My frustration with the lack of access to capital led me to business school, where I aimed to democratize funding and eventually co-founded Indiegogo.

My reason for starting Indiegogo was to democratize access to capital, a problem that affected my family and me personally.

We realized that to grow our business, we needed to raise capital, as we had no money in the bank after three years of operation, and we didn't want to remain a lifestyle business.

My journey to entrepreneurship began with my dyslexia, which shaped my unique perspective and ability to see the world differently.

Working in corporate finance made me realize how broken the finance system is, especially when I encountered filmmakers seeking funding but lacking the means to secure it.

Having been a founder myself helps me as an investor because I understand the challenges and can identify kindred spirits among entrepreneurs.

I graduated from business school with $140,000 in debt, which made me determined to find a way to succeed as an entrepreneur without being constrained by that debt.

In the early days, we struggled to raise money, which taught us to focus on solving real problems and to build an efficient, profitable business from day one.

I had no choice but to bootstrap my company for the first year. I focused on optimizing for a fast and efficient fundraising process because I was warned that a long fundraising process could kill a company.