In celebration of Women’s History Month, HearstLab and A+E Networks go behind the scenes of the inspiring world of women entrepreneurs at a high-stakes venture capital pitch competition. The special program, titled "FoundHER: The Pitch Lab," offers an inside look at one of HearstLab's pitch events featuring innovative female founders and the team behind HearstLab. The program first aired earlier this month across A+E's 4UV and Modern Marvels FAST channels.
Established in 2016 to help close the gender gap in venture capital funding, HearstLab equips tech-enabled women-led startups with cash investments and professional support to create scalable, sustainable businesses. To broaden their reach, HearstLab launched Pitch HearstLab in 2022, a live event series where early-stage female founders pitch to a panel of judges in hopes of securing a $100,000 investment and invaluable hands-on support from HearstLab and its network of Scouts. HearstLab invested over $3 million and supported 13 startups through pitch events in the first year of Pitch HearstLab.
The spark for the special came when Chief Marketing and Brand Officer of A+E Networks Juliana Stock joined a HearstLab pitch event and was struck by the passion and drive of the entrepreneurs, the judges and the HearstLab team. “At A+E Networks, we love telling stories across all our platforms, and our viewers want to see smart people with purpose getting opportunities,” Stock explained. The dynamic founders, the committed HearstLab team and the striking statistic that female-founded startups receive only 2% of venture capital funding got Stock’s wheels turning. “There’s so much thoughtful innovation happening in this space that is not being acknowledged or funded,” she said. After the event, Stock started a dialogue between executives at HearstLab and A+E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst and The Walt Disney Company, to explore ways to shine a light on these stories.
The journey from concept to screen took several months, and in May 2023, filming began at Pitch HearstLab Los Angeles.
Female representation in front of and behind the camera was crucial in the production of the “FoundHER” special, says Kate Leonard, vice president of marketing production and brand studio post at A+E Networks. “Having a female-led crew is so important. It means the production team reflects the diversity of the people and the story they are setting out to tell,” she said. Women behind the camera adds to the authenticity of a show that revolves around female business entrepreneurs and helps forge a greater sense of trust and camaraderie between filmmakers and their subjects.
“This has been one of the most rewarding productions to watch come together,” Leonard noted. “One of the challenges we faced was having so many incredible stories to highlight, which is truly the most fantastic kind of challenge. In the end, we chose to highlight even more people than we’d initially planned, via shortform that can run adjacent to the full special.”
One of the stories in the program is that of Katie Trauth Taylor, CEO and co-founder of Narratize, who won a HearstLab investment at the LA competition, then raised another $2 million following the event for her generative AI platform. “I am so honored that the incredible team of storytellers at A+E Networks chose to document the Narratize origin story,” Taylor said in a statement. “We know that when diverse voices are heard and supported, technology is safer and more effective for everybody. We need diverse founders creating incredible, human-centered products right now.”
A+E producers felt strongly that the HearstLab team was as much a part of the story as the founders themselves. In the show, viewers also meet Eve Burton, Hearst chief legal officer and HearstLab founder and chairwoman, a prominent advocate for female founders and for HearstLab’s mission. HearstLab Venture Director Eastin Rossell and HearstLab Scout & Hearst Magazines Director of Editorial Special Projects Carisha Swanson also appear.
The alignment between A+E Networks’ 4UV and HearstLab is clear. “HearstLab is improving access to capital for women founders and 4UV is spotlighting unheard voices,” noted HearstLab Senior Director Katie Bailey who is seen in the program evaluating submissions and more. Reflecting on the impact of HearstLab and the partnership, Stock added, “Our teams feel fortunate to have the opportunity to see and document these brilliant women, both the founders and the women behind HearstLab, in action.”
“FoundHER: The Pitch Lab” provides a platform to spotlight the impactful, innovative businesses and stories of female founders as well as the important role that HearstLab and others play in reducing the venture capital funding gap for women. “You can’t be what you can’t see,” noted Bailey. To date, HearstLab has made over 70 investments across a portfolio valued at $2.4 billion and continues to find, fund and support women-led companies.
“FoundHER: The Pitch Lab” and related pieces of shortform content are airing on both 4UV and MODERN MARVELS BY HISTORY FAST channels throughout March. To learn more about HearstLab and their pitch competitions, visit HearstLab.com.
Photos courtesy of Pink Heart Photography by Maria Evins.
