Slingshot AI’s Post

🌟 As we head into 2025, I find myself reflecting on the incredible community we've built here. I'm eager to engage more deeply on LinkedIn, a platform that genuinely aligns with my values and vision. Some of this decision was prompted by the election making me feel as though our world is more divided than united, and there are small acts of unity we could all take to bridge that gap. Even by posting our stories and delighting in the reading of others. 👩🏾💻 For those who don't know me well: Soraya here, a founder of TMV Funds I-III and previously an entrepreneur x angel investor who began investing in startups while still paying down student debt, because my passion for innovation is insatiable. Call me a nerd - my kind of compliment - , but my approach to investing is to read all the publicly available data (like census reports) I can find and to make educated bets on what that data tells us. More on that later. ✏️ My work extends beyond investing - I serve on the board of a human rights organization that champions "speaking truth to power" and created Transact Global almost a decade ago to empower women to launch and raise their own venture funds (700 members strong across 18 countries). 💡 My investment focus? Tech-enabled early stage startups rethinking legacy industry, and lately that's meant a lot of: - Ethical AI (Slingshot AI, Weave, Topline Pro, Anthropic) - Healthcare (Cityblock Health, Millie, Novellia) - Sustainable Solutions (Ridwell, Signol) 👥 But there's more to life than work, right? I'm also a proud mother of two sweet, inventive little maniacs, a wife, a sister, a daughter caring for an aging parent, a food enthusiast, a formerly avid fiction reader (I have kids, remember?)... My roots are an eclectic mix of Iranian-Hungarian-Irish-German ancestry - what my grandfather Donald Fennelly would lovingly call a "mince-meat pie," and with French in-laws I'm fortunate to spend time on two sides of the Atlantic. 🔍 Fun fact: My first professional paper was titled "Multiple E-Dentity Disorder" back in 2008, when I worked on social-media for The New York Times. That report explored our various digital personas and how we tailor our online selves to whomever we *think* we are reaching. I've probably shied away from leaning into LinkedIn in part because I believe we are all so multi-dimensional and presenting as too one-sided felt cringe. Yet, I'm here now to post authentically about my professional journey and pepper in some of real life because the two are intertwined. And because we are all multifaceted, not just links to online profiles, I'd love to know more about YOU. Drop a comment and introduce yourself if you have some time to spare, I'll write back. ✨ Here's to meaningful connections in 2025 and a promising year for all, SD #career #life #venture #entrepreneurship #health #tech #sustainability #innovation