Ep 23: Sarah Chen - Co-Founder of Beyond the Billion & Lean in Malaysia

Sarah Chen is many things but she is above all. a powerful advocate & role model for women empowerment. She is the co-founder of Lean In Malaysia, which boasts over 5,000 women within the network, bringing women back into the workforce, accelerating women into leadership positions. And also sits on multiple boards including 131 & counting, which is a bipartisan effort to fete the unprecedented number of women serving in the House and Senate, to encourage more women to run for office in the United States.Sarah is also a global investment professional. She previously worked in the corporate venture capital unit of Sime Darby, a $13 billion Asian conglomerate investing in late-stage biotech stageups, and is now the co-founder and managing partner of The Billion Dollar Fund for Women: a global consortium of venture capital funds that have now pledged beyond US$1Bn to be invested into women-founded companies; now known as Beyond The Billion. Specifically, she works with limited partner investors to diversify their portfolio through venture as a returns strategy.In addition, Sarah was named World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and Forbes 30 Under 30, and has also been featured amongst others on Der Spiegel, the Wall Street Journal and Forbes.But what is her story? In this STIMY Episode, we explore:4:27: Her parent’s parenting style of “dream big, aim high”;5:43: Becoming a national child TV host for the Golden Kids Club on TV2 RTM (a Malaysian channel) at the age of 9;8:49: How Sarah’s dad gave her the push she needed to audition for the Golden Kids Club;10:42: Family dinner conversations that included listening to her dad advise her mom on her career;14:17: The ping pong competition story;18:54: How Sarah was told, “Hey as a girl, I think you’re too ambitious” 21:11: Why Sarah did law at King’s College London;26:27: Why Sarah ended up being the interim director of MRI Network at the age of 21;30:25: How Sarah ended up working in the corporate venture capital unit of Sime Darby (p/s: by taking initiative & asking for a coffee chat!);35:41: Appearing on the reality TV Show, The Apartment, with her brother (Chef Brian Cheng);39:40: Becoming aware of women doing the work, but not getting the recognition for it;40:40: Of how no matter how good a woman is at her job, “she was not good enough unless she had a ring on her finger”;50:03: How Sarah met Shelly Porges, who became her co-founder of the Billion Dollar Fund;52:05: The state of the VC industry in 2017;1:03:02: The reception they got at the World Bank when the Billion Dollar Fund was launched in October 2018;1:04:23: Key misconceptions people have about gender diversification in investments;1:07:58: How they gained public attention on the Billion Dollar Fund’s mission;1:10:08: The role of Billion Dollar Breakfast events & how the Billion Dollar Fund helps female entrepreneurs;1:14:12: The difference between an LP (Limited Partner) and a GP (General Partner);1:17:49: Impact of COVID-19 on the venture capital space;🎙️Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/23