Melinda French Gates $1Bn for Women with Erin Harkless Moore, Pivotal Ventures

Named one of Forbes’ Most Powerful Women, Melinda French Gates needs no introduction. Over the last twenty years through her work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one thing has become clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you must invest in women. In comes our next guest, Erin Harkless Moore, Senior Director of Investment for Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company created to do exactly that. To accelerate social progress in the U.S by investing in women’s power and influence. As a member of Pivotal’s Executive Leadership Team, Erin leads the organization’s fund, and direct investment decisions, overseeing a diverse portfolio of investments that drive breakthrough innovations and drive impact for people in the US. With nearly 20 years of investment experience, building customized portfolios for endowed institutions and family offices, serving most recently as Managing Director at Cambridge Associates, we talk about everything from challenging the status quo to her investment strategy. You don’t want to miss this!

 

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Intro

02:04 – Erin’s career, passion, profit, purpose

05:53 – The premium of ‘track record’

07:58 – Investment in diversity initiatives under attack

10:53 – Where does the resistance come from?

12:30 – The role of consultants

16:01 – Melinda French Gates’ point of impact

18:20 – Investing in women is not charity

24:24 – Getting to a ‘yes’ as an LP

30:22 – Cracking the patterns of history

 

Links:

Pivotal Ventures | A Melinda French Gates Company: https://www.pivotalventures.org/

Investing | Pivotal Ventures: https://www.pivotalventures.org/investing

Breaking With Tradition: https://www.pivotalventures.org/articles/breaking-with-tradition-pitchbook-venture-capital

 

PODCAST INFO:

 

Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com

 

Build like a CEO: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/ceoseries

 

 

FOLLOW SARAH:

 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal

 

Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal

 

Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

About Billion Dollar Moves™ Podcast

The Top Global VC Podcast for Founders & Funders

In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome.
Hosted by Sarah Chen-Spellings, award-winning entrepreneur, investor, and venture insider, Billion Dollar Moves pulls back the curtain on the strategies, stumbles, and breakout moments that define the world’s most iconic companies.

Billion Dollar Moves™ Podcast

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