#141 Female entrepreneurship, funding, lessons learned with Sequoia Blodgett + Jennifer Tsay

We discussed a few things including:1. Their career journeys2.  Scaling Shoott3. Launching Lexore (formerly Frame Me)4. Lessons learned5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re photo and video industriesSequoia Blodgett is a visionary entrepreneur at the intersection of media and technology. As the CEO and co-founder of Lexore, an AI-powered video production platform, she is transforming how agencies create high-quality video content.Drawing from her extensive background in filmmaking, entrepreneurship, and venture capital, Sequoia empowers brands to craft compelling narratives that drive organic traffic and enhance customer engagement.She began her career in the entertainment industry, directing music videos for top-tier artists like Justin Bieber and Future. Her passion for entrepreneurship led her to co-star on ABC Family's Startup U, where she shared her journey as a tech entrepreneur.Her professional path includes pivotal roles at companies such as M13, Black Enterprise, and Truist, where she merged her creative expertise with innovative business strategies.Sequoia has earned accolades for her work, including multiple Telly Awards and the prestigious Women in AI Award. She is also recognized as a former venture-backed entrepreneur under Tim Draper’s Draper Associates and as a mentor and entrepreneur-in-residence, guiding startups in their growth journeys.Through Lexore, she continues to leverage her expertise to simplify video production, enabling businesses to achieve exceptional results while scaling their digital presence.---With a diverse background in investment banking, strategic finance, documentary film producing, and acting, Jennifer combines her passion for all-things-process with my love of art and storytelling to manage growth, strategy, and operations for Shoott alongside my amazing team.As an actor, she was a longtime company member of The Bats at the Flea Theatre in NYC. She also performed in productions at Ensemble Studio Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Yale Cab, and National Black Theatre, among others. In film & TV, she's appeared in The Other Two, High Fidelity, The Village, The Blacklist, and Bored to Death as well as in numerous on-camera and voiceover spots for Citi, AT&T Wifi, Samsung, Geico, and Manhattan Mini Storage. From her time as an actor and creative, she saw firsthand how most artists struggle because their lives are gig to gig and they can't find enough work to sustain a career. It became her mission to see if we could create a business model that could help artists stay artists while providing a value-driven service for clients, which is what led me to her work co-founding and growing Shoott.#podcast #AFewThingsPodcast