2015 was one of the most rewarding and challenging years of my life.
In a nutshell, this year:
- I joined the accelerator team at 500 Startups and learned so much about investing in early stage technology companies in Silicon Valley and abroad, and led a few of my first investments. It’s been a true privilege learning from the entire team. I’m inspired everyday by the team around me.
- I gave 10+ talks & 20+ pitching workshops, judged/spoke on 5+ panels, helped two batches of ~65 startups & two 500 Startups Demo Days, and mentored 100+ founders all over the world.
- I traveled to 8 countries for the first time: Croatia (where I crashed a panel), Brazil (a place that feels like my 2nd home), UK, Nigeria, Ghana (highlight of 2015, can’t wait to go back!), Turkey, Germany, & Poland to mentor, speak, and pitch coach.
Ghanaian and Nigerian founders with me in MEST in Accra, Ghana – miss these ladies!
- Wrote about pitching, diversity debt, and even that day I went to prison.
3 Key Things I Learned:
From my first year at 500:
1) Have conviction, and speak up more. There were moments this year when I felt terrified of speaking my mind, or worse, sticking to my gut when people disagreed with me or thought I was wrong. I learned when they were right and should stop, listen, and change, but I also learned when to trust my intuition and stand my fucking ground. This year, I finally learned not to abandon myself in those moments, to breathe through them, and it’s made all the difference.
From deciding to speak Portuguese in public after 2 months:
2) Be bold, and make mistakes. Throughout my linguistics education, I was always studying languages. My journey with Portuguese has been unlike my experience with Tagalog, Chinese, or German – because this year I’ve never been much bolder about speaking and making mistakes daily. Like sales, every “no” leads to a “yes” – and every mistake led to faster learning for me. I still have such a long way to go, but I am feeling closer to fluency much faster than ever before.
From all the travel:
3) Embrace JOMO. Make quiet time for myself, no matter what. Health, sleep, water, activity, and filling my own cup comes first. #outgoingintrovert
What’s On My Mind for 2016:
- I miss building things. Stay tuned for some side hustles.
- MOAR travel and investing in emerging markets with 500 Startups!
- #empathywarrior, social impact, and diversity – stay tuned for launch of my new website and more.
Inspiration board that I made on the last day of 2015 to prepare for the coming year, with help from my mentor, Arina Isaacson.
Today, I feel so full of gratitude for all the new relationships, opportunities, and personal growth this year, and I’m so excited for the year ahead.
Now, onward.