Fueling Resilience: The 3rd Annual Women Invest Summit
Inside the Women Invest Summit—where top founders, investors, and industry leaders came together to discuss market trends, AI and entrepreneurship.
Last week nearly 200 founders, operators and investors gathered at Google’s NYC offices for our 3rd Annual Women Invest Summit. This year the theme was Resilience as we all navigate an intense start to 2025. Through panels and breakout sessions we all shared a magical day filled with learning and laughter and left feeling the power and support of this amazing community.
From Early Motherhood to IPO: A Journey of Resilience
The summit opened with an inspiring keynote from Sheila Marcelo, founder of Care.com and Ohai.com. She shared her journey from the Philippines to Harvard, balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship.
Her experience as a "Chief Household Officer" (caring for both children and parents) inspired Care.com, which she took public in 2014—one of just seven women to do so at the time. Sheila recalled being underestimated, even mistaken for an assistant during her own IPO process. A touching moment came when she recounted that during the IPO celebration her son shared that while initially she "wasn't around much,” that she was an inspiration to him. It was a powerful reminder that our impact as women leaders extends far beyond what we sometimes recognize.
Building the AI-Powered Future
One of the summit's most anticipated panels featured Samantha Rodriguez (VC Partnerships, Google), Anna Barber (Managing Partner, M13 Ventures), Meeka Bondy (Partner, Perkins Coie), and Crystal Huang (Partner, Google Ventures). While VC investment has fueled hype, the real opportunity lies in specialized AI solutions addressing niche problems.
Key takeaways:
AI Models Will Commoditize – Differentiation will come from proprietary data and domain expertise.
Legal Challenges Emerge – AI-generated content’s copyright status and liability remain uncertain.
Adoption Gaps Exist – AI agents face higher scrutiny than human decisions, slowing mainstream adoption.
Billion-Dollar Consumer Opportunities – AI is transforming travel, meal planning, and tutoring.
AI is democratizing creativity, enabling startups to scale fast—those who master integrations and data will lead the way.
Beyond the Horizon: Market Trends Shaping 2025
Looking forward to tech trends, Ita Ekpoudom (Partner, GingerBread Capital) did a stunning job moderating a lively panel with Katie Lacz (VP, Goldman Sachs), Rebecca Kaden (Managing Partner, Union Square Ventures), and Christina Ross (Founder, Cube)—who all shared valuable insights on what's ahead.
Market Outlook – Despite expected volatility many felt a positive trajectory for the U.S. economy.
IPO Challenges – Market swings benefit traders but create hurdles for companies aiming to go public. However, the capital is waiting for stability.
VC Strategy – the investors all emphasized long-term support and smaller fund sizes for better founder alignment.
Business Adaptability – Christina Ross says that in today’s climate, rigid budgets aren’t enough—adaptabiligy and scenario planning is essential.
The message was clear: resilience, strategy, and adaptability will define success in the evolving financial landscape.
Venture Everywhere: The Book
Another summit highlight was an inspiring fireside chat between Yashreeka Huq (Partner, Perkins Coie) and our own Jenny Fielding about her new book, "Venture Everywhere." More than just a venture capital guide, the book highlights founders worldwide—New York to Rio, Beijing to Cairo—showcasing their resilience and sacrifices. One of the day’s most touching moments came as Jenny recalled how emotional many founder interviews became, underscoring the deep personal stakes behind every startup journey.
Looking Forward
We are grateful to our partners and sponsors—Perkins Coie, Goldman Sachs, and Google Cloud—who worked hard to make this summit possible, as well as the XX team—Sylvia Kuyel, Allison Stoloff and Gaby Isturiz (who also contributed to this post). We can’t wait to see you next year!
Listen to Amanda Stefan with Conor Harbeck on the Venture Everywhere podcast: Level Up With Jawa. Now on Apple & Spotify and check out all our past episodes here!
