Listen "Raising Visibility - From CIO to Angel Investor: Laura Meyer on Female Founders, AI, and the Future of Work"
Episode Synopsis
How AI is Revolutionising Startups & Why Female Founders Get Just 2% of FundingThis week on Raise Your Visibility Online, host Louise Brogan sits down with Laura Meyer, former CIO at HarperCollins UK and Turner Broadcasting, now an angel investor championing female founders through Angel Academy.After 27 years in corporate leadership, Laura made the leap to angel investing and hasn't looked back. In this fascinating conversation, she shares why AI might be the great equaliser for entrepreneurs, how it's transforming business at unprecedented speed, and what founders really need to know before seeking investment.This episode is essential listening if you're:Considering starting your own businessWondering how AI will impact your careerA female founder seeking investment guidanceCurious about the angel investment worldConcerned about the future of work🎧 Episode HighlightsThe Shocking Funding GapOnly 2% of venture capital funding goes to all-female founded companies, whilst approximately 80% goes to all-male teams. Laura explains why this disparity persists and how organisations like Angel Academy are working to change it.AI: The Game-Changer for Startups"Previously you might have needed a bookkeeper, someone to help with marketing, someone to write posts. Now you can do a lot of that through AI tools. The entry level for cost has come down, making it more accessible for more people—and more women."The 47% Benchmark That Changes EverythingRecent research (GDP Value project) found that AI output was valued at 47%—meaning AI outperformed human experts nearly half the time. And that's right now. Laura asks: "Imagine what it's going to be in another three months, another six months?"From Five Days to 30 MinutesLaura shares real examples of deep research projects that would normally take five days and require hiring a contractor, now being completed in 30 minutes with well-crafted AI prompts—at PhD level quality.The One Question Every Founder Must Answer"What problem am I solving and will people PAY for it? Because if they're not, there's no point."🔑 Key TakeawaysOn Starting a Business:Bootstrap first—test your idea as a side hustle before leaving your jobQuestion rigorously whether people will actually pay for your solutionTeam matters as much as the idea when seeking investmentIf bootstrapping doesn't work, you can pivot or try again with minimal lossOn AI Transformation:AI is replacing Google for information searchesIt will evolve into a complete operating system integrated with everything"Work slop" (unedited AI outputs) is creating new corporate problemsThe responsibility to upskill lies with each individualFree resources exist (OpenAI Academy) for learningCompanies must treat AI as a fundamental change management projectOn Angel Investment:Investment isn't the right path for every businessInvestors back teams, not just ideasExpect it to take at least 10 years for most startupsDue diligence is rigorous—your...
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