IM15: How to Craft a Successful Pitch as a Woman of Color with Janine Vanessa Heinrich

Embracing Only: Workplace Culture & Career Development for BIPOC Leaders

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 59, with guest, Janine Vanessa Heinrich. As a woman, and especially a woman of color, there are biases that we face when pitching to investors. Janine is sharing some tips for crafting a successful pitch as a woman of color.

Janine is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the realm of entrepreneurship. She is the founder and host of the On the Up & Up podcast that ignites crucial conversations within the startup ecosystem, amplifying the voices and stories of the underrepresented and underestimated, and inspiring a new generation of visionaries to leap into entrepreneurship.

This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 59: Intersectionality And How It Influences The Experiences And Resources of Minority Female Founders.

Key Discussion Points:

01:00 Pitching to Investors as a Female Entrepreneur of Color: Pitching to an audience that doesn’t understand your problem is not a disadvantage rather, it sets you up as an expert.

04:38 Promotion vs. Prevention Focused Pitch Questions: Women often get asked prevention focused questions in pitches that don't put them in positions of power. We need to be able to reframe the questions so they are more promotion focused.

06:58 Relating to Potential Investors: Storytelling is a key element to a successful pitch. Try to tell the story from a perspective that your audience will understand and relate to.

09:27 Finding the Right Investors: You don’t want someone who is constantly questioning your expertise and who doesn’t trust you as an investor. Rather focus your energy on the right investors.

In Summary: Janine Vanessa Heinrich challenges us to own our expertise, strategically frame our pitch, and select the right investors who believe in and trust us. She encourages us to turn prevention-focused questions into promotion-focused answers, ensuring a position of strength.

Resources from this episode:

Follow Janine on Linkedin or check out her website.

Ready to make a change?

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals.

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to leave corporate or you want to start a profitable side brilliance but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship.

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her