Venture capital has a reputation for only funding certain demographics of entrepreneurs, particularly white men. As both entrepreneurs seeking funding and investors looking to support them become more diverse, we don’t necessarily see that trend change. Gayle Jennings O’Byrne is here today to talk about the power of storytelling in venture capital and how it can help build trust, break down barriers, and get capital into the hands of those who need it, especially women entrepreneurs. This week’s episode 114 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about the power of storytelling in venture capital! 

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Gayle Jennings O'Byrne is sharing the importance of diverse teams in the venture capital space and actionable steps you can take right now to break down barriers through storytelling. 

Gayle Jennings O'Byrne is the CEO of Wocstar Capital, and Co-Founder and General Partner of the Wocstar Fund, an early-stage venture fund that invests in the future of consumption and innovation using a female arbitrage strategy — women of color tech entrepreneurs (“WOCstars”). Gayle was named one of "10 Women Changing the Landscape of Leadership'' by the New York Times, March 2021, one of the top Black venture capitalists, Business Insider, February 2024, and one of the top “10 Women of Influence” by Venture Capital Journal, July 2022. She is an instructor at Wocstar Academy and co-founder of the Ally Capital Collab, an initiative aimed at tackling systemic underinvestment in women of color fund managers. 

Some of the talking points Julie and Gayle go over in this episode include:

• Gayle’s story and why she started Wocstar Capital to support women entrepreneurs.
• Women’s role in making consumer decisions and therefore the market in general.
• Raising capital by using storytelling to break down barriers.
• The importance of mentorship and leadership development for women in the tech industry.

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