About

Tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Sarah Kunst has been named Future Innovator by Vanity Fair, Forbes Magazine 30 under 30 and a top 25 innovator in tech by Cool Hunting, amongst a bunch of other accolades. Currently the Managing Director for Cleo Capital, Kunst drops plenty of gems in our talk with her. Listen as she gives up some game on how to get in, what to do once you are in there, and why and how she is leading a charge to create some change and diversity in the field. 2:30 - We start our talk with Sarah about how she is keeping her sanity and doing the work. She bluntly says she is motivated by the money she can make and wanting to make an impact and create more diversity in the field. She also breaks down what "diversity" actually means and that racists don't have any business being capitalist. Kuntz also speaks on how tech is an industry that changes so rapidly that it is almost impossible for barriers to last for generations.  9:00 - Sarah advises future founders on how they can go out and find investors and information for free on the internet. "It's never been deeply diverse or equitable," she says. "But it has been accessible." She also shares some stories about how even the richest people in tech had a hard time finding investors and knowing when and how to find angel investors and accelerators for various levels of funding. 14:50 - In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah started Chrysalis to help laid off start-up employees and she talks about why the move was necessary. She also speaks on some of the ideas that have been birthed out of it. 19:30 - Sarah offers her thoughts on corporate America responding to the new energy behind Black empowerment. She insists that the companies not just focus on uplifting Black voices, but actually investing in Black people. 24:00 - Sarah identifies the actual barriers between Black people and success in the tech industry. She also shouts out some of the organizations out there who are trying to make things better for Black engineers and whoever else is interested in getting in the game. 29:30 - Sarah talks about how even though Black people are under-represented in the tech industry, there is no Black monolith and that Black talent can come from both Ivy Leagues and HBCUs.  32:45 - Sarah gives her suggestions on what budding tech entrepreneurs should be watching, reading and listening to. FYI: they are all either free on the internet or on Netflix. "Learning about an industry doesn’t have to feel like work," she says. 36:30 - Sarah shares how she thinks corporate America and the tech industry can move past just hiring Black diversity officers after a controversy, only to go right back to their discriminatory practices.  40:00 - We end the conversion discussing one of Sarah’s passions, sports. The Michigan State University alum offers her thoughts on the new energy behind high school athletes considering HBCUs over PWIs.  Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio