How Diverse Founders Drive Bigger Wins

How Diverse Founders Drive Bigger Wins

Author: Paige Soya October 23, 2025 Duration: 38:55

Many investors still see backing diverse founders as a bigger risk.

In this episode of High Stakes, Paige Soya sits down with Melissa Bradley, General Partner at BAE Ventures, to challenge that misconception and explore why portfolio diversity can actually fuel stronger returns.

Melissa shares her experience investing across sectors, from tech to CPG, and how diversity isn’t just about representation, it's about building companies that understand different customers, markets, and opportunities.

Watch the full episode for a deeper dive into how diversity drives returns.


Behind every major innovation, there's usually a risky bet and a tense conversation that made it happen. High Stakes pulls back the curtain on those pivotal moments by focusing squarely on the world of early-stage venture capital. Instead of abstract theory, each conversation pairs a founder who has lived the grind with an investor who has backed the vision, creating a dynamic and often revealing dialogue. They tackle the specific trends and tough questions shaping the venture space right now, from evaluating a team's potential to navigating a market downturn. You'll hear the nuanced strategies, the candid mistakes, and the real-world compromises that define building and funding a company from the ground up. This podcast is built for anyone curious about the mechanics and human drama of startup investing, offering a genuine sense of how capital flows to ideas and what it truly takes to succeed. Tune in for unscripted perspectives that clarify how high-risk decisions are made and what both sides learn when the stakes are at their absolute highest.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 64

High Stakes
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