The Frustration of Women as a Niche Market

Andrea Fernandez has a stellar CV and an inspiring mission: Together with her co-founder Artyom Chelbayev, she set out to empower women to learn more about personal finance and take more control of their financial futures. They founded Vitamin and shifted customer mindsets, enabled users, increased access to personal finance products and steadily grew their base.

But adoption takes time, and time requires funding to keep going. In the current market environment, securing funding is exceptionally challenging. Under the current circumstances, Andrea and her partner could not raise funds and had to discontinue the venture. This is perhaps the most feared moment for founders: what if it all doesn't work out? What will happen?

In this conversation, Andrea speaks openly about this experience and describes exactly what happens. And what goes on inside the mind of leaders who have to lead through such challenges. She describes how she and her team took care of customers, how she and her co-founder broke the news to their employees, and how she came away from the experience stronger.

Sometimes, things don't go to plan. OK. We learn, we grow, we begin again, in this candid episode of DWFF, with Andrea Fernandez.