Amy Nauiokas Quotes

The reality is the only place a company's culture is going to start and end is at the beginning of that company. And it always starts with the founders. So if you can't create an environment of founders and founding employees who are going to represent the company you want, then you are never going to get there. You have to look at your own network and find what you are missing. So if you don't have a female or someone who has an international perspective or a person with a bio degree, but those perspectives matter to the firm or product you want to create, then it's never going to work out.

We can be aggressive at the right time with the right stakes when it comes to price. But I think for us, it starts and ends with people. And generally speaking, venture investors will say that. Right? That people are very important. It is all about the people. But at Anthemis, it is beyond "all about the people." Because it's almost exclusively about the people. We've been operating this way for a while.

The argument that it is difficult to find women is complete BS. Any bank will tell you that the No. 1 employee they lose the most money on is the mid-tier female they bring on when they are 22 who leaves in her mid to late 30s. These are women they spend a ton of money training, and a ton of money attracting and hiring. And then they lose them. And they lose them for many reasons. They're going to other sectors, other industries. So for us in the financial-services world to say we can't find women is ridiculous. They are out there. We've done it here at Anthemis.

It is all about finding the entrepreneurs who we believe in. Entrepreneurs who have the wherewithal, the enthusiasm, the passion, the expertise, and the network to take early-stage ideas down the path of success. And it's not always obvious, just because someone has years of experience, or fantastic people in their eco-system, or they have fantastic capital. It is the combination of all of those things, with the right attitude. And for us attitude is crucial.