Skip to main content
Rogue Women FORTITUDE

Rogue Women VII Event Recap

Fortitude

Steadfast and courageous during times of adversity. 

During a year when we saw instability in the markets, uncertainty about venture funding, and global conflict, one theme has emerged - that in times of adversity and hardship, women remain steadfast and strong. We endure with great fortitude. We don't just endure, but our strength is highlighted. 

This year's Rogue Women took place in-person in New York City on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.

Featured Speakers:

Agenda:

Networking and Breakfast | 8:30 a.m. ET

Meet 150 corporate innovators, entrepreneurs & venture capitalists. 

Kick Off and Welcome | 9:00 a.m. ET

Jumpstart your morning with our hosts. Get their POV on why going Rogue matters; and find out the latest update on the Rogue Women's Fund. 

Featuring: Fred Schonenberg, Founder & CEO, VentureFuel and Caroline Lewis, Managing Partner, Rogue Women's Fund

Keynote Authenticity Fuels Action: From Idea to Representation | 9:10 a.m. ET

Join us for a Keynote featuring Sallie Krawcheck, Co-founder & CEO of Ellevest, the only financial company built for women, by women. 

Featuring: 

 

Rogue Women VI: Keynote Speaker Sallie Krawcheck, Co-founder & CEO of Ellevest

Sallie Krawcheck is the Co-founder and CEO of Ellevest, an innovative digital investment platform designed to help women reach their financial goals.

She is also Chair of Ellevate Network, a professional networking community whose mission is to advance women in business.

She is one of the highest ranked women ever to have worked on Wall Street, having held posts such as CEO of Smith Barney, CEO of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, and CFO of Citigroup.

She is one of the most-read “Influencers” on LinkedIn and has been profiled as one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People” in business, as well as in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, and more.

Krawcheck attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds an MBA from Columbia University.

Part I Authenticity Fuels Innovation: Enterprise Transformation | 9:40 a.m. ET

Explore the relationship between authenticity & innovation across marketing, strategy & ventures groups at industry leading organizations: Biogen, Winnebago & VF Corporation. Moderated by Vanessa Rosado, Head of Brand Strategy, VentureFuel.

Featuring: 

Rogue Women VI Speaker Lesley Folensbee, Director of Marketing at Biogen
Rogue Women VI Speaker Joan Ondala, Director of Business Development and Corporate Strategy at Winnebago Industries
Rogue Women VI Speaker, Kristen Gendron, Director at VF Venture Foundry

Fireside Chat Authenticity Fuels Mission: Purpose Driven Innovation | 10:20 a.m. ET

Hear from the new president of AARP Foundation, the charitable affiliate of AARP on how their approach to innovation uses empathy and experimentation to understand people's needs, uncover creative insights, and find new solutions to complex issues. Moderated by Fred Schonenberg, Founder & CEO, VentureFuel.

Featuring: 

 

Rogue Women VI Speaker Claire Casey, President of AARP Foundation

As the new president, Claire Casey leads AARP Foundation’s strategic direction and efforts to achieve its vision of a country free of poverty where no older person feels vulnerable.

Casey comes to the Foundation from Economist Impact, where she was the global head of Policy & Insights. Her work focused on driving awareness and action on critical global issues such as food security, global aging and more. Casey also founded FP Analytics, the research and analysis division of the FP Group and publisher of Foreign Policy magazine and she has more than 2 decades of experience providing evidenced-based strategic advisory services to Fortune 100 corporations, foundations, governments and international institutions.

She holds an MA in International Economics and International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a BA in International Politics and Economics from Middlebury College.

Part II Authenticity Fuels Entrepreneurship: Founder Stories | 11:00 a.m. ET

Learn the Founder Stories of three entrepreneurs whose unique perspectives and experiences help them rethink status quo solutions to some of industry & society's most pressing challenges. Moderated by Shira Averbuch, VP of Innovation at VentureFuel.

Featuring: 

Rogue Women VI Speaker Nicole Schmidt, CEO of Source
Rogue Women VI Speaker Chekesha Kidd, Founder and CEO of Kinumi
Rogue Women VI Speaker Tara Fung, Co-founder and CEO of Co:Create

Part III Authenticity to Fuel Funding: Building Access to Capital | 11:40 a.m. ET

Discover how investors are rethinking traditional strategies and structures, to build new onramps to funding.

Featuring: 

Rogue Women VI Speaker Allison Goldberg, SVP and Managing Partner at Comcast Ventures
Rogue Women VI Speaker, Shila Nieves Burney, Founding and Managing Partner at Zane Venture Fund
Rogue Women VI Speaker Jenny Fielding, Co-founder + Managing Partner at The Fund
Rogue Women VI Speaker Caroline Lewis, Managing Partner Rogue Women's Fund

Closing Remarks | 12:20 p.m. ET

Featuring: Fred Schonenberg, Founder & CEO, VentureFuel and Caroline Lewis, Managing Partner, Rogue Women's Fund

Networking | 12:30 p.m. ET 

Meet 150 corporate innovators, entrepreneurs & venture capitalists. 

Event Close | 1:00 p.m. ET 

A powerful morning of inspirational keynotes, fireside chats and panels featuring the leaders driving transformative change.

Opening: Show Her the Money

Learn how a film is helping to rewrite the narrative on women and fundraising. 

Featuring: La Keisha Landrum Pierre, General Partner & Co-Founder of Emmeline Ventures. She will share insights from her journey in venture capital, featured in the documentary "Show Her the Money." Learn how a film is helping to rewrite the narrative on women and fundraising.

Before starting at Emmeline Ventures, she was the MD at NLA Ventures. Prior to that, she was the CEO at Sahara Reporters and co-Founder of Sahara Reporters’ Civic Media Lab, in partnership with MacArthur Foundation and Omidyar Network and others.

 

Panel I: From Underdog to Topdog

Hear how these founders went from overlooked during the hype to steady and soaring during a downturn. 

Featuring: Jamie Norwood & Cynthia Plotch, the dynamic duo behind FemTech startup Stix; and Isoken Igbinedion, Founder and CEO at Pafait, the AI powered startup disrupting the $13B custom wig industry.

Moderated by Kathleen Carbone, Principal, Director of Advisory, and a Senior Family Advisor at Parcion Private Wealth.

 

Fireside Chat: Advocacy, Access & Acceleration

Discover how AWS is reshaping the innovation ecosystem by providing founders with the resources & networks needed to succeed. 

Charlotte Newman is the Global Head of Underrepresented Founder and Investor Startup Business Development. 

She is located in Washington, DC, where she leads a team with a laser-like focus on how to accelerate underrepresented founders and investors. 

Moderated by Aina Fadina, a Rogue Women's Fund Fellow.

 

Panel II: Driving Resilient Growth through Corporate-Startup Partnerships  

Find out how these executives are partnering enterprise organizations with startups to drive growth and create new markets, together.

Featuring: Limor Schafman, Director of Operations and Programs at LG NOVA, a team within LG Electronics working with startups on building businesses, Lizzie Naylor, Global Platform Manager for Start Path, Mastercards's award-winning startup engagement program, and our very own Shira Averbuch, Vice President of Innovation and Partnerships at VentureFuel

Moderated by Danielle Cohn, Founding Partner and CEO of The Wave Ventures.

 

Panel III: Resilient, Steady And Disciplined

Understand the strategies that enabled these venture capitalists to invest in the overlooked and the results they've realized: a thriving portfolio.

Featuring: Caroline Lewis, Managing Partner of Rogue Women's Fund; Sydney Paige Thomas, Founder and General Partner of Symphonic Capital; and McKeever "Mac" Conwell II, Managing Partner of RareBreed Ventures

Moderated by Yao Huang, founder of The Hatchery. 

 

Panel IV: From Setback to Success - The Role of Resilience and Strategy in Gotham FC's Rise

Dive into the heart of Gotham FC's remarkable comeback story, exploring how a mix of resilience, strategic foresight, and unwavering determination helped them pivot from enduring one of the league's toughest seasons to securing their inaugural NWSL championship.

Featuring: Yael Averbuch West, the General Manager and Head of Soccer Operations; and Nan Vogel, Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Game Day at Gotham FC.

Master of Ceremony:

Rogue Women VI Master of Ceremony Fred Schonenberg, Founder and CEO of VentureFuel

Founder. Innovator. Connector. Corporate Problem Solver. Speaker. Thought Leader. Angel.

Fred has helped over 100 companies, from General Mills to Beam Suntory to Netflix, discover and implement new technologies and innovations to deliver breakthrough results (18.7% sales lift, $10m+ savings, 5x purchase intent, etc.). 

As Founder of VentureFuel, he has created a repeatable innovation framework, that bridges his deep relationships with the VC, Angel and Startup ecosystem with his C-suite corporate relationships to deliver first-to-market, tangible solutions that drive growth for all involved. 

He is a frequent speaker at industry events such as SXSW, Ad Tech, Advertising Week, IAB, OMMA, etc. and an industry thought-leader published in The Huffington Post, Media Post, The Drum, Tech.co, Creator Magazine, Adweek, Event Marketer, etc.

As the son of an extraordinary entrepreneur mom, Fred is an ally and advocate for gender diversity in the innovation ecosystem and the advancement of women.

Rogue Women is a conference that exists to bring together the next generation of leaders, celebrating the trailblazers who have forged new paths, pushed up against societal boundaries and made the impossible possible. It is produced by VentureFuel, in partnership with the Rogue Women's Fund.

VentureFuel

About VentureFuel: 

Founded in 2014, VentureFuel is an independent innovation consultancy based out of New York City. It builds innovation programs by unlocking the power of external innovation through partnerships with startups for industry leaders. Its programs focus on unlocking new sources of growth.​

Rogue Women's Fund

About The Rogue Women's Fund: 

Fiercely female. Always rogue. The Rogue Women's Fund is a Rogue Venture Partners fund investing in the best women-led startups across the U.S.​

This year’s sponsor:

Parcion Private Wealth