EPISODE #971
Kristin Thomas
AI for Small Business:
Empowering 1.6 Million Women with Funding, AI Education, and Community
971 Kristin Thomas: AI for Small Business
How to Break Barriers with Resilient Leadership
Women are unstoppable when we help lift each other up, that is, really lift each other with valuable connections, access to capital and vital know-how.
Elizabeth Gore has co-created a fast-growing business ensuring women entrepreneurs and small business owners get access to the capital, community and learning they need to succeed—helping support more than 1.6 million entrepreneurs as co-founder and President of Hello Alice.
Hello Alice once struggled to raise investment capital, and now it is helping to transform that fundraising landscape for women business owners—with access to capital such as direct grants and lending programs, as well as education and community resources and events.
Her latest mission is the bring AI to Main Street, with a live tour around the U.S. helping business owners figure out how best to take advantage of AI in their businesses. We talk about how women are leading the charge in ethical and inclusive AI, the ongoing advocacy needed to ensure small businesses have a real voice in government policy, and what it really takes for women entrepreneurs to break through persistent barriers.
🔑Key Takeaways🔑
💰 📈 Financial Fitness for Female Founders: How to boost your financial fitness before seeking capital, and access some of the $60 million in small business grants and loans from 92 equitable lenders from Hello Alice.
🤖 🎯 AI Adoption Is Non-Negotiable: Whether you own a tech startup or a local bakery, integrating AI isn’t just about innovation—it’s about increasing efficiency, improving financial fitness, and staying competitive. Elizabeth says, “You can’t operate a business today without it.”
💪 🦄 Resilience in the Face of “No”: Elizabeth and her co-founder had over 200 rejections on their funding journey, but perseverance paid off: after some lean early rounds, Hello Alice is now profitable and thriving. The lesson? Stay frugal, be capital-efficient, and build your network before you need it.
👩🔬 🚀 Why Women Make Outstanding Investors (and Need to Do It More!): It’s not just about receiving capital—it’s time for women to step up as investors, fund managers, and decision-makers.
🌐✨Building Resilience, Mindset & Community: How athletics helps shape the mindset of the best entrepreneurs. Learn how to “fail forward” with the grit of a top athlete.
More about Kristin Thomas at helloalice.com
Create and share clips of your favorite moments of this or any other podcast episode on across social media via Podopolo, and join the conversation with Elizabeth and me in the Wings episode comments section.
More about Elizabeth at Hello Alice
Elizabeth Gore is the co-founder and president of Hello Alice, a technology company that provides access to capital, connections, and education to over 1.5 million entrepreneurs. In turn, Hello Alice’s business health engine for banks and enterprise business services helps corporations increase engagement and transactions with small businesses. Hello Alice remains steadfast in its mission to ensure that every small business owner has the resources to thrive and live their dream. Elizabeth is the host of the Yahoo Finance show “The Big Idea,” and is the small business columnist for Inc magazine.
https://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/big-idea/
Get the Transcript HERE
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