In this episode of The Innovators and Investors Podcast, host Kristian Marquez interviews Cindy Padnos, the founder and managing partner of Illuminate Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital firm focused on enterprise software. Cindy shares her insights on the importance of investing in areas where one has operational experience, the dynamics of seed-stage investing versus later rounds, and the value of diversity in entrepreneurship. She emphasizes the significance of strong teams, the lessons learned from her own experiences as an operator, and the structured support systems Illuminate Ventures has built, including a business advisory council and a program for student interns.

Learn more about Cindy's work https://www.illuminate.com/

Connect with Cindy on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindypadnos/

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply https://finstratmgmt.com/innovators-investors-podcast/

Want to learn more about Kristian Marquez's work? Check out his website at https://finstratmgmt.com/