GingerBread Capital

We're super excited to announce our newest member of the GingerBread Capital team—welcome, Elizabeth Valiaveedan! After an exhaustive search for an Associate that attracted hundreds of impressive applicants and involved a rigorous interviewing process, Liza demonstrated to us her exceptional analytical and communications skills—and her passion for our mission of getting more venture capital into the hands of female founders and funders. We're thrilled to have Liza on our investment team, and look forward to all the great work we'll be doing together. Read more about Liza on our website: https://lnkd.in/g49abRE7 We are grateful to all the amazing candidates who gave their time and energy to us during our search, and who share our mission to expand the funding ecosystem for entrepreneurial women who are changing the world. #womeninvc #womeninvestinginwomen #femalefounders #womeninfinance

Congratulations to All Raise and CEO Paige Hendrix Buckner on the publication of your latest annual report! In the 6 years that All Raise has been tracking the progress of women and non-binary people in decision-making roles and the impact of diverse teams in the venture capital ecosystem, their latest report has some encouraging news. Just a few highlights: *The proportion of women decision-makers in VC firms (with $50M AUM or greater) has nearly doubled, to 17.4% *Venture capital firms that increased their proportion of female partner hires by 10% saw, on average, a 1.5% spike in overall fund returns each year and had 9.7% more profitable exits *The positive impact of male allies in hiring, funding, and mentorship endeavors has made all the difference in moving the needle for women in VC. GBC Partner Ita Ekpoudom, who chairs All Raise's New York City Chapter and is a co-lead of its upcoming Annual Summit in the Fall of 2024, is among the numerous dynamic, female VCs featured in the report. Read the whole report here: https://lnkd.in/g4JnTQ-U #womeninvc #womeninvestinginwomen #femalefounders #investinwomen

GingerBread Capital Founder/CEO Linnea Roberts was in Los Angeles recently to give the keynote speech at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce about how women can build their wealth through investing, entrepreneurship and supporting other women. The event, held on June 18th, was part of the Chamber’s Women in Leadership series that brought together a diverse audience of women professionals and entrepreneurs. Linnea followed her remarks with an insightful, candid panel discussion with some of our favorite experts in finance and venture capital: Sallie Krawcheck, Founder/CEO of Ellevest (a GBC portfolio co.) and Jesse Draper, Managing Partner of Halogen Ventures. Moderated by GBC Partner Katherine Rice, the discussion covered how women can become better investors—in themselves, in their careers and businesses, and in the market. The panel is part of GingerBread Capital's “Know Your Worth Know Your Wealth” initiative to accelerate and expand the ecosystem of women founders and funders. Check out our blog for excerpts of Linnea's remarks and a downloadable list of great resources for kickstarting your own journey in building your personal wealth. https://lnkd.in/gjEfcE6z #womeninvestors #womeninvestinginwomen #investinwomen #womeninVC #womenfounders

We're looking forward to hearing from this panel of experts on how women can become more savvy investors, build wealth and support female founders building transformative businesses. If you're in Los Angeles on June 18th, please join us! Register on the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce website: https://lnkd.in/gDK5BPFj Linnea Roberts Katherine Rice Jesse Draper Halogen Ventures Sallie Krawcheck Ellevest #womeninfinance #personalfinance #buildingwealth #womeninvestinginwomen #womeninvc #womenfounders #femalefounders #entrepreneurship #venturecapital

We're thrilled to be part of this group of dynamic investors in Grayce, which just announced closing on a $10.4M Series A round to support families and caregivers everywhere, at every stage of life. Grayce was co-founded in 2019 by Julia Cohen Sebastien and Kassidee Kipp [pictured, center] to empower family members who are serving as caregivers for their loved ones. Grayce's platform provides personalized practical support and resources for individuals, families and employee benefits programs involving pre- and post-natal care, childcare, complex adult and elder care, and grief and bereavement. GIngerBread Capital joined lead investor Maveron along with BBG Ventures, Correlation Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Gaingels and What If Ventures in the round. The new funds will enable Grayce to enhance its employer solution and member experience as well as enter the payer market.  Read Co-Founder Julia Sebastien's blog post about Grayce's mission and the path ahead for supporting family caregivers: https://lnkd.in/exCDmAEN Read the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/gYh8jan7 Katherine Rice Linnea Roberts Ita Ekpoudom Julia Cohen Sebastien Kassidee Kipp Jason Stoffer Susan Lyne Nisha Dua Wesley Barrow #familycare #caregivers #childcare #eldercare #careeconomy #womenfounders #healthtech #womensupportingwomen #womeninvc

Last week GingerBread Capital's investment team attended The Care Summit, held on May 30 in San Francisco. The day-long Summit brought together visionary founders and investors who are driving innovation and collaboration in the $648 billion care economy. The invite-only event included networking and inspiring and insightful panel discussions from leading experts on topics such as how AI and public policy will shape the future of caregiving; leveraging technology to improve life and care for older adults and families; and investment opportunities in longevity, health, and well-being. The event kicked off with a keynote fireside chat with First Partner of California Jennifer Siebel Newsom and veteran health journalist Anna Nordberg about the enormous economic impact of care today and on future generations. They were introduced to the stage by GingerBread Capital’s own Katherine Rice, who provided opening remarks. Among the panelists and speakers were GBC portfolio company founders Helen Adeosun of CareAcademy, Joanna Strober of Midi Health, Julia Cohen Sebastien of Grayce and Lynn Perkins of UrbanSitter, along with fund partners Jesse Draper of Halogen Ventures and Monique Woodard of Cake Ventures. The event, which was sponsored by Pivotal Ventures and JPMorgan Chase & Co. , was co-produced by GingerBread Capital along with Magnify Ventures, Cake Ventures, The Holding Co., Ulu Ventures, Banc of California, Cooley LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Check out www.thecaresummit.com for the full agenda and replays of the panels in the coming weeks. #agetech #caretech #familyfintech #famtech #healthtech #parenttech #wellnesstech

When women are leading the conversation, good things happen! GBC Founder/CEO Linnea Roberts joined a rousing and insightful panel discussion with an illustrious group of women funders at the Milken Institute on 5/7 about how women are moving the needle on accelerating and increasing investments in female founders. And how the impending, massive wealth transfer into majority women’s control will reshape the future — for the better. Many thanks to moderator Anna Mason and panelists Tonya Allen, Erin Harkless Moore, CFA Kwanza Jones ♛ , and Sallie Krawcheck for an incredibly informative and inspiring session. Listen to the whole replay here: https://lnkd.in/gxW42aVe #womeninvestinginwomem #womeninvc #womeninfinance

Very insightful profile of GBC Partner Ita Ekpoudom talking about our “collaborative capital” approach to investing in female founders and emerging funds. Thanks All Raise! #womeninvc #femalefounders #investinwomen

The future of menopause care is here! We're thrilled to be among the investors in Midi Health, a virtual healthcare clinic that provides clinical services and counseling that help manage symptoms for women who are in menopause or perimenopause. On April 24th, Midi announced closing a $60M Series B round, led by the Emerson Collective. We joined the round with GV (Google Ventures), Memorial Hermann Health System, SemperVirens Venture Capital , Felicis, Icon Ventures, Black Angel Group, Able Partners, G9 Ventures and Operator Collective 🔆. Congratulations to Founder/CEO Joanna Strober and her team! Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/gKrNtQJk #womeninvc #healthcare #menopause #midlife #womeninhealthcare #womenfounders #investinwomen

We're pleased to announce that Sightglass Coffee has named Food & Beverage Exec Sharon Healy as Chief Executive Officer. Sharon is a seasoned veteran who has spent 30 years in the retail food & beverage industry, Healy brings to her new role a diverse background in leading both Fortune 500 and startup retail, wholesale and foodservice teams in building strategy and road maps for scalable growth. Her experience includes over a decade with Starbucks, the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, where she led key partnerships and drove record annual revenue growth with Starbucks’ largest licensees—Safeway, Kroger, and Sodexo. “With her track record for creating new revenue streams and growing market share with major retailers in the food and beverage industry, Sharon is the right executive at the right time to lead Sightglass into its next phase of growth,” said Linnea Roberts, a member of the Sightglass board. The company offers an omnichannel experience to retail and wholesale customers through its roastery and three retail locations in San Francisco; a full-service coffee bar, roastery and restaurant in Los Angeles; and its online shop on the Sightglass website.  Most recently, Healy served for five years as vice president of retail & wholesale business development for Richmond, Calif.-based Urban Remedy, Inc., an industry pioneer in ultra-fresh organic, ready-to-eat meals, juices and snacks. During her tenure there, Healy engineered one of the largest CPG partnerships in Urban Remedy’s history, launching their juices across 600 Kroger-owned stores within the western U.S. Earlier in her career, she honed her retail skills leading sales, operations and market expansion for Jamba Juice, where she oversaw 135 retail locations in Central California. “Sightglass is a special brand adored by those who cherish super-premium coffee. I'm excited for the opportunity to introduce our brand to a wider audience and guide it toward its full potential." said Healy, who stepped into her new role in January 2024. Sightglass was founded in San Francisco in 2009 by brothers Jerad and Justin Morrison, to source, produce, and share distinctive, quality-focused coffees. Today, Sightglass produces more than a dozen blends of meticulously sourced coffees, grown ethically and sustainably from coffee-growing regions around the world. Sightglass coffee can be found online, at select retail partners, and at its own retail locations in San Francisco and roastery/restaurant in Los Angeles, California. As part of the company’s leadership transition, the Morrison brothers have stepped down from the business to pursue other endeavors. Learn more at www.sightglasscoffee.com