🤝Empowering Female Founders via Community & Investing - Carli Roth, Head of Community @ Female Founder Collective

Who are the leading VC Fund/Syndicate GP’s and how do they think about allocating capital via Funds, SPV’s and the like?

Today, we are super excited to interview Carli Roth, an ex-founder, active angel investor, and Head of Community at Female Founder Collective.

Carli Roth became an early-career entrepreneur and founder, with her first business venture being acquired three years from inception in 2012. What was once Host Committee (a social platform allowing friends to invite friends to parties) is now running as a social commerce platform called Fevo. In 2017 she went on to launch Alo Yoga on the East Coast as Head of Community in New York. In 2019 she joined Loop & Tie, the leading gifting and engagement platform.

She is now Head of Community for Female Founder Collective; a network of businesses led by women, supporting women with a mission is to enable and empower female-owned and led businesses to positively impact our communities, both socially and economically.

She is also an advisor to Sunscoop (a plant based ice cream) and Maxwell Social (new social club in NYC), as well as an angel investor in BrightLand, Dune Suncare, Hey Jane, House of Puff, Kin Euphorics, Poppy Seed Health, Swehl, and SuperMush. She finds community to be the root of it all whether, personal or professional situations.

When she's not running community for FFC, she's focused on investing and spreading the power and knowledge of SPVs to fellow females, and other early stage investors! 

Our interview with Carli below:

How did you get started as an entrepreneur and what was the acquisition experience like?

It wasn’t on purpose - it sort of just happened. My best friend from high school and I just arrived to NY from our respective schools (me Boulder, her USC), and each had our own network of friends. We started throwing birthdays, launch events, brunches, Halloween parties - you name it - with one simple intention; for all the people we knew to meet one another. Two years later we got a call, took the meeting, and what was once DBD Social, was acquired and became Host Committee in 2012.

What was Host Committee (now Fevo)?

Host Committee was “a party in a box concept”. We tapped into the power of social networks to crowdfund events, parties and fundraisers in NY, and give groups the ability to throw a full 360 event in the top nightclubs in NYC between the hours of 8-11pm. All guests would essentially crowdfund the costs. In 2016, Host Committee pivoted to Fevo which is a social commerce platform, allowing shoppers to connect and collaborate throughout the purchase process for shopping and tickets for live events.

What is Female Founders Collective and your role there?

I head community for Female Founder Collective and the private membership community associated with the organization, The 10th House. We focus on building a community and network for female founders to support them with everything from education, programming, resources, grants, accelerators, networking, events, and so much more! As a previous founder, I only wish something like this, or any community even close to this, existed when I was building Host Committee. I’m so endlessly inspired by the companies our members are building, the perseverance and innovation our members have, and the support they lean into with one another in the community.

What is your favorite part of FFC?

The joy of working with our members, and being part of their journeys. Being a founder is HARD WORK. Seeing the way our members step into their vulnerability, lean into each other, and the wider community for guidance and support - and what they get in return - it is so rewarding. I’m also extremely moved by the innovation, determination, perseverance, and drive our members have. Many are bulldozing and breaking new ground, paving the way to completely disrupt old institutions and big industries! It’s incredible to watch.

What types of founders and companies do you invest in?

I’m a child of infomercials. I love consumer products; and being able to touch and use the products I invest in. I also believe in the future of psychedelics and the changing landscape to support women’s health. Each one is a massive space people are actively redefining and re-molding. Specifically with women’s health, many female founders are tackling areas and elements that were initially designed, and led (not by women) - ie; how it feels to breastfeed, decide what to do about a pregnancy, support for the loss of pregnancy, or how to combat perimenopause. The list goes on.

When it comes to the founder - honestly - its gut instinct. Of course numbers, projections, branding, and founder story have to do with it - but a big portion of it for me is the belief in the founder and their connection to the business.

Why are you excited about running more SPV’s?

The democratization of investing! For so long, the story was that you needed $50k, $100k and beyond to be able to invest in a business. With SPVs, businesses allow you to join the journey even if your investment is only $2,500, or even $1k. There was such a threshold of participation for many people who didn’t have access to that type of capital - not that fundraising has a gender - but it has greatly limited participation among women. There’s something empowering about SPVs that I love - building my portfolio, giving myself access to a new network of incredible angel investors to work and collaborate with, and joining that founder on their exciting journey!

What would you say is the value prop to a founder taking capital from you and your network via a SPV?

You get a supercharged network and community behind you. Because SPVs only take up one spot on the cap table, you aren’t diluting the other investors. You get to fill that spot with people who WANT to support, and while they may be limited to give beyond $2500, for example, they may surprise you with providing you with game changing insights, knowledge, or introductions down the line! Don't let big check size assume that's all value! Sometimes people who write small checks can come with much larger value!

What companies do you advise?

Sunscoop, a non dairy ice cream company, and Maxwell Social, a new social club based in NYC.

What is one company you are particularly excited about and why?

I love them all! But if I had to choose, Alli & Brian at Supermush are paving the way for CPG mushroom adaptogen products. They just launched their Sex, Energy, & Sleep gummies which people are going crazy over. We’re actually running an SPV for SuperMush now, if anyone’s keen to learn more, feel free to reach out!

Dune is a great example of following my gut. I just knew when my friends Emily and Mei mentioned what they were doing was going to be a hit. I sat with it and couldn’t shake it, and begged them to let me come in lower than asking. Dune’s actually my first full private investment :) They are just over one year in and absolutely crushing the market and building fantastic partnerships with their wholesalers.

Swehl is changing the game with breastfeeding products and education! Really excited to see how far Betsy and Elizabeth take this - it’s got huge potential.

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✍️ Written by Zachary and Alex