97 - Jesse Draper, Halogen Ventures

Earned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy

In Ep. 97 of Earned, Conor sits down with Jesse Draper: actor, fourth-generation venture capitalist, and founding partner of early-stage, female-focused VC firm Halogen Ventures. To start the show, we learn why Jesse pursued Hollywood stardom, with notable acting credits including Nickelodeon’s hit TV show “The Naked Brothers Band,” before jumping into the investing business. Jesse shares the inspiration behind her Emmy-nominated tech talk show “The Valley Girl Show,” and how her success empowered her to effect change in the male-dominated tech industry by finding—and funding—successful female-founded businesses. We dive into Jesse’s now-viral (and bad-ass) 2020 Medium article, “Investing In Women Isn’t A Fucking Charity,” and she unpacks the data around why female investors and entrepreneurs tend to outperform their male counterparts. Next, we hear Jesse’s investment philosophies, and the characteristics she looks for in her founders, before getting her take on the creator economy—how she and her portfolio participate in it, and where she sees it going next. To wrap the episode, Jesse reveals the investments she’s most excited about, and the businesses we should look out for.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why investing in women-led businesses is a profitable opportunity with superior returns and efficiency—not charity
• The qualities Jesse looks for in the founders she invests in
• Jesse's take on the future of the creator economy

Resources:

• Halogen Ventures

Connect with the Guest(s):

• Jesse Draper’s LinkedIn

Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ:

• Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley
• CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq

Follow us on social:

• CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics
• CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq
• CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq
• CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ