Sheila D. Collins

I've always been a go-getter. My parents both had jobs and also had a business, so I always saw them work hard. That was kind of the way I always thought about things - you have a job and you create a business. So I've created multiple businesses in my lifetime, and it's kind of like, this is what I saw, and so that's what I did. But I attribute my success to that quote that, to whom much is given, much is required. It sounds cheesy, but I want to do my part to make the world a better place. I want to have an impact. So many people have created opportunities for me, and I want to make sure that I'm doing the same and creating opportunities for others.

It's a very exciting industry to be in. The thing that I love about this space is that it's constantly changing. There are no dull moments. If you are curious about an area, you can dive into it. I'm constantly looking at financial service technology products, and I get to geek out about it with people who also love it. I get to make decisions with other smart people. We spend a lot of time debating, analyzing, reading reports, looking at stats - to me, it's fun. The thing I would say is that it does require a lot of social capital. Your reputation matters, your personal relationships matter. When I started my career, I would hear the term network and I would shy away from that because it felt transactional. What I've learned is how to invite people in, and for me, inviting people in has been the way of making genuine connections. I invite people to attend meaningful events with me - that's my way of inviting people in. The other thing is I've been getting into yoga as a way to release all the world's ways that spin, because being resilient and taking care of your mental health is essential.

There are many challenges. There's not enough funding for companies that are geared towards women, longevity, and Black and brown people. It is a gated industry with many gatekeepers, and it's highly competitive. Those who have the biggest dollars have more opportunities to point those dollars in different places. In women's health, for example, there haven't been enough so-called winners in this space, partly because the funding hasn't been there to promote and create them. There are a lot of data gaps that are missing - women weren't included in clinical research until 1993, and sex wasn't a biological marker for NIH until 10 years ago. So there's a lot of infrastructure that still has to be created. Many founders are working on solutions to create that infrastructure component, which requires a longer pathway for them to hit their milestones. At the end of the day, you need more capital to make that happen. It is a tough space in that regard.

We just did a class on values, thinking about what the future holds and how to make sure you are living value-aligned. For me, my values are family, wealth creation, wisdom, creativity, and achievements. Those are probably the top 5. I also have curiosity, community, and leadership as values that are important to me.