About
"A baby boomer with the heart and soul of a millennial” best describes me. I grew up…
Articles by Geri
-
A Springboard To Success For Female Blockchain Founders
A Springboard To Success For Female Blockchain Founders
By Geri Stengel
-
A Female Tech Founder Who Chose To Bypass Venture Capital
A Female Tech Founder Who Chose To Bypass Venture Capital
By Geri Stengel
-
Is Blockchain The Future Of Journalism? Two Entrepreneurs Take A Chance
Is Blockchain The Future Of Journalism? Two Entrepreneurs Take A Chance
By Geri Stengel
Contributions
-
Why is financial literacy important for social entrepreneurship?
Social entrepreneurs are driven by a dual mission—to create a positive social impact while maintaining financial viability. Social enterprises need funds to operate and achieve their social goals. Financial skills enable you to make informed resource-allocation decisions. Showing your financial acumen is crucial for attracting investors, lenders, and grants. You can track key metrics with financial skills to maximize your social good. Understanding cash flow management, debt management, and financial modeling can help you identify and avoid potential financial risks. You must build stakeholder trust by maintaining accurate financial records, preparing budgets and reports, and clearly communicating financial performance.
Activity
-
Childhood Friends Launch Legacy Venture Capital to Disrupt Healthcare Two childhood friends, Tiffany Pham and Diane Shao, MD, PhD, have launched…
Childhood Friends Launch Legacy Venture Capital to Disrupt Healthcare Two childhood friends, Tiffany Pham and Diane Shao, MD, PhD, have launched…
Shared by Geri Stengel
-
The Unspoken Struggle: Caregiver Isolation in the Workplace The staggering statistic that 73% of the workforce identifies as #caregivers reveals a…
The Unspoken Struggle: Caregiver Isolation in the Workplace The staggering statistic that 73% of the workforce identifies as #caregivers reveals a…
Shared by Geri Stengel
-
Digital Pharmacy Fights Against Counterfeit Meds in #Bangladesh Amidst political change, Arogga is a beacon of hope, tackling #Bangladesh's critical…
Digital Pharmacy Fights Against Counterfeit Meds in #Bangladesh Amidst political change, Arogga is a beacon of hope, tackling #Bangladesh's critical…
Shared by Geri Stengel
Experience
Education
Volunteer Experience
-
Board, chair of the fundraising committee
Praxis Housing Initiatives, Inc.
Poverty Alleviation
Stabilizes chronically homeless persons with HIV/AIDS and other special needs through clean, safe housing.
Publications
-
Women VCs Target Complex Disease With Life Science Fund
Forbes
By combining the business acumen and scientific knowledge of its female founders, Legacy Venture Capital will help life science startups turn research into commercial success.
-
Caregiver Isolation Targeted By Keep Company
Forbes
Caregiving can be isolating and lonely. Keep Company wants to change that but it took perseverance to get investors to appreciate the company’s potential.
-
Digital Rx: Arogga Fights Counterfeit Meds In Bangladesh
Forbes
Arogga—a digital pharmacy—is tackling counterfeit medication in Bangladesh. Female investors helped the female founder overcome the challenges of the VC winter.
-
Wells Fargo Empowers CDFIs To Expand Their Small Business Impact
Forbes
The Wells Fargo Open for Business fund gave CDFIs and nonprofits the long-term resources they needed to help underserved businesses grow and their communities thrive.
-
Building Inclusive Workplace Cultures In A Polarized World
Forbes
When employees learn how to communicate and work with each other, workplaces are more equitable and employees are easier to retain.
-
Low- To Moderate-Wage Earners Find Financial Lifeline In Fintech
Forbes
Financial shocks, which happen to everyone, can completely derail low- and moderate-income households. Let’s Get Set is a fintech solution that lessens the shock.
-
Social Video Analytics Firm Proves Women Belong In AI, Too
Forbes
Video conversations hold a lot of information for brands and ViralMoment gives them access, despite the initial reservations investors had about women in AI.
-
Yelp-Like Platform Empowers Disabled Community
Forbes
Individuals with disabilities and their families are a significant market for goods and services, yet they are often overlooked. Find stores that go the extra mile.
-
Verswire: Revolutionizing The Music Industry With Artist-First Model
Forbes
Sherry Saeedi's Verswire, a music industry disruptor, empowers artists with a venture capital model, championing fair pay and creative freedom for musicians.
-
ParentSquare: One-Stop Shop For K12 School-Family Communications
Forbes
Teachers, parents, and schools now have a unified, two-way communication platform that facilitates parent engagement with education.
-
Building GameTree: A Ukrainian Veteran’s Fight Against Online Toxicity
Forbes
Veterans have powerful skills that enable them to overcome the challenges of entrepreneurship.
-
Overcoming Gender Bias In European Venture Capital
Forbes
Two women GPs are challenging the bro culture of European VC, and their strategy is paying off. CapitalT invests in incredibly diverse founders who are outperforming.
-
Public-Private Partnership Bring Billions To Diverse-Owned Businesses
Forbes
With programs like SSBCI and IIE, government funding, matched by public and private investors, opens debt, private equity, and VC funding to diverse-owned businesses.
-
Funding For Women’s Health: Unlocking The Power Of Women Investors
Forbes
Women-accredited investors energized growth in VC investments in FemTech. They play a crucial role in improving women’s health innovations. More need to become LPs.
-
From Startup To Email Marketing Powerhouse: The Flodesk Journey
Forbes
Becoming a team instead of individual founders was the first step in developing an email marketing platform for small businesses. It was critical to the success of Flodesk.
-
Women’s Health PAC Launches: A Turning Point For Research And Care
Forbes
Research into women’s health needs has been underfunded, but the Women’s Health PAC aims to change that by making women’s health research a priority issue.
-
How a Women-Owned UI/UX Design Firm Smashed The Glass Ceiling
Forbes
Oak Theory—a women-owned UI/UX design firm—defied the odds to break through the $1 million mark by leveraging supplier diversity programs and joining a peer support group.
-
Siam Capital Shows That Consumer Green Tech Is Big Business
Forbes
Funding investments at the intersection of sustainability and consumer technology deliver financial returns and make a social and environmental impact.
-
Sports AI: A Game-Changing Partner For Coaches
Forbes
Identifying opponent weaknesses and finding hidden talent requires lots of data that AI can analyze quickly, giving coaches insights they may have missed and saving time.
-
How An SBA EIDL Loan Grew Destination Sitters During The Pandemic
Forbes
Destination Sitters’ growth during and after Covid-19 highlights the adaptability and agility of women-owned businesses when they have access to capital.
-
HealthyBaby: Shazi Visram Built Her Business On Resilience And Support
Forbes
Shazi Visram son’s autism diagnosis drove her to create HealthyBaby, providing non-toxic products to keep babies and toddlers safe. Being resilient is part of her DNA.
-
EEOC And Investors Support Hello Alice’s Grants For Black Entrepreneurs
Forbes
Despite a lawsuit challenging grants for black-owned businesses, Hello Alice closed a Series C funding round and continues to give grants to small businesses.
-
Lesbian Founder Beats Self-Doubt To Treat Loneliness With Healthtech
Forbes
Despite self-doubt, a lesbian founder overcame VC bias to found a high-growth healthtech startup to treat loneliness. Health plan companies are impressed with her results.
-
Women VCs Revolutionize Funding For Enterprise AI Software
Forbes
Women VCs—Sheila Gulati and Stacey Giard of Tola Capital—promote diversity among LPs and fuel innovation through early-stage investments in AI enterprise software.
-
Via And Justworks Merge: A Match Made In Values Heaven
Forbes
The aligned values of two human capital management companies, will help the acquisition of Via by Justworks succeed, and their small-business customers thrive.
-
Edtech Founder’s Next Chapter: School Board Candidacy
Forbes
Maxeme Tuchman's desire to apply her entrepreneurial and edtech skills to public school education guided her to become a candidate for a seat on a school board.
-
Helping Kids Cope: Latina Founder Takes On A Growing Mental Health Crisis
Forbes
With Clayful, an on-demand, chat-based platform, schools can provide students with coaches to work through everyday emotional challenges and manage their mental health.
-
AI For Justice: How A Female Founder Builds The Case For Lawyers
Forbes
Darrow, an AI justice intelligence platform, automates research to help find class action lawsuits and build cases more quickly. Meet the woman CTO and cofounder.
-
Female Founder Keeps Ukrainian Diamond Factory Open Despite War
Forbes
Despite wartime challenges, SOLO for Diamonds and Alkor-D continue operation, producing lab-grown diamonds and fine jewelry in the Ukraine.
-
Raising VC Against The Odds: The Journey Of A Black Female Founder
Forbes
In 2 years, Melanie Samba, a Black female founder, created a conference intelligence platform raising over $1 million with a waitlist of over a thousand prospects.
-
Diversity And Partnerships Drive Artemis Real Estate To $10 Billion Under Management
Forbes
A women-owned real estate private equity firm outperforms and passes $10 billion assets under management.
-
Financial Advice Made Affordable By A Black Female Fintech Founder
Forbes
The not-yet-wealthy need financial advice to build wealth, which was costly, until now. A Black woman has built a business that makes wealth management affordable.
-
Overcoming Equity And Grant Fundraising Challenges In A Tough Market
Forbes
Whether it’s grants or venture capital, funding technology for progressive causes requires dedication and patience, but New Media Ventures is determined.
-
A Hispanic Women-Owned Wholesaler Finds Opportunity During The Pandemic
Forbes
Immigrant entrepreneurs bring grit to building a business. With support, even the pandemic didn’t stop these Hispanic business owners from growing dramatically.
-
Breaking Barriers: A Startup Changes The Game For EV Charging In Cities
Forbes
As startups do, itselectric is changing how electric vehicles are charged in the U.S. Two cofounders looked at the problem differently than transportation insiders.
-
Surviving Sabotage, This Women-Owned Waste Hauler Grew To $40 Million In 5 Years
Forbes
Waste management has long been a man’s game, a dog-eat-dog game at that. But women-owned, SBC Waste Solutions, has changed the rules, and is winning.
-
Motherhood And War: The Challenges A Project Management Startup Overcame
Forbes
A female founder navigates childcare challenges and supports her Ukrainian team during wartime while building an innovative project management cloud platform.
-
Spur Economic Growth By Protecting Supplier Diversity Programs
Forbes
Lawsuits against supplier diversity programs fail to recognize the value to the overall economy. It’s not just diverse-owned businesses that benefit, it’s everyone.
-
Sigrid Therapeutics Tackles Prediabetes With Silica―A Sustainable Mineral
Forbes
By using natural silica grasses, Sigrid Therapeutics with its Glucose Stabiliser hopes to prevent Type 2 Diabetes. Preventive supplements are peaking investor interest.
-
How Begin Health Convinced Investors That Kids Pooping Problems Mattered
Forbes
Pooping isn’t the subject of polite conversation but it is critical to health. Prebiotics for kids can establish good gut health and prevent lifelong problems
-
Lawsuit Against Grants For Black Entrepreneurs Could Slow Economic Growth
Forbes
AFL lawsuit against Hello Alice, a grants provider for underrepresented entrepreneurs, could have catastrophic effects on small businesses and the U.S. economy.
-
How Gender Bias Blocks Better Healthcare In Bangladesh
Forbes
Female founders in emerging markets have huge potential, yet they face discrimination and lack financial support. In Bangladesh, Praava Health is overcoming the odds.
-
Startup Diversity At Risk: SEC To Recommend Stricter Accredited Investors Criteria
Forbes
When high-net-worth individuals invest, they allow innovative startups—often founded by women, POC, and other underrepresented groups—to grow and prosper.
-
Female Founder Pioneers Low-Dose THC Cannabis And Hemp Gummies
Forbes
By creating microdoses of THC—the active ingredient in cannabis and hemp, The High Confectionary gives people more control over achieving the desired experience.
-
How A VC Is Helping Diverse Founders Cross The Fundraising Chasm
Forbes
Day One Ventures is helping to change the game for underrepresented founders by providing capital, mentorship, coaching, and connections to funders and customers.
-
Black Korean Female Founder Overcomes VC Bias To Disrupt CPG Industry
Forbes
Learn how Partake Foods CEO Denise Woodard defied VC funding challenges to raise $20 million, including from Jay-Z’s VC fund, to create an allergy-friendly snack brand.
-
Disabled Woman Uses Her Military Training To Excel As An Entrepreneur
Forbes
Veterans know how to face down challenges and solve problems, which is why they make good entrepreneurs. But funders may not see that when the veteran is a woman.
-
Surviving And Thriving: The Rise Of Everviolet's Adaptive Wear Brand
Forbes
Women know what women need, especially when it comes to lingerie to wear post-breast cancer. Keira Kotler is tapping into the adaptive wear market worth billions.
-
Building Better Cities: Alicia Glen’s Vision For Affordable Housing
Forbes
Women know that strong communities need affordable housing, and real estate development funds must play a role. How one woman is ensuring more women are involved.
-
How A CVC Is Disrupting The Status Quo In Health, Hygiene, And Nutrition
Forbes
Startups innovating healthcare have a new source of funding: a socially responsible corporate venture capitalist firm that cares about values as well as returns.
-
Hello Alice Defends Grants For Black Entrepreneurs
Forbes
Lawsuits are undermining the ability of Black/African American-owned businesses to get funding through special programs that try to equalize funding opportunities.
-
Female Founder And VC Share Insider Advice For Navigating Startup Success
Forbes
When a founder takes VC funding, who is really in charge? A new book explores the dynamics between founders and investors in startups.
-
Farmbox’s Pivot From D2C To B2B Results In Exponential Growth
Forbes
To combat food insecurity, Farmbox Rx partners with health plans to offer their members access to healthy foods through their insurance or OTC member benefit.
-
Coming Soon: NASA-Based Vibration Treatment For Osteoporosis
Forbes
Osteoporosis is a painful and expensive problem not limited to older women. Now, a medtech company is using NASA research to treat low bone density.
-
Creating A Cultural Movement With Nail Polish
Forbes
Who’d think that nail polish and socks could be a red carpet-item? Branding that stresses individualism and self-expression disrupts markets and builds businesses.
-
Medical Breakthrough Offers Hope To Those Fighting Addiction
Forbes
Detoxing from substance abuse is tough, but oral Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD) is a former addict’s gift to those who want to end their dependency.
-
CleanTech: Cleaner Cleaning Products From Food Waste
Forbes
Dispersa, a cleantech company, transforms food waste into biosurfactants, a green ingredient in industrial and consumer cleaning products. The company raised $5 million.
-
Fairview's JoAnn Price Advances Diversity Through Fund Of Funds
Forbes
JoAnn Price is one of Forbes 50 Over 50: 2023, proving that investment in diverse and emerging managers is good business.
-
Female Founder’s Leadership And Team Development Platform Attracts VC
Forbes
Fundraising for the preseed round for Rising Team to Jennifer Dulski, a serial entrepreneur, seemed long, six months. But her seed round took just three weeks.
-
Unlocking B2B Small Business Growth, By Speeding Up The Payment Process
Forbes
Slow processing of payments has limited the growth of B2B small businesses. Two women entrepreneurs have tackled the problem with a new financing option.
-
A Founder’s Roadmap For Building Angel And Venture Capital Connections
Forbes
Deskless frontline workers need training. Most VCs and angel investors didn’t see need. A founder discovered how to find the proverbial needle in the haystack.
-
Fearless Fund Lawsuit Spotlights Bias Against Black Female Founders
Forbes
Fearless Fund and its legal team are standing up to a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination and fighting for economic freedom for Black female founders.
-
The SBA: 70 Years Of Helping Small Businesses Thrive
Forbes
Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, which is why the SBA was created. Thanks to the SBA, WOC-owned businesses grew stronger coming out of Covid-19.
-
Sibling Entrepreneurs Turn Plastic Waste Into A Sustainable Lifestyle Brand
Forbes
When plastic bottles washed up their beach, two young, sibling entrepreneurs turned their disgust into a thriving, lifestyle clothing business that recycled waste.
-
Credit-Challenged Small Businesses Have A New Source Of Capital
Forbes
Financing options for women-owned businesses have expanded. A small business credit card helps credit-challenged or early-stage entrepreneurs build their credit history.
-
How The FemTech Revolution Addresses Women’s Sexual And Maternal Health
Forbes
Sometimes, good things bring pain. For some women, sex and childbirth can be both. Materna Health is finding solutions to vaginismus and severe perineal tears.
-
Small, Diverse, Emerging Fund Managers Are Changing Venture Capital
Forbes
Smaller can be better. When it comes to VC fund management, the ability to spot good investments is more important than the amount of assets under management (AUM).
-
Avante Capital Partners Changes Private Credit And Private Equity For Women
Forbes
Where there’s gender disparity in a sector, women step up with ways to close the gap. A woman-owned company is doing just that in the private credit and private equity.
-
Developing Post-Affirmative Action DEI Programs Are A Growing Business
Forbes
SCOTUS ruling against affirmative action doesn’t make DEI programs obsolete. Diversity is good business, and companies will find ways to achieve it.
-
How A Black Female Founder Persevered To Raise VC For A Canadian Cybersecurity Startup
Forbes
Cybersecurity is necessary for every business. Yet, investors were reluctant to fund a Black female founder, no matter her credentials. She overcame that reluctance.
-
$1 Trillion Market Tapped By Female VCs Focused On Women’s Work
Forbes
Women’s economic participation is hampered by their roles as chief caregivers and the lack of support to facilitate their participation. Now a VC firm is focusing on building that infrastructure.
-
Architectural Firm Improves Space By Designing For Neurodiversity Inclusion
Forbes
Women architects are leading the way in inclusive design that makes it possible for neurodiverse people to be their best.
-
Child Care: Not Just A Women’s Issue, An Economic Issue
Forbes
Two men have built a company that helps businesses as well as families. With safe, stable child care as an employee benefit, employees are more loyal and productive.
-
Business Acquisition: A Road To Success For Small Business Growth
Forbes
Robyn Streisand, CEO of The Mixx, a strategic creative agency, began growing by acquiring complementary businesses.
-
A Business Exit Using An ESOP Benefits The Owner And Employees
Forbes
With an ESOP, you can keep your company’s values and culture in place when you exit by turning it over to those who helped create them—your employees. It's a win win.
-
Cold Calls To VCs And Perseverance Bring Digital Board Game Console To Market
Forbes
To achieve success as an entrepreneur, you have to ignore the naysayers and keep on trying. That attitude has brought a new kind of digital play to board games.
-
More Female Founders And Investors Are Needed To Ensure A Greener Future
Forbes
Women are revolutionizing the climate-tech and clean-tech sectors by creating and funding products and solutions for a healthier planet.
-
Immigrant Female Founder Is Disrupting Supply-Chain Management Tools
Forbes
The big guns in supply chain management have a challenger, a company founded by a woman immigrant. She’s filling gaps the big guys didn’t notice.
-
Diverse Emerging Manager Identifies Missed Opportunities In Venture Capital
Forbes
Differentiation is a competitive edge for founders and venture capitalists. Diversity is a proven success factor, yet institutional investors ignore the opportunity.
-
Drill-Free Dental Implants: An Easier, More Affordable Way To Replace A Tooth
Forbes
A dentist drilling is an image most don’t enjoy, but a startup with a drill-free option may change that. And it doesn’t require an expensive trip to a specialist.
-
Seeding Platform Paves Way For Emerging Fund Managers And First-Time Founders
Forbes
The new kids on the block—BIPOC and female founders and fund managers—have another player on their team: a seed funder who is looking to help those just entering the marketplace.
-
Forget the Glass Ceiling: Build Your Business Without One
Blurb
Forget the Glass Ceiling: Build Your Business Without One is a practical look at the barriers women face in starting new businesses as well as the ways over, under, around and through those barriers. Using the experiences of 10 high-powered women entrepreneurs, Geri Stengel lays out the tactics that women can use to inspire and achieve business success.
-
8 Reasons Angel Investing Fulfills YOUR Dreams While Helping Others
Forbes
Investing in women entrepreneurs is good for the economy and good for you. Find out why.
Other authorsSee publication
Recommendations received
23 people have recommended Geri
Join now to viewOther similar profiles
Explore collaborative articles
We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.
Explore More