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What Investing Rule Did Jonathan Sposato Set for Female Founders?

Shauna Swerland opens What Fuels You by introducing Jonathan Sposato as the first person to sell two companies to Google, and as the Seattle investor who made headlines by announcing he would put money only into companies founded by women. She says he went further in his book Better Together. At the time of the interview he was also chairman of PicMonkey and of GeekWire, a husband, and a father. The stance the episode states is a public rule, not a preference: female-founded companies only. Sposato's own childhood as an outsider is the context Swerland sets before he starts talking.

Transcript

Jonathan Sposato ·

What Fuels You

More from this episode

  1. Who Is Jonathan SposatoJonathan Sposato is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and CEO. Currently a chairman of GeekWire and Pic Monkey.
  2. What Does Jonathan Sposato Say Fuels Him?At the opening of his What Fuels You interview, Jonathan Sposato tells host Shauna Swerland that helping other people is the top answer, and that it took him…
  3. Was Jonathan Sposato Always Willing to Be This Open?Shauna Swerland tells Jonathan Sposato, on What Fuels You, that he is an open book, comfortable being vulnerable and owning who he is.
  4. What Was It Like to Be a Multicultural Couple in 1967Jonathan's parents were Chinese and Korean, and at the time, his parents were not allowed to get married; it was seen as a very shameful thing.
  5. What Was It Like for Jonathan to Meet a Birth Parent as an AdultHe wondered, "Will I like him?" or "Will I see him as a complete drag?" and considered many other questions.
  6. Does Jonathan Sposato Value EducationAbsolutely. With a Chinese mom and Italian father who adopted him when he was young, there was no escaping it.
  7. How Did Jonathan Sposato Learn to Parent With No Father?On What Fuels You, Jonathan Sposato says he was born in London to a single Chinese mother and did not meet his own father until about eighteen months before…
  8. How Did Jonathan Sposato Go From Bullied to Admired?Jonathan figured out that other kids were just insecure, and if he could get good at various activities, like sports and music, and could become a popular…
  9. Where Did Jonathan Sposato Go to CollegeJonathan looked all over for schools. He applied to Harvard, Stanford, and many other Ivy League schools and was rejected.
  10. What Did Jonathan Pursue at WhitmanRelationally, he had friends from all over and found it very fulfilling.
  11. How Did Jonathan's Parents' Divorce Influence HimDuring his senior year, his parents divorced.
  12. What Motivated Jonathan Sposato to Start a Company After GraduationHe wanted to get a high ROI on his efforts.
  13. Where Did Jonathan Sposato Meet His Wife, Heather?On What Fuels You, Shauna Swerland asks Jonathan Sposato whether Microsoft is where he met his wife, Heather. He says yes.
  14. How Does Jonathan Sposato Describe Microsoft While He Worked There?Jonathan Sposato tells What Fuels You that he joined Microsoft in Redmond at the end of 1992 and stayed until 2004, about twelve years.
  15. What Kind of People Does Jonathan Sposato Look for?He likes renaissance people who like to color outside the lines.
  16. Must an Investor Love the Product, According to Jonathan Sposato?On What Fuels You, Jonathan Sposato tells Shauna Swerland that an entrepreneur or investor does not have to be great at the thing they back.
  17. Why Did Jonathan Start Funding Only Female Founders?Only 2.7% of venture capital funding is allocated to female-founded businesses. He believes this must be remedied.
  18. What Advice Would Jonathan Sposato Give to His Younger SelfRelax. It's all ok.

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