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Theresia Gouw Quotes

15 quotes from Theresia Gouw — Co-founder of Acrew Capital (formerly Aspect Ventures), a VC firm focused on diverse founders..

Don't be afraid to take a chance on yourself.

Perseverance

Being an entrepreneur is the fastest way for women to reach C level.

Leadership

It's important to create long-term wealth for people who historically have not had the opportunity to invest in venture capital.

Diversity

I'd like to try to be balanced in my perspective.

Perspective

With a lot of the larger tech companies either having hiring freezes or even significant layoffs, that does mean that there's more amazing technology talent.

Talent

The biggest mistake that entrepreneurs often make is underestimating the competition.

Entrepreneurship

Hands-down, the best decision I have ever made in my career was taking a chance and starting Acrew Capital.

Career

My view is, either you are being incredibly naive, or worse, trying to deceive me. Or, at best, it means that your market is so small there are no competitors. So, go and talk to me about what other things are out there, because there is always competition.

Theresia Gouw, CNBC / Vanity Fair Founders Fair, 2017

I have to add more value beyond just the dollars, and it has to be with a group that wants that. I have to believe that I can be helpful and not just write checks.

Theresia Gouw, Carnegie Corporation, 2019

The real worry is that the next generation will not see Silicon Valley as a place to be.

Theresia Gouw, Fortune, 2015

If you've ever been 'the only' anything, you know it comes with challenges — but also opportunities. It can be challenging to feel like you're on an island. But it's also an opportunity to bring a different lived experience to the discussion — to make it richer and disrupt stereotypes.

Theresia Gouw, Stanford GSB Commencement, 2022

We are venture capitalists. We are in the business of making money for our investors and our entrepreneurs. Diversity makes a difference for business and the bottom line.

Theresia Gouw, TIME, 2014

Ownership in companies is one of the most significant ways to increase wealth. And more diverse teams and more diverse boards will improve returns on shareholder equity.

Theresia Gouw, Fortune, 2021

When we first came here my dad and my mom worked in a Chinese restaurant. My dad was a dishwasher. My mom was the hostess. That was the first jobs. The only jobs they could get when we first got here, and my dad was a dentist.

Theresia Gouw, No Limits Podcast

Sabbatical was clear: You go away for three to six months, you come back, and everything's the way it was when you left. Family leave was uncharted. Looking back, I wish I had been more vocal.

Theresia Gouw, The Cut, 2022

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