We sat down with Check Warner, Partner at Ada Ventures and Co-Founder of Diversity VC
What is your current role?
I’m a partner at Ada Ventures, a $50m pre-seed and seed Venture Capital fund investing in bold ideas from overlooked founders, in overlooked markets.
How did you get started in venture capital and what was the career path to your current role?
I started my career in advertising before making a ‘career pivot’ in to Venture Capital where I worked at Downing Ventures before setting up Ada Ventures with my co-founder Matt Penneycard.
What attracted you to the industry?
The fact that no two days are the same and I get to spend my days living in the future with some of the cleverest, most passionate and driven people in the world – founders!
What advice would I give women considering a career in VC? Go for it! Don’t be put off and don’t count yourself out. There are many different types of people in PE and VC so you don’t need to be a ‘cookie cutter’ person.
What do you think it will take to improve the gender imbalance in private equity/venture capital and do you think we will see significant change in the coming years?
Limited Partners putting pressure on their managers to improve inclusion in their firms and people leaving the big firms to set up their own, more inclusive funds.
Who has most inspired you in your career/who have been your mentors?
I’m very lucky to have a number of mentors. Matt Penneycard, my partner, has been a mentor for many years. I’ve also been mentored by former colleagues, bosses, peers who are younger than me and fellow Venture Capitalists.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Find ‘your people’ in the industry and build close relationships with them. Don’t let your loudest and most critical voice be the one in your own head.
