The Impossible Network

Kathryn Finney: Her Single Minded Path To Inspiring and Funding Brilliant Black and LatinX Founders

Dec 14, 2021

01:19:18

Guest overview

Kathryn Finney defies norms, conventions, and stereotypes. For this powerhouse of a human, there is no glass ceiling. From epidemiologist to entrepreneur, to investor, author, and mentor, Kathryn is changing what is considered possible for a generation of marginalized and underrepresented Black and LatinX entrepreneurs.

In this episode, recorded in two parts, we cover

The impact of her parents and extended family
Her father’s life pivot from brewing to coding in his 30’s which led her at aged eight to move from Milwaukee to Minneapolis.
The early experiences of racism.
Her grandmother's role in nurturing her entrepreneurial spirit and exposure to fashion.
Her educational journey and impact
The serendipity of illness in Ghana that led her to epidemiology at Yale
The life transition in her mid-twenties and setting up her fashion blog Budget Fashionista in 2004
Being the first blogger invited to New York fashion week
How her blogging opened the path to her first book deal
Becoming a correspondent for the Today Show.
The shift that occurred in fashion blogging as the category grew in 2008/9.
Joining an incubator program and confronting racial prejudice.
Creating a Women’s Entrepreneurs Event Focus 100
Exiting her business in 2013.
Creating the Project Diane a database of Black and LatinX women startups
The genesis of her Digital Undivided
How Covid accelerated a life transition and the creation of her micro grant Doonie Fund
Receiving funding from Pivotal Ventures for the creation of Genius Guild
Building a coalition of like-minded change agents
Creating her Podcast and Book Build The Damn Thing, her ‘a battle-tested guide for every entrepreneur who the establishment has excluded’
Her 2030 vision
Who we interview next?