Melanie Strong is a founding partner of Next Ventures, a VC firm she co-founded with Lance Armstrong that focuses on building the next generation of sports, health and wellness brands. Melanie has spent her entire life in the sports industry. She’s a lifelong runner and started her career as a journalist at Runner's World magazine. She then applied for a position at Nike despite not having the “right” pedigree, college background, and experience. Good thing she did because she ended up having an incredibly successful career at Nike, spending most of her time at Nike building high-performing teams all over the world and holding positions from the VP of Global Brand Marketing for Nike Women to the GM of Nike Skateboarding. After 18 years at Nike, Melanie had the opportunity to break into the world of venture capital. She left her very stable career to start from scratch and become a first-time investor AND fund founder. In our conversation, Melanie opens up about how she faced her fears when reinventing herself later in her career and overcoming the imposter syndrome she felt when breaking into a male-dominated industry.✨ You'll also hear some honest reflections on the founder-investor relationship and who is the right fit for VC funding, along with some empowering advice for founders seeking funding. We also discuss the importance of authentic relationships in life & business, how to build a unique brand in the environment we’re in today, and so much more!In this episode, we’ll talk to Melanie about:* Learning from others' success and embracing self-confidence. [3:18] * Melanie's upbringing and her positive mindset. [7:33]* Melanie's diverse jobs before Nike. [9:26]* Inspiration and starting at Nike. [12:02]* Networking and mentorship's impact. [16:30] * The power of people and true relationships. [17:45]* What she looks for in a founder. [19:08]* Melanie reflects on being an angel investor and why it took her so long to do. [23:23]* Taking the leap to leave Nike and steps to overcome imposter syndrome. [27:18]* Changes in feedback processes and trusted companies. [31:37]* Some top advice for thinking about your company as a brand. [36:15]* Melanie and Yasmin each share the hacks that keep them anchored into their purpose. [41:50]* Diving into greater detail on traits she looks for in a founder and what a founder-investor relationship needs. [45:02]* Impact of exit-focused founders. [47:30]* Suitability for VC funding and fundraising insights. [50:50]* Melanie's comments on due diligence plus some great advice to founders. [54:45]This episode is brought to you by beeya: * Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances. * Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Melanie: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniestrong/* Website: https://nextventures.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.