We have recently been sharing short profiles of MSL alumni working in entrepreneurship roles; this installment introduces you to Winisha Smith, a 2020 graduate of the MSL program. Winisha is currently a Business Development & Growth Associate at Techstars Social Impact Accelerator and VC-in-Residence at Pipeline Angels.
Winisha is a business development and growth associate at Techstars Social Impact Accelerator; she also recently joined Pipeline Angels as a VC-in-residence. Her work at Techstars and Pipeline Angels seeks to address social justice, systemic racism, and inclusivity and diversity in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The founders that Winisha works with at Techstars are using technology to tackle massive societal challenges, like diversifying clinical trials, managing implicit biases, gathering qualitative data for more inclusive polling, and developing evidence management software for public defenders. Winisha says that she enjoys working with this cohort because they are intentional and authentic, and they strive to make real change. This is actually Winisha’s second role at Techstars; her initial position was as a product associate for the Farm to Fork program. She has also participated in a venture capital fellowship at pariti.io, her first involvement in venture capital and something she continues to do.
Pipeline Angels’ mission is to change the face of angel investing and venture capital by building a more inclusive ecosystem of investors who will in turn fund more diverse and inclusive founders; the focus is on creating capital for women and femmes. Pipeline Angels members serve as the friends and family round for entrepreneurs who may not already have support at that critical stage. As a VC-in-residence, Winisha will spend the next 3 months focused on the due diligence process and learning more about valuations and portfolio strategies. She’ll also be advising companies while engaging with seasoned venture capitalists and the larger Pipeline community.
Winisha says that there’s no exact formula to breaking into venture capital or staying on top of important trends, but it is important to be active in the local startup ecosystem – being willing to engage can go a long way. Also, there are online communities, like startupgrind.com and also a ton of engagement from venture capitalists on platforms like Twitter and Clubhouse.
