From Wall Street to Building 757 Angels

Organized startup capital has been one of the biggest challenges for cities across the country, and Hampton Roads struggled with it for decades. That started to change in 2015 when Monique Adams helped launch 757 Angels, building one of the region's first organized angel investment networks focused on backing high-growth startups and entrepreneurs. After surviving the pressure of Wall Street investment banking in New York, Adams brought that experience to Hampton Roads and helped shape a new era of startup investing in the region. In this episode of The Fervent Four Show, Adams reflects on what it really took to build 757 Angels, from investor skepticism and startup risk to the pressure of creating systems, relationships, and infrastructure for a startup ecosystem that was still finding its footing. The Fervent Four Show is where Hampton Roads entrepreneurs tell their stories. New episodes every Tuesday at 6AM. Explore more: Innovate Hampton Roads https://www.innovate757.org/ferventfour/ 0:00 Why Startup Capital Was a Problem in Hampton Roads 1:41 Meeting Monique Adams and the Origins of 757 Angels 5:12 Surviving Wall Street Investment Banking 12:29 Leaving New York for Hampton Roads 17:12 The Reputation That Followed Monique Into Virginia 21:48 The Lunch That Changed Everything 23:24 The Self Doubt Behind Building 757 Angels 29:37 "There's No Way This Is Part Time" 35:35 The Biggest Problem With Angel Investing 41:20 Why 757 Angels Never Became a Fund 49:00 The Real Mission Behind 757 Angels 50:48 Building the Startup Pipeline in Hampton Roads 52:45 "Hard Things Are My Middle Name" 56:14 Handling Pressure While Building an Ecosystem 58:13 The People Who Helped Shape Monique's Career 1:00:25 Learning the "Power of the Pause" 1:02:26 Why She's Going to Meet the Dalai Lama 1:04:13 What Founders Still Need Most 1:06:25 Final Thoughts