Girls Into VC is the first organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in venture capital. We are forming a pipeline of talented and motivated young women ready to enter the field of venture capital with the educational resources and mentorship we provide. Join us every other Wednesday to hear from female venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, innovators, and advocates about their career paths and lessons they have learned along the way!
Girls Into VC is the first organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in venture capital. We are forming a pipeline of talented and motivated young women ready to enter the field of venture capital with the educational resources and mentorship we provide. Join us every other Wednesday to hear from female venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, innovators, and advocates about their career paths and lessons they have learned along the way!
This week’s episode features our second founder, Maria Medrano, CEO and Co-Founder of Inspirame! She stands as a trailblazing Latina jefa ("boss") and has a strong commitment to breaking the cycle of generational poverty through educational empowerment. Prior to Inspirame, she had an illustrious 20-year career in human resources and diversity leadership at tech giants like Cisco Systems, Visa, and Google. After observing the college counseling system in California, Maria and her husband began Inspirame and launched TecoGuide, a unique SaaS platform guiding learners through local academic and employment resources to improve their economic opportunities.
Maria’s story of how she worked her way up from being a receptionist to the CEO and Co-Founder of her own company, along with her gratitude for her privilege, leaves us in awe. We are inspired by her dedication to break generational poverty cycles and enjoyed hearing about how Inspirame began from a simple idea in Maria’s home office and how TecoGuide has rapidly grown since. The heartwarming success stories Maria shares with us show the deep impact TecoGuide is having on Californians. We wish Maria and Inspirame all the best as they expand to other states and continue on their mission!
Thank you for listening to this week’s episode, and be sure to tune into our next episode highlighting a new guest in the field!
Find us on https://www.girlsintovc.com and follow us on Instagram @girlsintovc