The 2%

In this riveting episode, Beatrice Dixon, founder of The Honey Pot, joins Anu to detail her extraordinary journey from a personal health struggle with bacterial vaginosis to engineering a groundbreaking $380M acquisition. Beatrice unveils the life-changing moment when an extraordinary dream inspired her to develop revolutionary plant-based vaginal wellness solutions. Together, they delve into how Beatrice's diverse background and relentless determination elevated her brand from humble kitchen beginnings to a leader in mass-market retail. She candidly discusses the delicate art of scaling production while preserving the natural purity of her products, the vital impact of community-driven mission, and the strategic alliances that propelled The Honey Pot into a dynamic force within the industry.

Iman Abuzeid joins Anu to discuss her visionary approach to transforming healthcare staffing through technology with Incredible Health. Iman shares her journey from a medical background to founding a leading career marketplace, offering insights into the unique challenges and opportunities in healthcare innovation. She delves into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on her business, strategies for maintaining a strong corporate culture, and provides valuable advice for entrepreneurs navigating today's economic challenges. Tune in to learn how Iman is reshaping the hiring landscape for healthcare professionals across the U.S.

Iman Abuzeid joins Anu to discuss her visionary approach to transforming healthcare staffing through technology with Incredible Health. Iman shares her journey from a medical background to founding a leading career marketplace, offering insights into the unique challenges and opportunities in healthcare innovation. She delves into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on her business, strategies for maintaining a strong corporate culture, and provides valuable advice for entrepreneurs navigating today's economic challenges. Tune in to learn how Iman is reshaping the hiring landscape for healthcare professionals across the U.S.

Wendy Tsu, founder of Branch Care, joins Anu to share her journey from experiencing the challenges of IVF firsthand to transforming the accessibility of fertility care across the United States. They dive deep into Wendy’s innovative approach with Branch, focusing on breaking down geographic and financial barriers to care through virtual healthcare solutions. Wendy discusses the importance of building strong provider partnerships, the intricacies of implementing new technologies in healthcare, and how her personal experiences fuel her commitment to change. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone interested in healthcare innovation, entrepreneurship, and the future of fertility services.

In this episode, Anu sits down with Fawn Weaver, the trailblazing CEO of Uncle Nearest, to explore her journey from bestselling author to leading a groundbreaking whiskey brand. Fawn shares the inspiring story of unearthing Nearest Green's legacy and forging a new path in the spirits industry. They discuss the innovative strategies she employs to compete with industry giants and how she combines storytelling and innovation to build a lasting brand. Fawn also talks about her commitment to social impact, preserving history, and her vision for Uncle Nearest's future.

In this special episode, we celebrate the 10-year milestone of the Female Founders Fund with its visionary founder, Anu Duggal, in conversation with Nayeema Raza, a journalist who has worked at New York Times and New York Magazine. Join us as Anu reflects on ten insightful lessons learned over the past decade, reflecting on the evolution of female entrepreneurship and the dynamic landscape of venture capital. From the art of the cold email to the importance of staying agile, Anu’s journey offers invaluable wisdom for both aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs. Tune in for an inspiring conversation filled with stories of resilience, innovation, and the future of female-led ventures. You can follow Nayeema’s new venture, “Smart Girl Dumb Questions” on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your content.

To close out season five, Anu is joined by Jessica Sibley, the innovative CEO of TIME, and a leading figure in the dynamic world of media. They dive into Jess’s remarkable impact at TIME one year into the role – including transformative digital strategies, and the brand's expansion into new territories, including live events, branded content, and more! 

Anu is joined by Christina Tosi, the James Beard award-winning pastry chef and founder of Milk Bar, the iconic bakery and dessert brand with a cult-like following. Christina shares insights into her unique approach to innovation, team culture, building a brand that resonates deeply with consumers, and the strategic decisions behind Milk Bar’s expansion into the online sphere and supermarkets.

Anu sits down with Nancy Twine, the founder and CEO of Briogeo, an award-winning clean hair care line. They discuss the journey that took Nancy from the finance industry to becoming the youngest black woman to launch a product line at Sephora, as well as the biggest lessons she learned along the way. Nancy shares her experience navigating the acquisition process, a framework for defining and creating clean beauty products, and the strategy behind her newest venture – nancytwine.com, focused on sharing content and resources to support female entrepreneurs throughout their journey.

In this episode of The Two Percent, Anu is joined by Allison Conrad, founder of Arey – the ‘wrinkle cream of haircare’. Allison shares the personal journey that led her to found Arey, the science behind graying hair, the challenges in pioneering a new category in the haircare industry, and her strategy in delivering a science-backed product that not only works but provides an exceptional customer experience.

This episode of The Two Percent podcast features Adrianne Nickerson and Elaine Purcell, who are on a mission to revolutionize maternity care as the co-founders of Oula. Their discussion delves into the problems with the current maternity care system in the U.S, the role of technology in maternity care, the importance of a personalized patient experience, and their vision for Oula's future. This episode is a must-listen for healthcare professionals, expecting mothers, and anyone interested in the advances of maternity care.

In this season premiere of The Two Percent, Anu engages in a captivating conversation with Fidji Simo, CEO and Chair of Instacart. Born in France to a family of fishermen, Fidji shares the journey that led her to Silicon Valley, where she started her career at eBay and Facebook before joining Instacart to lead the company in 2021. The episode delves into Fidji’s people leadership philosophy, her experience taking Instacart public, role as a co-founder of Metrodora Institute, and more.

To close out Season 4 Anu sits down with Michelle Cordeiro Grant, founder of Lively, a community and ‘leisurée’ brand inspiring women to live passionately, purposefully, and confidently. In this episode Michelle shares insights from her experiences building an empire by breaking all the rules, putting community before company, and successfully navigating the acquisition process as a three year old start up.

Today’s guest is Olamide Olowe, Co-Founder & CEO of Topicals – the Gen-Z brand reimagining the ointment aisle with effective science-backed products and mental health advocacy – and the youngest Black woman to raise over $2M in funding. Olamide shares how she built a go-to-market strategy around her own experiences with chronic skin conditions, why storytelling is the greatest growth hack, and her best community building lessons for consumer brands.

Anu chats with FFF portfolio founder Babba Rivera of Ceremonia, the clean hair care brand rooted in Latinx heritage. Babba opens up about her experiences navigating identity and representation, innovating as an industry outsider, and takes us through her unique product and brand development thought process.

In our first ever two-guest episode, Anu sits down with portfolio founder Lisa Mayer of Boss Beauties, a women-led global NFT initiative with huge momentum, alongside fellow Boss Beauties strategic investor Randi Zuckerberg. Lisa and Randi give listeners a crash course in the world of NFTs, discuss their shared passion for mentorship in the metaverse, and share onboarding advice for founders, investors, and newcomers who feel overwhelmed with where to start in their Web3 education.

Anu is joined by Female Founders Fund portfolio founder and Parisian makeup artist Violette, of VIOLETTE_FR – a cosmetics line made ‘avec amour’ for people and the planet, and designed with the purpose of helping people celebrate their natural beauty. Violette walks us through the behind-the-scenes of building her personal and company brand with a loyal digital following – from discovering her passion for beauty, to creating a brand bible, fundraising while 8 months pregnant, last-minute launch day ideas, product development, an increased commitment to sustainability and transparency, and more.

Anu is joined by physicist Lisa Dyson, who is the founder and CEO of Air Protein, the company crafting the world’s first carbon negative air-based meat alternatives. They discuss the NASA-inspired science, mission, and go-to-market strategy behind Air Protein, plus Lisa’s thoughts on the broader macro environment surrounding sustainability.

Today’s guest is Sarah Jones Simmer, who is currently the CEO of Found, a company focused on making evidence-based sustainable weight care for all, and previously was COO at Bumble, the female-first social networking app – where she helped build the company and then spearhead Bumble’s IPO while battling a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis. In this episode Sarah goes deep on scaling a business, gets personal on how her own health journey inspired her to build again, shares how she is approaching the most critical problem in public health, and advice for stepping into the CEO role.

To kick off Season 4, Anu chats with Female Founders Fund portfolio founder and branding expert Georgina Gooley of Billie, the leading shave and body brand putting women first. Georgina shares her experience leading Billie through two acquisition processes, including Billie’s recent sale to Edgewell for $310M, and how she is thinking about Billie’s first foray into retail.