In this episode of The Idealists. (formerly Grit & Grace), host and entrepreneur Melissa Kiguwa interviews Dr. Silvia Mah, the founder & Chairwoman of Stella Labs, an accelerator for women-owned businesses. Silvia is also the founding member of Stella Angels, a female angel investment group, and a founding partner of Ad Astra Ventures, a fund that invests in female founders who are redefining the future of business.
In this episode, she breaks down how she is cultivating the next generation of women angel investors.
“I was a competitive tennis player in high school, so I was number three nationally ranked in Venezuela… and I take that into business. I think how do I see this transfer of wealth or this transfer of value, so even though those are non-tangible things like a tennis ball, I see it as what is the business value that I bring in this conversation and how do we go back and forth? And as an investor how do I invest a $10,000 check or $25,000?”
episode highlights.
Silvia begins the episode by explaining her investment thesis and the types of businesses she invests in.
She then shares the details of a company in her portfolio that exited earlier this year.
She also describes the investment boot camp she hosts for new and current angel investors and venture capitalists to neutralize bias during the founder screening process.
Silvia goes on to share how she coaches and prepares underrepresented entrepreneurs to neutralize biases in front of investors and during pitch competitions.
She then details she validates traction when an underrepresented founder does not have strong revenue.
Silvia ends the episode explaining why she wakes up every day to nurture and grow the women's investment space.