In this episode of Beyond Barriers, Naseem Sayani, Operating Advisor and Venture Partner, Fund III at How Women Invest, shares her powerful journey from consulting to venture capital, revealing how trusting her instincts has led her to make bold decisions in high-stakes environments. You’ll learn how Naseem’s ability to blend intuition with innovation has helped her identify game-changing founders and direct capital toward marginalized groups in venture capital.
Naseem shares insights into how her fund drives industry transformation through investments in women-led businesses across key sectors like women’s health, fintech, and sustainability. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, an investor, or a leader navigating your career, Naseem’s story will inspire you to embrace uncertainty and lead with impact.
Key Takeaways:
- Trusting Your Gut: Learn how Naseem leans on intuition to identify ventures that are poised for success.
- Redefining Venture Capital: Discover how Naseem’s fund focuses on women-led businesses that are creating transformative change.
- Leadership and Innovation: Hear practical advice on balancing risk and innovation in early-stage investing.
- Empowering Female Founders: Gain insights into how Naseem is reshaping the future of venture capital by empowering marginalized entrepreneurs.
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Highlights
The key moments in this episode are:
[00:00] Introduction to Beyond Barriers Podcast
[00:27] Embracing New Challenges
[00:51] Introducing Naseem Sayani
[01:16] Trusting Your Gut in Leadership
[02:02] Naseem's Career Journey
[03:37] The Power of Instinct in Venture Capital
[04:46] Building a Diverse Investment Portfolio
[06:20] The Importance of Taking Bold Risks
[07:27] Navigating Career Transitions
[13:59] The Role of Travel in Gaining Clarity
[16:10] Building a Personal Brand
[19:36] Overcoming Career Obstacles
[24:15] Realizing the Power of Gender Leverage
[26:01] Making Tough Decisions and Taking Risks
[26:57] The Role of Transparency in Decision Making
[28:14] The Importance of Vision in Pitching
[36:41] Building Strategic Relationships
[42:16] Lightning Round: Personal Insights and Reflections -
Lightning Round
Q: What book has greatly influenced you?
A: Shantaram by Gregory David RobertsQ: What is your favorite inspiring quote or saying?
A: A healthy disregard for the impossible - Larry PageQ: What is one word or moniker you would use to describe yourself?
A: DeliberateQ: What is one change you've implemented that made your life better?
A: Continuing to work early in the morning, oppose to working late at nightQ: What power song would you want playing as you walk out onto a stage?
A: It's about damn time - LizzoQ: What do you want your legacy to be?
A: I would like my legacy to be that I had some real impact on the kind of funding that is going to female founders. And whether it was the size, we got that 2 percent up to something much bigger or there was some real ecosystem building that happened that people go, you know what, Naseem did that. -
Quotes
Nobody is good at small talk. It looks like they’re good at it, but nobody is. Whatever your three talking points are—whether it’s what you’re building or what you read in the news or what you think is cool—use it.
Naseem Sayani
The leap from very secure consulting salary life into then running a fund is a huge risk, right? But it came down to, what I know I can do well, where I can have growth and impact, where I know there are financial returns that I can go and get.
Naseem Sayani
I have to sleep on it. When an opportunity presents itself and you’re like, ‘Holy moly, that sounds great, I’ve got to go do that,’ I’m a big pros and cons person... but I need to give my brain time to add weights to the list. And those things happen when I sleep on it.
Naseem Sayani
The biggest mistake I corrected in my pitching people is in not talking about the money first. I’m not going to convert investors on empathy, I’m going to convert them on money. And that changed the fundraising process dramatically.
Naseem Sayani
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ABOUT
Naseem is an Operating Advisor and Venture Partner with How Women Invest Fund III where she invests in 100% female-founded teams across healthcare, climate, fintech, and the future of work at Series A/B. Over the last seven years, Naseem has invested as a VC and an angel in 30+ pre-seed and seed-stage companies led by ambitious female founders who are changing foundational systems, access, and equity so that women can live stronger, healthier, and wealthier lives.
Naseem’s investing and business-building experience comes from 20+ years in executive leadership roles across venture capital, management consulting, agency services, venture incubators, a corporate venture capital firm, and an active angel investor. Naseem is a thought leader in the start-up ecosystem and a go-to contact for most founders when making business, talent, and fundraising decisions as they grow and scale their businesses.
Naseem has an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business, where she was awarded the Dean’s Leadership Award two years running, and a BA from UCLA in Business Economics, where she graduated cum laude.