Here’s My Story

I was an entrepreneur before I even knew what it was. I have always marched to the beat of my own drum and feel incredibly excited about creating and building things. For me business is one of the most creative acts we can do. Not everyone believes this, so this caused me to struggle for many years to find my path.

I have been part of a lot of startups as a founder, an employee, an advisor and now an investor. I had some successes, companies that did nothing. I am probably the only VC who came into the industry off the back of a crippling failure. I learned more from the failures than the successes. I have started tech companies, creative companies, eCommerce companies, non-profits, online training companies and I even started a socially responsible accessories line empowering women artisans in the Amazon Rainforest.

I began teaching sales to entrepreneurs. We’d gather in my kitchen where I’d teach everyone what I knew about growth. But more importantly, we helped one another and mentored each other through the challenges we were facing. I had nothing to gain, I only wanted to help others like me. I realize now I was seeking my own atonement. I could not go back in time and change the past, or fix the mistakes I had made. But I could help others to not make the same mistakes. One day a friend offered me a role helping out with a small venture fund. I wasn’t getting paid but I saw it as an opportunity to learn something new that interested me. I moonlighted as an apprentice for a while. After some years, I eventually became a Partner of that fund and started XXCelerate Fund, which was an education accelerator and loan fund for women-led businesses.

A few years later I had the opportunity join a new science and deep technology venture fund in formation. I learned about commercializing research and science, intellectual property, and how these types of companies are different from tech startups. I also began to design a model and approach that was entirely my own. But even more important, that was where I met my incredible partners, my dream team, and some of the entrepreneurs and investors I work with today.

The secret desire I held deep in my heart to make a real impact with venture capital was beginning to come to fruition. At this point I still had no clue what was in store for me…My passion for healthcare, medicine, life science and biotechnology was beginning to ignite because I learned that scientists and doctors actually need people like me to help them launch, grow and fund inventions. I decided

This will be my contribution to the world.

My journey to become an early stage VC in healthcare was full of twists and turns. Triumphs, learning experiences, disappointments and dark nights of the soul. I had to break the mold in almost every single way, I look and act almost nothing like a traditional VC. As a female entrepreneur and venture capitalist, it was first and foremost a journey of transformation, finding myself and coming home to the most real and true version of me. Once I got there, my purpose and destiny found me.

In order to create something bigger and better than I could even imagine on my own, I had to trust the universe and trust God. Entrepreneurship is the ultimate act of creation. I am only the conduit of creation. It’s not about me.

I learned to always be my truest self, and to never give up even when facing fear and failure.

It’s not a journey of business success, far from it. It’s a spiritual journey of transformation and purpose.

When you’re aligned with the desires of your heart, you’re aligned with your truest self, and the universe will have your back.

This journey will be the greatest of your life. Welcome to the great adventure,

Genevieve LeMarchal