Access and Opportunity

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Latest Episodes:

Morgan DeBaun: For Us, By Us Dec 17, 2020

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Carla speaks with media entrepreneur Morgan DeBaun, Founder and CEO of Blavity, a voice for Black millennials in the media and marketing landscape, about staying true to your vision as you grow and evolve.

Morgan DeBaun is one of the first African-American women to raise over $1 million in venture funding. Now she has raised more than $9 million for her company, Blavity, and its brands reach over 80 million monthly users. In this episode, Morgan takes us through her roots in St. Louis, the struggles of bootstrapping your own business, and what she’s learned about fundraising along the way. All this began when, at age 24, Morgan noticed that mainstream media was lacking a voice for Black millennials. Come on and join us for the ride.

https://www.morganstanley.com/what-we-do/inclusive-innovation-and-opportunity

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The guest speakers are neither employees nor affiliated with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC. (“Morgan Stanley”). The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley. The information and figures contained herein has been obtained from sources outside of Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley makes no representations or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of information or data from sources outside of Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information or data contained in this podcast.

This podcast does not provide individually tailored investment advice and is not a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or other financial instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.

Sanjay Sharma: Remixing the Mainstream From the Margins Dec 02, 2020

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From immigrant kid, with a love of movies, to media entrepreneur, with a deep connection to the hip-hop community, Sanjay Sharma's professional journey has taken him across the American legal, tech and media landscapes. Carla welcomes him, on this first episode of a new season of Access & Opportunity focused on innovators working for equity in the media and entertainment industries.

Now the Founder and CEO of Marginal Mediaworks, a media brand that’s all about genre storytelling from marginalized voices, Sharma’s perspectives are both familiar and radical. A serial entrepreneur, he has launched seminal ventures, including Machinima and ALL DEF Media, tuned in to underserved communities far from mainstream representation. In this episode, Sharma takes us through his eclectic journey from lawyer to screenwriter to CEO, and how he continues to advocate for the unheard stories in the margins. Come on and join us for the ride.

https://www.morganstanley.com/what-we-do/inclusive-innovation-and-opportunity

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Season 7 - Coming soon! Nov 19, 2020

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Welcome back for Season 7 of Access & Opportunity! We're staying focused on the challenges faced by women and multicultural-led businesses in accessing capital, and the overlooked opportunities they represent for investors.

This season we’re speaking to influencers in the sports, media and entertainment fields who've committed to reframing the narrative for women and people of color. Stay tuned for Episode 1, launching December 2nd!

Finding a Voice in Venture Nov 07, 2020

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On this episode of Access & Opportunity, we welcome investor Soraya Darabi. A former serial entrepreneur, Soraya is a founder and General Partner at Trail Mix Ventures, an early-stage investment firm focused on the future of living well. We are also joined by Sarah Sheehan, the co-founder and COO of Bravely, a startup that remotely connects employees with certified coaches.

In 2017, Soraya and Trail Mix Ventures invested in Bravely’s seed round and the two organizations have been close partners ever since. Throughout this episode, Soraya and Sarah share how they respectively became an investor and an entrepreneur, what Soraya saw in Sarah and her company, the key steps they took during, and after “the deal,” and how they’re each adapting to the ever-changing business landscape brought by Covid-19.

https://www.morganstanley.com/what-we-do/inclusive-innovation-and-opportunity

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Articulating Our 'Why' Oct 10, 2020

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Guest host Ian Folau turns the tables on Carla and her co-head in the Multicultural Innovation Lab, Alice Vilma, asking why they do the work they do to level the funding landscape for women and multicultural entrepreneurs. Ian brings his perspective as a founder, a graduate of the Multicultural Innovation Lab, and now as a VC, to bear on the work of the lab and the paths that brought Carla and Alice to the work they now do in support of emerging tech-enabled companies.

Deciding on Diversity—and the Bottom Line Sep 24, 2020

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Carla speaks with VC Miriam Rivera, founder of Ulu Ventures, and Ritu Narayan, co-founder of Zūm, a new kind of ride service for kids aimed at families and schools. They discuss their journeys and how a consistent model of decision-making can lead to better choices, help level the playing field, and increase entrepreneurial and business diversity.

Building a Fund that Feeds the Soul Sep 03, 2020

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On this episode of Access and Opportunity, we welcome investor Mallun Yen, partner and founder of Operator Collective. Operator Collective is a disruptive new approach to venture capital which brings senior operating leaders from diverse backgrounds together with founders of startup companies. We also hear from one of the leaders of those startup companies, Kieran Snyder, the co-founder and CEO of Textio, an augmenting writing platform that analyzes text to find the patterns that cause some to succeed, where others fail. In this episode, Mallun and Kieran take us on a journey where we explore what it takes to build a diverse and well-rounded portfolio company, what leadership looks like during a time of crisis and why having the right tone when sharing messaging means everything. Come on and join us for the ride.

https://www.morganstanley.com/what-we-do/inclusive-innovation-and-opportunity

Opening the Door for a New Set of Angels Aug 12, 2020

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On this episode of Access and Opportunity we welcome investor Natalia Oberti Noguera, founder and CEO of Pipeline Angels. Pipeline is changing the face of angel investing by lowering the barriers to entry and bringing more non-traditional investors into the angel ecosystem, providing capital for more women, non-binary and femme entrepreneurs. Also joining us is the co-founder and CEO of the maternal health startup Mahmee, Melissa Hanna. As the daughter of an obstetrics nurse, Melissa grew up knowing the challenges that women, and specifically women of color, face when confronting the healthcare system. Pipeline Angels first invested in Mahmee in 2015—serving as its friends & family round—and additional members participated in Mahmee's 2019 follow-on round.

https://www.morganstanley.com/what-we-do/inclusive-innovation-and-opportunity

Shared Values Help VCs, Founders Stay Agile Jul 30, 2020

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On this episode of Access and Opportunity, we welcome investor Jesse Draper, founding partner of Halogen Ventures. With Halogen Ventures, Jesse has committed to investing in early stage consumer technology startups that have a woman as a member of the founding team. We also hear from one of those founders, Esther Crawford, the co-founder and CEO of Squad, an online platform that helps connect people all over the world through screen-sharing. Jesse and Esther take us on a journey from their very first encounter, to their individual commitments going into the deal, and to their respective shifts in priorities during COVID-19. Come on and join us for the ride.

https://www.morganstanley.com/what-we-do/inclusive-innovation-and-opportunity

Keeping It Black: 'Cultural Competence' Is Key Jul 21, 2020

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Welcome to Access and Opportunity, Season 6. This season, we are looking at the relationships behind the deal. We'll be talking to women venture capitalists who are working to change the funding landscape and a founder of one of their portfolio companies. In this episode, we welcome venture capitalist Kesha Cash, who has spent nearly a decade focused on impact investing. Currently, Kesha serves as the Founder and General Partner of Impact America Fund, the largest black-women-led impact VC firm in the U.S., and a fund that invests with a racial equity lens. We also welcome Diishan Imira, Founder and CEO of Mayvenn, the technology platform that not only provides high-quality beauty products, but that also empowers beauty professionals to grow their business, while providing their clients with exceptional customer support.

Kesha and Impact America Fund first invested in Mayvenn back in 2014. Since then, Mayvenn has become the fund's largest investment. Kesha and Diishan share with us the importance of investing in the black small-business community, the ways in which they've managed to build a healthy relationship as entrepreneur and investor, and the strategic decisions that guided them through the unexpected impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Come on and join us for the ride.

https://www.morganstanley.com/what-we-do/inclusive-innovation-and-opportunity

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