#129: Build. Bet. Figure It Out. ft. Kate Brodock

In this episode, host Alex sits down with Kate Brodock — General Partner at The W Fund, CEO of SWITCH, and now the CEO & General Partner of 9Fresh, where she's leading the full redevelopment of the former Cazenovia College campus. Not exactly the career arc anyone maps out on paper.Kate has spent nearly two decades inside the startup ecosystem — investing in early-stage, women-led companies, building platforms for women founders and investors, and operating at the intersection of venture, leadership, and community. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, and CNBC. And now she's doing something entirely different — and entirely bold.This conversation is about what it actually means to step into an opportunity you didn't see coming. To make high-stakes decisions without a roadmap. And to keep showing up with clarity and conviction when the path forward isn't obvious.Because that's what real leadership looks like. Not the polished version. The real one.💬 Topics we cover:- How Kate went from venture capital to leading a full campus redevelopment — and why she said yes- What it means to operate at a high level across wildly different industries- Making decisions when there's no clear playbook- What she's learned about leadership that she couldn't have learned any other way- The mindset it takes to keep building — even when the vision is bigger than the certaintyThis one is grounded, honest, and packed with the kind of insight you only get from someone who has actually done the work — across multiple rooms, multiple industries, and multiple versions of what "building something" can look like.If you're someone who's figuring it out as you go — and doing it anyway — this conversation was made for you.New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe.Connect with Kate on LinkedInApply⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to be a guest on CultivateConnect with Alex Canavan, the host of Cultivate on her ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠Follow Cultivate with Alex Canavan on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Diam Media Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠