Show Notes
Marcia Dawood is an early-stage investor who serves as the vice-chair on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. She is a venture partner with Mindshift Capital, a member of Golden Seeds, and the chair emeritus of the Angel Capital Association (ACA), a global professional society for angel investors. She is the author of the award-winning book 'Do Good While Doing Well, Invest for Change, Reap Financial Rewards, and Increase Your Happiness'. She is also an associate producer on the award-winning documentary 'Show Her the Money'. A TEDx speaker and the host of the award-winning Angel Next Door podcast, Marcia walks the talk and holds investments in over fifty early-stage companies and funds. She is committed to expanding support for diverse companies that overcome the world’s biggest problems and accelerate positive change. She is passionate about bridging the gap from early-stage inception to building thriving, profitable companies. Previously, Marcia worked in sales, marketing, and operations for Kaplan Education for over sixteen years. She received an MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. Marcia currently splits her time between New York City and North Carolina with her husband, Izzy, and she feels lucky to be the stepmom to three amazing sons. We cover the following: 02:21 The evolution of angel investing 02:43 Investment strategies and diversification 04:01 Equity crowdfunding and philanthropic investments 07:46 Women in investing and healthcare 10:58 Evaluating deals and overcoming bias 14:56 Impact investing 19:49 Challenges and support for startups 22:31 Valuation, portfolio construction, and dilution 29:22 Exit strategies and economic conditions 34:03 The future of angel investing and alternative models 36:32 Encouraging more women to invest 38:18 Conclusion
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Lindy Claassen is a Certified Financial Planner and Wealth Planner at Brown Shipley, part of Quintet Private Bank, with more than a decade of experience in financial planning across South Africa and the UK. She began her career with Old Mutual in South Africa before moving to the UK, where she went on to work with Quilter Private Client Advisers and Balance Wealth Planning before joining Brown Shipley. Today, Lindy advises individuals and families on complex financial planning, with particular experience in retirement, estate and succession planning. Lindy is particularly interested in how the relationship between women and wealth is evolving, as more women become wealth creators, investors and capital allocators. We cover the following in our conversation: 0:00 Welcome 01:49 Lindy’s early money story 05:36 The 'Great Wealth Transfer' shift 09:30 How wealth management firms adapt 14:59 Who women clients are now 18:40 From saving to investing 21:16 Purpose beyond returns 24:37 Angel investing 30:28 Legacy and tax planning 33:09 The future of women and capital 35:56 Final thoughts
Marianne Abib-Pech, an international finance executive, investor, and author. Marianne previously led the strategic repositioning and expansion of Shell Aviation, a $30 billion global business, and went on to found LTF Partners and co-found Transitions First.She is now leading the development of a new industrial capital platform targeting $300 million to support the commercialisation and scale-up of industrial deep tech.Marianne is also the author of The FT Guide to Leadership. We cover the following in our conversation: 2:30 – Non-obvious patterns investors miss about industrial vs. software value creation (the "J curve") 5:12 – Why industrial investing requires underwriting an entire system, not just a technology 8:36 – Case study: AgriLoops, going from pilot to physical plant 10:55 – Where traditional VC breaks down for long-cycle, capital-intensive sectors 14:26 – The funding architecture problem and how to redesign it 17:11 – "Bits vs. atoms": the shift back toward industrial/physical investment 22:47 – Geopolitics: US-Iran, Russia, supply chain fragmentation reshaping capital flows 27:30 – Europe's opportunity to lead in industrial deep tech 32:10 – Lessons from Shell Aviation: process discipline, security of supply, collaboration over competition 35:53 – M&A in frontier markets: risk vs. perception of risk, pattern recognition over "intuition" 46:02 – The GE furnace analogy for continuous industrial systems 46:17 – Where AI creates real defensible value in physical industries (and where capital is mis-priced) 50:32 – Leadership in an age of AI and geopolitical uncertainty 51:35 – "It's courage" , one-word definition of leadership today 55:24 – Women in investing and cognitive diversity in deep tech 58:30 – Closing question: what's systematically underestimated — society's capacity to build 60:54 – Final thoughts
Sana Kapadia is Chief Catalyst at Heading for Change, investing in solutions that advance climate, nature, biodiversity and gender equality. Her career has spanned gender and climate finance, impact investing and equity research. She is focused on leveraging capital as a tool for social change and to support deep and intersectional systemic shifts. We cover the following in our conversation: 00:00 Welcome 01:44 Heading for Change mission 04:51 Why gender lens matters 08:41 Suzanne Biegel legacy 12:18 Understanding the 2X Challenge 14:33 From niche to mainstream 18:54 Climate and gender nexus 25:25 Inner work of systems change 29:44 Generational shifts in capital 32:02 Care economy as infrastructure 36:08 Measuring inclusion and impact 38:46 ESG and DEI backlash 41:33 Staying the course together 44:54 Redesigning finance for equity. **** The reports mentioned in this episode are: Heading for Change Insights Reports Investment Toolkit & Guidance Other climate and gender Tools, Resources Climate & gender investing overview Tools Metrics Gender care and climate rubric Project Catalyst & SAGE Criterion report Pivotal care economy report ***
Triin Linamagi is the Founding Partner of Arãya Sie Fund, an early-stage venture fund backing the next generation of women-led businesses in the UK and Europe. The fund invests at the pre-seed and seed stage across healthcare, climate, fintech, and deeptech/AI. She is also the Founder and CEO of Sie Ventures, an angel syndicate and capital platform. Sie Ventures improves access to high-quality investment opportunities for angel investors while supporting women founders through dedicated programs to help them fund and scale their ventures. Triin brings over a decade of investment experience across multiple venture capital funds. Prior to her career in VC, she spent several years as a founder and operator building technology companies, giving her a unique dual perspective as both investor and entrepreneur.
Dr Georgia Fleet is a scientist turned entrepreneur on a mission to tackle one of healthcare's most persistent challenges: hospital-acquired infections. She founded Zonova on International Women's Day in 2023 and is as CEO & Co-Founder. A materials scientist by training, Georgia spotted how medical devices drive hospital infections, and how few commercial solutions exist to address it. Three years on, the company's Z-ROS® antimicrobial materials platform is in active commercial discussions with global device manufacturers to make hospital-acquired infections a problem of the past. Georgia is a 2024/25 Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award winner, named Most Disruptive at Women in Tech EU 2025 and was listed #1 in TechRound's Top 50 Women in Startups & Tech in 2026 - recognising her commitment to impact, innovation, and women in STEM. We cover the following in our conversation: 01:59 Why hospital infections persist 04:40 Breakthrough: The "aha" moment 06:50 Pivot to platform model 08:25 Founder market fit 11:05 Fundraising reality check 17:20 Pitching platform and hiring CCO 19:43 Women investors 27:30 Fundraising experience 30:06 IP and impact strategy 31:44 Looking ahead: Ten year vision 33:51 Advice for new women investors 36:38 Final thoughts