STEM: Melissa Grillo Aruz, Forerunner Ventures
Investing in women. Investing in future.
This article is part of our Create & Cultivate 100 List created in collaboration with KEDS, you can view the full STEM List Here.
Investing in women. Investing in future.
Meet Melissa Grillo Aruz: VP of Platform at Forerunner Ventures, the early stage venture capital firm investing in some of the buzziest, cultiest, most disruptive brands of the moment, including Dollar Shave Club, Birchbox, and Glossier.
Now 39, the Brooklyn-based mother of two launched her career at ad agency Razorfish, where she handled retail accounts for Victoria’s Secret, Ralph Lauren, and Abercrombie & Fitch. “This was in the early 2000s and these were the brands that were on the forefront of media, launching brand pages on Facebook and yes, MySpace, which now seems obvious, but back then was very innovative,” says Grillo, once behind such digital milestones as creating the first live streaming concert with Fergie for Victoria’s Secret Pink, as well as the first sponsored blog post with Refinery29. A different time, indeed.
From there, Grillo moved onto marketing for Gilt Group during their period of landmark growth, and consulted for J.Crew, Madewell, and Warby Parker. “I started to get excited about this next generation of consumer facing brands that had a strong POV, really connected with their customers in a fresh new way and came to life online,” she explains. It was through this work that she became acquainted with Kirsten Green, future boss and Forerunner Ventures founder. For the last two years, they’ve been forging the future of retail and backing some of this generation’s most sought after startups.
After fifteen years in the fashion space, Venture Capital was still uncharted territory. But Grillo isn’t one to be easily deterred by the unknown. “There was a fun and steep learning curve when I came on board, and I am lucky to be a part of a group that sees the value in disciplines outside those which traditional Venture Capital firms typically offer their companies,” explains Grillo, whose intuition for supporting promising and profitable young brands makes her an irreplaceable asset to the VC firm behind the explosive growth of Bonobos and Outdoor Voices. “It was exciting to know I could be a part of how Forerunner differentiates itself. I learned to capitalize on what I was good at while, at the same time, being humble enough to ask questions, read up on new topics, and as with anything involving startups worked my butt off to learn.”
"I learned to capitalize on what I was good at, while being humble enough to ask questions."
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While the finance industry is historically male-dominated (an antiquated reality that Forerunner is no doubt disrupting, however unintentionally), Grillo rarely feels like a fish out of water. “The key to dealing with these situations is to try to put yourself in other people’s shoes and understand what their motivations are,” says the VP, who leans on a close network of entrepreneurial women and hardworking moms for encouragement and support, and counts her professional teammates as mentors. “I can easily tell myself I’ve spent decades growing brands, creating and riding trends, and that I’m really good at what I do, and that internal pep talk usually does the trick! A successful career is earned and requires sacrifice. It truly is done through dedication and a lot of hard work, nothing is handed to you.”
Between running family and working at the fund, Grillo has little time leftover for herself — but one thing’s for sure, she never skips her bedtime routine. It’s the little things. “Every night, no matter how tired I am, I always take off my makeup, put on eye cream and moisturizer read a few pages of my book and off to bed.” When asked how she defines female empowerment, she replies, “Today, for me, it means asking intelligent questions with confidence and walking into a room without questioning whether I belong there or not. As I start my day tomorrow it will mean something else, but it always means operating with confidence and self love.”
"A successful career is earned and requires sacrifice."
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That big things are in the future for Melissa Grillo and the team at Forerunner — now that’s something we’d put our money on.
Links We Love: Sayonara 2016, Hello 2017!
From what Carrie Fisher & Leia Organa represent to new year's resolutions you shouldn't and should make, here's how we're wrapping up 2016.
2017 is a little over 24 hours away, and while we'll be looking back at some of 2016's most defining moments tomorrow, this internet also offered some great reads this week to help tie up the final week of 2016.
Here's to hoping that 2017 sees more female billionaires.
And even MORE women in tech companies.
Creating a list of New Year's Resolutions? They might just end up in failure.
However, you should stick to these New Year's Resolutions.
First, it was Facebook, and then Instagram this year. Now in 2017, Twitter is going to have an algorithmic timeline.
2016 kind of sucked. But at least these happy moments were caught on camera for the Internet to enjoy.
If you're thinking of a non-conventional bachelorette party, you might want to follow the lead of this woman.
Long live the Princess: This series of tweets nail exactly why Leia Organa and Carrie Fisher embody the definition of a strong woman, despite all the odds.
Rest in peace Carrie Fisher.
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Brushing Up: You're Waiting Too Long to Swap Your Toothbrush
And what this new company is doing about it.
Claire Burke wants you to brush better. Which is why she and Goby, co-founder Ben Goldberg, are sinking their teeth into the business of oral hygiene. It may not sound like the sexiest venture, but it's one full of possibility. Last week Goby launched their first product, the first-ever direct-to-consumer rechargeable electric toothbrush combining unprecedented value and convenience. The toothbrush is available for $50 with a subscription and replacement heads start at just $4. The charging station has no cords and is designed to minimize post-brushing build-up. Sound like a dream clean?
We caught up with the entrepreneur to talk why teeth and how Goby is changing the game.
Can you tell us a little about your background? How did you end up as the co-founder of Goby?
I graduated from NYU’s Stern School of Business before working at investment bank Lincoln International for six years. Simultaneously, I pursued my personal passion for film and media by co-founding a production company. In 2013, I left investment banking to pursue an MBA at Columbia Business School. While at Columbia, I immersed myself in media and technology, working for The Raine Group, Hearst, theSkimm, and Female Founders Fund, each of which expanded my interest in startups and exposed me to the value and power of brand. I met Ben through a mutual friend from business school and was immediately drawn to the Goby mission. Deemed “Cavity Claire” by my family growing up, I was inspired by my own struggles with good oral care and was determined to enhance consumers’ oral care experience by creating a value-driven oral care product with a relatable brand personality.
With Goby you’re hitting a few of major markets and key trends— direct-to-consumer, health and beauty, and the membership business model. We’ve seen many businesses go this route. Why was now the right time for teeth?
We saw a significant opportunity to disrupt oral care because oral health is an overlooked space in health and beauty. Oral health is important! Many diseases have oral manifestations, oral issues are the leading cause of missed school and work days and 50% of people aged 30 and older have some form of gum disease. Leveraging the direct-to-consumer / membership business model was a natural starting point for us to enhance the brushing experience for consumers across the country. The average consumer changes their toothbrush every nine months as opposed to the dentist-recommended three months, so we offer a subscription to ensure that our customers can keep both their mouths and brushes clean without having to worry about running to the drug store.
"The average consumer changes their toothbrush every nine months as opposed to the dentist-recommended three months."
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What went into research and development? How long did it take from concept to product?
We tested all the various models on the market to determine which features were necessary and which were superfluous. We assessed dozens of other products, surveyed friends, family and colleagues and ultimately designed a product that fits seamlessly into the modern consumer’s lifestyle. From concept to product, it took about two years.
Why was the design element so important?
Design was important because it folds into so many aspects of the value proposition -- creating something intuitive and user-friendly that breaks through the currently overcrowded and over complicated market, ultimately providing the consumer with the best possible brushing experience at a fraction of the price of the competition.
How do you get people to look at something that they’ve used their entire life and think about the possibility of doing it differently?
It wasn’t as much about rethinking, but rather maximizing the consumer’s time and taking the onus off of the consumer -- having them think less about brushing and replacing, while simultaneously improving the quality of their brush and ultimately the state of their oral health.
Was it a hard sell?
We had been working on Goby for nearly two years, bootstrapping the vast majority of the way. The funding process was definitely not easy, but fortunately, our investors appreciated the problem we were trying to solve because they experienced the same problem firsthand -- frustration with today’s current oral care products. For both Goby and our investors, we experienced a pain point, and felt there must be a better way.
You have an investor specifically geared toward early stage tech products that transform consumer experiences for the better. How did you approach those meetings?
First, we tried to clearly articulate the problem. What we found with the investors that ultimately invested was they personally experienced the problem, too, and saw value in our solution. Second, it helped that the market opportunity is significant. Everyone brushes their teeth, but most people don’t do it well. Electric toothbrushes provide value, yet less than 15% of people in the U.S. use them. Goby’s improved experience has a measurable impact on consumers’ oral health.
From your perspective, what goes into building a strong brand?
Developing a brand personality that the consumer can connect with, while simplifying and maximizing the consumer’s experience with the product.
Why do you think there hasn’t been much innovation— aside from bristles and grip— in the toothbrush space?
In the electric toothbrush space in particular, there hasn’t been much innovation because the market is dominated by two large companies and is thus zero-sum. For the incumbents, there’s no need to innovate from a business model, messaging or experience perspective, but consumers are consistently expecting more from the brands with which they affiliate. Goby aims to resonate with those who are looking for an easier, relatable and more affordable oral care experience.
What do you hope to achieve with Goby?
We want to improve oral care by providing a brush that is affordable, intuitive and relatable -- overall, we want to enhance the oral care experience.
Cavity Claire, your nickname as a kid. If you had to blame one food, what was your go-to indulgence as a kid? And now?
I always had and always will have a sweet-tooth. I can’t blame my cavities on one specific food item, but in general, sugar was the culprit.
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7 Women Holding It Down in Unconventional Jobs
Cause jobs are genderless.
Today, women make up 57% of the labor workforce according to the United States Department of Labor. That number continues to grow every year as more and more women take on jobs that are considered "out of the ordinary."
However, jobs are not meant to be gendered (shoutout to those 11 additional Google career emojis). More people today have dismissed the notion that certain jobs should be assigned based on gender and more women than ever are shattering the gender binary work system.
From engineering in NASA to woodworking, to being a cannabis business lawyer, here are some of the women that crafting their career by breaking away from the norm and shattering stereotypes.
Denisse Arranda
NASA Engineer
Denisse Arranda is one of NASA’s top engineers, and one of the lead engineers its RaD-X balloon project. However, she isn’t working this project alone - the chief engineer and thermal engineer are both female, making it one of the only NASA projects that's led by a team of women.
Arranda has not only broken past the barrier of being a female engineer in one of the most prominent aeronautic programs in the nation, but she has also paved the way for Latinas in tech as Colombian immigrant.
Last year, Broadly’s followed Arranda for a day to see what a day in the life of a NASA engineer is like. See it here.
Ariele Alasko
Woodworker, artist
One look at Ariele Alasko’s Instagram, and you will be mesmerized by the wood grain patterns and amazing intricate woodwork that she has mastered over the years. What started as hobby furniture building and a love of carving spoons after graduating from the Pratt institute in BK and has a BFA in sculpture is now full-scale business.
Woodworking is stereotypically thought of as a man’s job, Alasko has created an impressive and profitable business from her work.
Who said woodwork was a man’s job?
Amanda Conner
Legal Cannabis Business Lawyer
Sure, there’s a lot of women who are lawyers. However, not too many are brave enough to take on the role of a legal marijuana business lawyer.
Amanda Conner is not afraid of taking on that role. Amanda Connor co-founded the Nevada law firm Connor & Connor with her husband, and specializes in personal injury, business law, and started one of the first law practices that are specialized to the newly legal marijuana business. In an interview with Newsweek, she said that the weed industry is a “legal minefield,” because anyone who gets into the field automatically faces scrutiny from the feds and is labeled a criminal. She’s okay with that - she knows that she has to be willing to live with the taboo being associated with her, even though she’s a lawyer. That also means more business for her - her firm might be the only one in the country that takes marijuana providers as clients and helps them through the process of becoming a business.
Ashley Overholt
Barber
When you think of barber shops, you prob picture an entirely male staff. However, Ashley Overholt, like many other women, is stepping into barber shops and offering her services.
For 10 years now, Overholt has been able to gain the trust of her clients as a barber. Still, the job definitely comes with its sexist moments. In an interview with Refinery 29, she noted a few customers have asked her “how do you know how to straight-razor shave if you’re a girl.” Being in an overly masculine environment has helped her develop a thick skin and has brushed off the comments by saying “girls can do anything these days. We can vote. We can be police officers and lawyers and presidents. We can do a lot these days.”
Yes, we sure can.
Brina Lee
Engineer, Instagram
As Instagram's first female engineer, it's Brina Lee's job to scroll the social platform. Coding wasn't always her thing and she actually says she hated it at first, but now she understands the major impact that just one or two lines of code can have.
In 2014 Lee told Elle "It's hard as an entry-level engineer to even build your reputation in a company, so I'm not sure if it's being a woman, but I'm pretty sure it does hinder me a little bit compared to an entry-level male. You have to be more aware as a woman. You have to understand that you may not be listened to, you may not be respected as much as the male engineers."
Jacqueline Sharp
Founder of FORT Goods, Furniture maker
FORT is Jacqueline Sharp's response to not being able to afford furnishing all the rooms in her Mt. Washington home. She found a table saw on Craigslist and began her journey as craftswoman.
Today, all FORT products are handmade of repurposed, reclaimed materials in the downtown Los Angeles workshop/showroom.
In 2014 she told the LA Times, "I'm not the greatest craftsman or the best educated business person. My greatest skill is seeing potential."
Apparently in both furniture and herself.
Kimberly Bryant
Founder and Executive Director of Black Girls Code
After working in biotech for over twenty years, Bryant founded Black Girls CODE in 2011. It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to teach girls of color to become programmers. More than 5,000 girls have participated in the programs.
As one of the first women of color in tech, she broke through that ceiling herself and has shown no signs of slowing down. Bryant has said, "When we generally think of a computer scientist now, it does not look like a woman of color, it does not look of someone that is of Hispanic background. It's very much white male dominant. And that's important for us to show that black girls can code and they can do many other things in terms of a leadership standpoint in this field."
She says this the first step in bridging the digital divide and Black Girls CODE's ultimate goal is to provide African-American youth with the skills to occupy some of the 1.4 million computing job openings expected to be available in the U.S. by 2020, and to train 1 million girls by 2040. She's on an unstoppable mission to change the face of technology.