Empowering Female Founders: A Conversation with Jessica Kamada of Swizzle Ventures
In this episode of Sound Investments, host Ed Barker interviews Jessica Kamada, the managing partner of Swizzle Ventures, a venture capital fund based in Bellevue that focuses on empowering female founders addressing women's challenges at pivotal life stages. Jessica shares her journey from a competitive figure skater to a growth marketer and eventually to founding Swizzle Ventures. She discusses the inspiration behind the fund, its vision, and the sectors they are investing in, including women's healthcare and financial health. Jessica also delves into her personal experiences, the fund's investment strategy, and the broader mission to shift the investment dynamics towards female founders. The conversation highlights the importance of addressing systemic issues and the potential for long-term impact in empowering women through targeted investment.
00:00 Introduction to Sound Investments
00:13 Meet Jessica Kamada of Swizzle Ventures
00:39 Jessica's Journey from Figure Skater to VC
01:29 The Origin and Mission of Swizzle Ventures
02:12 Early Career and Growth Marketing
05:52 Transition to Venture Capital
06:53 Personal Motivations and Challenges
08:46 Investment Focus and Strategy
12:30 Building a Network and Community
31:25 Future Vision and Inspiration
37:39 Farewell
About Your Host
Ed Barker has enjoyed a weird and varied career. Ed is a Brit now resident in Seattle and has started three startups, enjoyed a long career in corporate strategy, and most recently was a VC. He's now building a podcast production company. Sound Investments is a small attempt to shine some light on the fantastic work being done in the Pac NW entrepreneurial community.
Jessica Kamada, Managing Partner, Swizzle Ventures
Jessica spent eight years building Bamboo, a growth marketing agency where she was vice president of growth marketing, before becoming COO and joining the board of directors. During her tenure, she led growth programs for consumer tech businesses such as Headspace, Peloton, the New York Times and Rover. Previously, she worked at RedDrop, which provides menstrual education to tweens, as a growth adviser.
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