HearstLab

We just crossed 13,000 LinkedIn followers at HearstLab — which feels like the perfect moment (and season) to say thank you! Thank you to the founders building the future, and to the operators, investors, and ecosystem partners cheering them on. ✨ If you’re passionate about funding women-led innovation… you’re in the right place. ✨ If you’re building something bold, we want to hear from you. ✨ If you’re early and figuring it out, we’ve been there. And we know what’s possible. Here’s to more milestones, more impact, and more breakthroughs together. Thanks for being part of this community with #teamHearstLab. 🚀

Financial stress = lost focus. At our Future of Work & Care CHRO roundtable, HearstLab portfolio companies Croux (led by Jennifer Ryan), Estately by FreeWill (led by Jennifer Xia Spradling (she / her)), and Scope Zero (led by Lizzy Kolar), shared insights on what it really means to work well and how employers can help ease financial stress with innovative, low-cost high-impact benefits—like estate planning and sustainability savings— that are equitable and applicable across demographics and industries. 💬 “Anything a company can do to ease financial stress increases productivity, loyalty, and happiness.” Get the data behind how financial wellbeing affects workforce performance in our Future of Work Report, featuring insights from Croux, Estately, Scope Zero, and SupportPay: https://lnkd.in/eGMCZik5

Happy Friday the 13...thousand followers! As we celebrate this exciting HearstLab LinkedIn audience milestone (up 250%+ in under two years!), it’s got me thinking about #13 and the paradox of "luck." A few reflections from work & life: 🚪Luck is access. One warm intro, unexpected referral, or door opening can change everything. 📈 Luck is compounding. Tiny actions may not look like much in the moment…but they stack over months and years. ⏰ Luck is timing. Be ready for when you're least expecting it! 🔄 Luck favors the consistent. Keep putting in the work and keep paying it forward. 🔮 Unlucky moments shape the future. The missed opportunity, delayed funding, or job you didn’t get often becomes the moment that clarifies what matters most. This holiday season, a special thank you to those choosing to help bend the odds and create more luck in the world. I’m deeply grateful for this community of operators, innovators, investors, friends, and partners. ✨

Innovation, recognition, and impact—all from women-led startups across the HearstLab portfolio. 🚀 Catch up on what’s new from our community of founders: 🤝 With Giving Tuesday approaching, Beam Impact is helping brands make tangible, measurable impact this holiday season with its 2025 Giving Tuesday Playbook. See how mission-driven companies are activating their customers around giving: https://lnkd.in/eqFwCAzp 👏 Congrats to Julie Novack, CEO and co-founder of PartySlate, on being named to Top 50 Power Players in Events by EMRG Media https://lnkd.in/eVs_uWbD 🌱 Planet FWD teamed up with Hearst UK to launch the Good Housekeeping Institute UK's “Green Seal,” a program that helps consumers understand the carbon story behind the products they love. (Shoutout to HearstLab Scouts Katie Vanneck and Laura Cohen for their support!): https://lnkd.in/eBdwT6g8 🏆 Congrats to Intella’s Nour Taher on being named a 2025 Startup Award winner by WOMEN IN TECH ® Global MENA: https://lnkd.in/eZ2XPpU5 💫 Statusphere’s Kristen Wiley, Nancy Berger, and Olivia O'Connell attended Glossy’s annual Beauty & Wellness Summit to discuss social search, AI and how brands are future-proofing for the next generation: https://lnkd.in/eB6vNiNV 🧑🧑🧒 Wellthy’s CEO and co-founder Lindsay Jurist-Rosner talks with Forbes journalist Maggie McGrath on why caregiving support is a business imperative how companies can better meet the needs of working caregivers. Watch the discussion: https://lnkd.in/eZDmmY5n

Top 10 investing strategy soundbites from a recent discussion with two of the best: Pocket Sun (SoGal Ventures) & Sonja Perkins (The Perkins Fund, Menlo Ventures, TA Associates)👇  1️⃣ What matters most: a big market and potential to become the #1 player. Look for founders with deep passion and deep knowledge of the problem ("founder/market fit”). 2️⃣ Consider a proactive approach: Identify an interesting market, do the research, find the best company, and convince the strongest founder to take your money. 3️⃣ Be cautious of founders stuck raising $1-2M at a time…they will spend all of their time fundraising vs. building. For Series A, should be raising $5M+. 4️⃣ Never show someone a deal you wouldn’t personally do. Time, dollars, and credibility are finite; avoid passing around “leftovers.” 5️⃣ The #1 thing you can do in diligence is talk to customers. Broadway equivalent = look at pre-sale tickets. 6️⃣ The best deals are often the most controversial. If everyone immediately agrees, it’s usually average. That said... 7️⃣ If a deal drags or the data room is a mess, it’s usually a red flag. “The longer it to make a decision, the worse the deal probably is.” Good founders run tight processes. 8️⃣ Women CEOs are exceptional, but risk exists everywhere. Importance of balanced cap tables and board composition. 9️⃣ This is a time to observe & use caution. On the flip side, could be best time to start a company with a lot less competition (minus AI).  🔟 Friendly reminder: Don’t OVER-educate/think it. There will always be risk. To my broader community of women interested in exploring angel investing: Don't be shy! Find something that fits your belief system/investment appetite & only invest what you can lose. Build a diversified portfolio. Do it with joy! Vote with $ for solutions you want to see in the world. It all starts with who is investing in what. And HearstLab's doors are always open. We invest anywhere from $100K-$1M+ and are especially eager to meet any early-stage (Seed-Series B) women-led B2B(2C) startups in the US, Europe, Japan, & GCC.

With five generations in the workforce — each with different motivations and fears — leaders agree: in an AI world, keeping humans at the center is non-negotiable. At our Future of Work & Care roundtable, Jennifer Henderson (Tilt), Karen Pavlin (ServiceNow), and Ana Pease (Fortinet) explored how leaders can help prevent burnout in an AI-first world. 💬 “Use AI as a tool in your toolbox, not AI for AI’s sake.” AI should serve people, not replace them. And when deployed thoughtfully, it can spark a human renaissance: freeing time for creativity, curiosity, and connection. ICYMI: find out how AI is reshaping the workplace in our Future of Work Report, featuring insights and resources from Tilt and ServiceNow: https://lnkd.in/eGMCZik5

Childcare costs now outpace rent in most U.S. states — and companies are realizing caregiving is no longer just a benefit. It’s a business imperative. At our Future of Work CEO Roundtable, Emily Brockett (Hearst) and Lindsay Jurist-Rosner (Wellthy) highlighted what forward-thinking employers are doing to better support working families — and why it matters for retention, productivity, and culture. 🔎 Explore how companies can turn their benefits into a strategy for competitiveness, continuity, and culture in our Future of Work Report, featuring HearstLab portfolio companies Estately, Croux, Scope Zero, SupportPay, Tilt, and Wellthy → https://lnkd.in/eGMCZik5

“Together we unlock what’s ahead.” In October, HearstLab Japan and Toget-HER co-hosted a special event: “Voices Shape The Future,” a powerful evening for professionals, entrepreneurs, and changemakers committed to inclusion, innovation, and shaping what’s ahead in Japan. 💫 Female founders and leaders in Japan took the stage to share their persepctives on the future + HearstLab’s Sumiyo Tsuchikawa and Azahara García Espejo teamed up to share HearstLab’s mission and role in supporting women-led startups across the global startup ecosystem. A special thank you to Toget-HER’s Taiko Otsuka, HearstLab Scout Nobuko Hakata , zooba, Inc. CEO Ayane Nawa, and 株式会社MamaWell CEO Marika Seki for their insights and inspiration. 📹 Watch the highlights below

Congrats to portfolio company NopSec on being named a Visionary in the inaugural 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Exposure Assessment Platforms! 🔒✨ Led by Lisa Xu, NopSec is a SaaS solution that helps security teams move faster and smarter — using intelligent context to predict, prioritize, and prevent threats. We’re proud to see Lisa and the NopSec team receive this well-deserved recognition as they transform how organizations tackle cyber risk.