🤑 Make the Ask

Anthemis Group’s CMO, Elise Brown, Teaches the Art of Asking

Author

Nicole Casperson
April 30, 2024

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Hi, fintech fam! 💜

On Monday, I discovered that "Fintech Feminists” earned a new badge on Amazon's digital shelves, reaching the #1 spot among new financial service book releases.

What strikes me most about this achievement is the category in which my book resides: Books › Business & Money › Economics.

We rarely see female authors dominate this category. Together, we’re on a mission to change that.

Let’s get more women leading the charts in the business book section. Pre-order your copy of "Fintech Feminists" here and help us reach the best-sellers list!

Also, if you’re looking for more ways to hang out in the coming weeks, here are the events I’m hosting in May and June:

WHY UPGRADE?

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CAREER

Anthemis Group’s CMO, Elise Brown, Wants You to Make the Ask

Elise Brown, during the Evening of Storytelling session.

Elise Brown is partner and the Chief Marketing Officer of Anthemis Group, a venture capital and asset management platform that has invested in some of the fintech industry’s top companies, including eToro, Carta, Betterment, Addition Wealth, and more.

If you were at Fintech Is Femme’s Leadership Summit on April 8th in New York City (which some are calling 2024’s must-attend event in fintech 🥹 - THANK YOU - join us again on June 3rd!), you heard Elise Brown’s incredible story.

Before Brown’s time at Anthemis Group, she worked as a Client Solutions Specialist at Edward Jones, a private client associate at Bernstein Global Wealth Management, and a Marketing Program Manager for 3 years at J.P. Morgan.

Brown has done it all—from marketing financial products like 529 funds and retirement solutions in her early financial career to eventually managing $1M+ marketing plans as she climbed the ladder. 

Now, as the CMO of Anthemis Group - the powerhouse organization that houses the $50M Innovators Lab Fund, fintech’s largest early-stage fund dedicated to women-owned companies, Brown is teaching others how reaching your career goals doesn’t happen by chance.

Here’s her story about making the ask.

Brown shared her story with a captivated crowd.

Brown pursued her undergraduate studies at Missouri State University, earning her Bachelor’s in Marketing.

Following graduation, she secured a full-time position at a St. Louis, Missouri, brokerage firm. Dedicated and focused, Brown immersed herself in her work.

However, she couldn't help but notice disparities in advancement among her peers who didn't share her background.

“They're navigating differently,” Brown recalled, realizing they were accessing opportunities she wasn't, despite her equal effort.

Doubts began to creep in: "What am I doing? Do I enjoy this work? Do I resonate with these colleagues?"

Brown confronted these questions head-on soon after.

One evening, she spontaneously went salsa dancing instead of taking a planned nap. Amidst the enjoyment and liberation from work concerns, she returned to several missed calls from her roommate.

A devastating electrical fire had ravaged Brown’s apartment, leaving her with only the clothes she wore and her purse.

As she recounted this harrowing experience, the audience collectively held their breath. This poignant moment underscored the summit's significance and facilitated deeper connections among attendees.

Brown narrowly escaped a life-threatening tragedy, prompting her to reassess her life and priorities immediately.

“Experiencing such a profound tragedy makes you rethink everything,” Brown shared. “You start to question: Am I living authentically? Am I truly happy?”

Confronting these inquiries, Brown realized she wasn't leading the life she desired.

“If I want to change the narrative of my life,” Brown thought to herself then. “I’m going to have to start thinking differently.”

Brown embraced this mindset and meticulously outlined her goals in her journal.

Here’s how it played out.

Goal 1? Relocate to New York City.

Reflecting on the disparities she observed before her life-altering experience, Brown recognized a key distinction: while some individuals were receiving both mentorship and sponsorship, others, particularly women of color like herself, were receiving only mentorship.

“If you look like me, you're often over-mentored and under-sponsored,” Brown emphasized to the audience, urging them to recognize the importance of sponsorship in career advancement.

She explained that a sponsor is someone within your organization or with significant influence who actively advocates for your career progression, ensuring your visibility in critical decision-making circles.

How do you discover one? According to Brown, it's all about "making the ask." 

This means boldly seeking opportunities and realizing the influence of expressing your ambitions within your network.

For example, Brown's sponsor, a sales executive with a vastly different background, played a pivotal role in her career journey, encouraging her to move to New York City.

So, she relocated to New York, driven by her first goal, even though no job opportunity awaited her.

Goal 2? Secure employment.

Ever resilient, Brown pursued unconventional avenues to land a job, even appearing in the background of television shows like Wendy Williams, donning vibrant attire to attract attention to her job search.

Eventually, leveraging “the ask” with her network, she found a position at a private wealth management firm. However, her desire for a more creative role led her to seek new opportunities.

Goal 3? Cultivate a creative career.

By tapping into her network again, Brown transitioned into a role aligned with her creative aspirations.

After two years at this firm, where she managed a $1M+ marketing budget and developed a communications plan for nearly 20,000 investors, Brown once again felt her heart calling her in a different direction.

Goal 4? Discover her purpose.

Browsing job listings on Indeed, Brown stumbled upon Anthemis, a venture capital firm dedicated to transforming the financial system.

Joining Anthemis as CMO, Brown found what she was looking for — fulfillment in working alongside a diverse and inclusive team, investing in innovative fintech companies, with a portfolio comprising 50% women or People of Color.

April 8th’s Evening of Storytelling Speakers. From L to R: Margaret Hartigan, Elise Brown, Cleve Mesidor, Liza Landsman.

Brown shared with the audience her 3 pillars for career advancement:

  1. Know yourself and your Northstar

“If you don’t have a purpose, it’s going to be really difficult to navigate how you want to,” Brown said.

  1. Groundwork is key

“All of these opportunities I shared with you: I put in the work. I knew the people, I did the due diligence,” Brown reminded us.

  1. Embrace the benefits

“Opportunites come and go,” Brown said as she closed with her powerful words of wisdom. 

“Rejection is inevitable. Find your purpose. Find your path. There’s a place for everyone. Many people today are waiting for a situation. Let me be your sign today: many are lucky. But the majority of us? We just asked.”

JOIN US DURING NY TECH WEEK

Elise Brown’s story is just ONE example of the incredible stories we hear at the Evening of Storytelling events.

Join us on June 3rd to hear inspiring stories and gain valuable career insights.

WTF ELSE?

  • ‘Wallet-as-a-service’ startup Ansa raises $14 million with female investors leading the way

  • 3 negotiation essentials to maximize your next fintech pay package

  • How one non-profit is turning to AI to help boost women's financial literacy

  • A billion people are vulnerable to climate change and economic shocks. Can fintech solve for both?

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I WANT IT, I GOT IT

  • 📚 Today’s Read: I am currently doing more writing than reading. However, Julia Boostin's "When Women Lead" is extremely helpful in writing “Fintech Feminists.”

  • 👀 Today’s Watch: I thought Colin Jost's set at the White House correspondents’ dinner was pretty damn hilarious.

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FINTUNES

This is an absolute banger from our girl Chlöe. It combines two of my favorite elements: savage lyrics and music that makes me want to get up and dance.

That’s all for now! Stay safe, everyone. Hug your loved ones. See you Thursday!

Love,

Nicole