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Devin: What do you see as your superpower?
Catherine: When you see the film–I do have a part where it's explained that I'm connecting everybody in the film, and that's something that people seem to tell me is my superpower.
Filmmaker Catherine Gray joined me for a conversation about the challenges women face in raising venture capital and the documentary she made to accelerate solutions.
The problem begins with awareness; she says, “Most people I have come to find not only are shocked that we get only 2 percent of venture capital, but most people don't even know what venture capital is.”
Show Her the Money, her film (you can see a trailer in the episode), focuses on three groups of women:
Women venture capitalists
Women who fund the VCs
Women founders who receive and deploy the capital
Of the first group, a rising generation of women venture capitalists, she says, “These women are complete rock stars–like nobody even knows about them. They are the unsung heroes of this whole story.”
She notes that without the first and second groups, the women founders “would not be getting funding at all.”
She’s using the film to help accelerate capital formation for women. “We're taking the film on a 50-city tour around the country and around the globe to educate people about what venture capital is and why I would want to be a part of it as either an investor or as an entrepreneur looking for funding.”
Throughout her career, Catherine has deployed what has become her superpower: connecting with people. It is, she notes, an essential part of raising capital.
AI Episode Summary
1. Catherine Gray is a film producer and advocate for funding women who aims to raise awareness about the lack of venture capital received by women, which is only 2 percent.
2. Her film, Show Her the Money, which she discusses with host Devin Thorpe, intends to educate people about venture capital, its importance, and why investing in it or obtaining funding from it is significant.
3. The film highlights three sectors of women: women starting their own venture capital funds, women investing in these funds, and women entrepreneurs who receive funding from these female-founded funds.
4. Catherine emphasizes the critical role women play in venture capital and innovation, as funding disparities can potentially impede technological advancements and opportunities for women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community.
5. She launched a 50-city tour around the country and the globe to showcase the film and inform the public about what venture capital is and the importance of having a diverse range of people involved in it.
6. Catherine points toward a need for more women and underrepresented groups to be at the decision-making table in venture capital to ensure a future that includes their needs, ideas, and solutions.
7. The film also explores the expected rise in investable assets controlled by women, reaching $30 trillion by the end of the decade, and the potential impact these investments could have.
8. Catherine identifies her superpower as connecting people, something she finds joy in and considers the key to successful fundraising and fulfilling one's purpose.
9. She encourages a positive perspective on fundraising and believes it should be seen as an adventure rather than a drudgery, focusing on building relationships and connecting with like-minded individuals.
10. Catherine Gray can be reached on LinkedIn and through her company, She Angel Investors; her film's website is showherthemoneymovie.com, where viewers can find screening schedules and hosting information. She also hosts a podcast called Invest in Her, focused on connecting female founders and funders.
How to Develop Connecting with People As a Superpower
Catherine shared some examples of connecting with people to illustrate her superpower:
I helped somebody get some funding for a groundbreaking retail company that's very niche. Helping people connect to funding is always very exciting. Certainly, I have connected people to women-founded funds that they've invested in.
This is something I do on a daily basis. So it could be as minute as finding somebody good to be on someone's board. I just recommended somebody to be on somebody's podcast, and they're over the moon because they're always looking for great guests.
So, it's something that comes naturally to me. I just meet somebody, and I think, “Oh, you have to meet this person.” And it's just kind of fun to connect them. So many good things have come out of that.
She also shared some thoughts about how to develop the ability to connect with people. It starts by “just being your authentic self, recognizing your purpose and then being vigilant about connecting with other like-minded people who feel the same way.”
By following Catherine’s example and counsel, you can strengthen your ability to connect with people. With practice, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.
Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you!
Guest Profile
Catherine Gray (she/her):
CEO She Angel Investors, Producer Show Her The Money movie, She Angel Investors
About She Angel Investors: She Angel Investors provides resources to connect women founders and funders, including keynotes, events, ecourses, the Invest Her Podcast and the Show Her The Money movie.
Website: www.showherthemoneymovie.com
X/Twitter Handle: @sheangelsinvest
Company Facebook Page: fb.com/sheangelinvestors
Other URL: www.SheANGELinvestors.com
Biographical Information: Catherine Gray is the producer of the groundbreaking new documentary “Show Her The Money”- featuring rock-star female investors who invest in diverse women entrepreneurs with innovations that will change the world. Gray is doing a 50-city grassroots tour of the film to encourage more women to invest in female-founded funds to move the needle on women getting less than 2% of venture capital.
She is also an author, TEDx speaker, podcast host, founder of She Angel Investors and co-founder of the nonprofit She Angels Foundation. Catherine also hosts and produces the popular podcast series Invest in Her, distributed on Apple, Spotify, IHeart Radio and wherever you listen to podcasts. Ms. Gray has produced, co-produced and directed several documentaries, including I Can’t Marry You, with Ellen DeGeneres’ mom, Betty, as narrator for PBS, Millionaires True Stories and several LGBTQ films for LOGO. She also helped start a gay cable network and produced a series called Way-Off Broadway with trailblazing entertainers and recording artists. Currently, she is co-producing Millenials Are Killing Musicals, with plans to go to Broadway. This female-driven show focuses on motherhood and the impact of social media. The team behind it is 80% women- and the show and music were created by a woman- Nico Juber.
Personal Facebook Profile: fb.com/catherinegray1
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/catherinelgray/
Instagram Handle: @showherthemoney
Show Her the Money!