: The most successful people never get asked to be mentors. They often have enough money and resources, but what they are missing is a way to give back. Ask yourself, how can I be of service to that person? Once you’ve answered that, go for it!

Q: Three short years from now, how will a billion women be better equipped and inspired to claim what is their right to “do” or “be”?

A: Women business owners need equal access to funding. In 2016, female CEOs received a dismal 2.7% of all venture capital funding.* We launched the EBW fund last year to change that. But, not a single woman applied. I was mad – at myself and at the women who did not even show up. I could have easily moved forward with accepting the many, many applications I received from men. But, I had to remember the fundamental reasons I started this venture. So, I invested a ton of my own money and time into creating affordable services for women to learn to prepare their business case, make their pitch and get one step closer to claiming what is theirs. I won’t lie, it’s been hard, but I want to know that when I exit this earth, that when I was called to do what I needed to do, that I answered that calling.

Women also need a network of women and men that are actively working to help them reach their highest potential as leaders.

Here’s what a few EBW members say about their experience:

“EBW has provided me with an opportunity to surround myself with other strong female leaders and to be mentored and taught things like how to manage from a place of centeredness rather than a place of self-doubt. In turn, my business sales grew $1M and 30% last year,” COO of an IOT company and owner of a spa business.

“I learned game-changing information on business and financial literacy. Giving back and having a global mind set is also a core value of EBW. To go from helping 100 patients to 10,000 with a family of my EBW sisters all cheering me on is indescribable,” CEO and inventor of recovery device for *** cancer patients. 

Q: How can readers learn more and become involved?

A: Thank you so much for asking. I’d like to extend an invite to men and women to help women worldwide achieve their full potential. Do what you can and be part of this extraordinary movement. Join our Facebook community or a boots-on-the-ground EBW organization in your city. Visit www.EBW2020.com And, where it makes sense? Become a customer. For every dollar we make, we give one dollar back to build technology that helps educate women in developing countries.

As well as empowering one billion women, EBW plans to help one million women entrepreneurs earn over $1M (currently less than 2% reach this goal) and help a minimum of ten women get over the $100M mark. With their $1 for $1 philosophy, that’s over $1BILLION dollars they can reinvest into the development of educational apps for women in developing countries. Ingrid has also worked with the Whitehouse and continues to work with the UN on these important global initiatives.