
GEMS: Securing Serena Williams as an Investor with Nude Barre founder Erin Carpenter
November 12, 2024
Key Takeaways
- Bootstrapping a business, even with limited capital, can lead to unexpected opportunities, such as securing investment from high-profile individuals like Serena Williams.
- Persistence and a willingness to ‘shoot your shot’ can open doors to significant funding and partnerships, even when facing immense competition.
- The perception of ‘overnight success’ in entrepreneurship often masks years of hard work and perseverance, highlighting the importance of long-term dedication.
Segments
Pitch Competition and Investment (00:01:35)
- Key Takeaway: A suggestion to apply for a pitch competition, co-hosted by Serena Williams and Whitney Wolfe Herd, resulted in winning the first investment for the company.
- Summary: Following the conversation about the business’s bootstrapping, the speaker was encouraged to apply for a pitch competition aimed at black female founders, which ultimately led to securing their first investors.
The Reality of Overnight Success (00:02:37)
- Key Takeaway: Entrepreneurial ‘overnight success’ is often the result of a decade of hard work and perseverance, not an instantaneous achievement.
- Summary: The speaker reflects on the common misconception of overnight success in business, emphasizing that it typically takes many years of consistent effort to reach that perceived level of achievement.
Female Startup Club Resources (00:03:13)
- Key Takeaway: The Female Startup Club offers a free newsletter with business insights and a private network called Hype Club for e-commerce founders.
- Summary: The host provides information about the Female Startup Club’s resources, including their newsletter for business news and learnings, and their private community for e-commerce entrepreneurs.
Debug Information
Processing Details
- VTT File: media.vtt
- Processing Time: September 11, 2025 at 02:18 PM
- Total Chunks: 1
- Transcript Length: 5,244 characters
- Caption Count: 48 captions
Prompts Used
Prompt 1: Context Setup
You are an expert data extractor tasked with analyzing a podcast transcript.
I will provide you with part 1 of 1 from a podcast transcript.
I will then ask you to extract different types of information from this content in subsequent messages. Please confirm you have received and understood the transcript content.
Transcript section:
[00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:10.160] Okay, got it.
[00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:16.640] So you're in that situation and then you meet a certain someone and things start to change.
[00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:18.240] Yeah.
[00:00:18.240 --> 00:00:35.040] And so in 2018, during my pregnancy, and you know, I'm like still like hustling and bustling plus pitching, you know, whoever I can meet, really random, we get this order for Serena Williams on our D2C channel.
[00:00:35.040 --> 00:00:44.880] And eventually, you know, a conversation started because we sold out of her SKU that she needed for one of her tennis matches.
[00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:47.440] This was like in the middle of her tennis season.
[00:00:47.680 --> 00:00:50.560] And the question was around like, well, when are you restocking?
[00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:55.200] And I had to explain like, well, you know, I'm bootstrapping and this is how I'm bootstrapping.
[00:00:55.200 --> 00:01:00.560] And basically, if I could save up enough money to get this particular SKU, that's kind of how it goes.
[00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:08.800] And I have to do a lot of the, you know, analyzing of the data to decide, you know, pick and choose which SKUs are going to be restocked.
[00:01:08.800 --> 00:01:18.720] And ultimately, that, you know, always had us in a position where we were sold out of things all the time, which is obviously a bit frustrating to the customer, but that is the reason why.
[00:01:18.720 --> 00:01:23.840] It's just like there wasn't like a ton of outside capital, if you will, that was coming in to support that.
[00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:30.320] So anyway, you know, that conversation led into, you know, well, would Serena be interested in investing?
[00:01:30.320 --> 00:01:33.040] I just, you know, asked and like shot my shot.
[00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:33.600] No way.
[00:01:33.600 --> 00:01:34.720] Oh my God.
[00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:35.520] Yeah.
[00:01:35.520 --> 00:01:49.840] And so around that same time, that conversation led into them, you know, suggesting I apply for a pitch competition that Serena was doing in partnership with Whitney Wolf Heard from Bumble, the dating app.
[00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:56.480] And so, Bumble, the fund, and Serena Ventures were coming together to invest in black female founders.
[00:01:56.480 --> 00:01:58.880] I thought this was like not going anywhere.
[00:01:58.880 --> 00:02:05.960] Like that, I mean, this was like posted on social media, and I'm sure thousands of people applied for this.
[00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.200] So, you know, I just thought I was going to get lost in the shuffle.
[00:02:10.200 --> 00:02:23.400] And I went through several rounds of like, you know, conversations and as a part of the process, as did the other finalists, but I made it as you know, one of the top three finalists and eventually won the investment.
[00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:25.640] And they were my first investors in.
[00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:27.400] That is so cool.
[00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:28.520] How much was the investment?
[00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:30.280] How much did you win?
[00:02:30.920 --> 00:02:32.280] I can't share.
[00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:33.560] Oh, okay, right.
[00:02:33.560 --> 00:02:34.600] Sorry.
[00:02:34.600 --> 00:02:35.080] Got it.
[00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:35.400] Got it.
[00:02:35.400 --> 00:02:35.880] Got it.
[00:02:35.880 --> 00:02:37.160] You know what I think is funny?
[00:02:37.160 --> 00:02:47.640] And we've spoken about this on the show before: is like everyone thinks that it's just like overnight success, but actually, it literally takes 10 years to reach overnight success.
[00:02:47.640 --> 00:02:50.120] And I feel like that's probably how you're viewed.
[00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:53.560] Like now you've got this amazing celebrity partner.
[00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:57.320] You've got people who, you know, obviously celebrities that wear you.
[00:02:57.640 --> 00:03:06.360] You're doing all these amazing things, but you've been hustling at this since 2009, which is a long, bloody time.
[00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:09.560] God, great perseverance.
[00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:15.160] Hey, it's June here.
[00:03:15.160 --> 00:03:19.960] Thanks for listening to this amazing episode of the Female Startup Club podcast.
[00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:29.320] If you're a fan of the show and want even more of the good stuff, I'd recommend checking out femalestartupclub.com, where you can subscribe to our free newsletter.
[00:03:29.320 --> 00:03:37.560] We send it out weekly covering female founder business news, insights and learnings in D2C, and interesting business resources.
[00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:48.000] And if you're a founder building an e-commerce brand, you can join our private network of entrepreneurs called Hype Club at female startupclub.com forward slash hypeclub.
[00:03:48.320 --> 00:04:00.000] We have guests from the show joining us for intimate ask-me-anythings, expert workshops, and a group of totally amazing, like-minded women building the future of D2C brands.
[00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:06.160] As always, please do subscribe, rate, and review the show, and post your favorite episodes to Instagram stories.
[00:04:06.160 --> 00:04:09.280] I am beyond grateful when you do that.
Prompt 2: Key Takeaways
Now please extract the key takeaways from the transcript content I provided.
Extract the most important key takeaways from this part of the conversation. Use a single sentence statement (the key takeaway) rather than milquetoast descriptions like "the hosts discuss...".
Limit the key takeaways to a maximum of 3. The key takeaways should be insightful and knowledge-additive.
IMPORTANT: Return ONLY valid JSON, no explanations or markdown. Ensure:
- All strings are properly quoted and escaped
- No trailing commas
- All braces and brackets are balanced
Format: {"key_takeaways": ["takeaway 1", "takeaway 2"]}
Prompt 3: Segments
Now identify 2-4 distinct topical segments from this part of the conversation.
For each segment, identify:
- Descriptive title (3-6 words)
- START timestamp when this topic begins (HH:MM:SS format)
- Double check that the timestamp is accurate - a timestamp will NEVER be greater than the total length of the audio
- Most important Key takeaway from that segment. Key takeaway must be specific and knowledge-additive.
- Brief summary of the discussion
IMPORTANT: The timestamp should mark when the topic/segment STARTS, not a range. Look for topic transitions and conversation shifts.
Return ONLY valid JSON. Ensure all strings are properly quoted, no trailing commas:
{
"segments": [
{
"segment_title": "Topic Discussion",
"timestamp": "01:15:30",
"key_takeaway": "main point from this segment",
"segment_summary": "brief description of what was discussed"
}
]
}
Timestamp format: HH:MM:SS (e.g., 00:05:30, 01:22:45) marking the START of each segment.
Prompt 4: Media Mentions
Now scan the transcript content I provided for ACTUAL mentions of specific media titles:
Find explicit mentions of:
- Books (with specific titles)
- Movies (with specific titles)
- TV Shows (with specific titles)
- Music/Songs (with specific titles)
DO NOT include:
- Websites, URLs, or web services
- Other podcasts or podcast names
IMPORTANT:
- Only include items explicitly mentioned by name. Do not invent titles.
- Valid categories are: "Book", "Movie", "TV Show", "Music"
- Include the exact phrase where each item was mentioned
- Find the nearest proximate timestamp where it appears in the conversation
- THE TIMESTAMP OF THE MEDIA MENTION IS IMPORTANT - DO NOT INVENT TIMESTAMPS AND DO NOT MISATTRIBUTE TIMESTAMPS
- Double check that the timestamp is accurate - a timestamp will NEVER be greater than the total length of the audio
- Timestamps are given as ranges, e.g. 01:13:42.520 --> 01:13:46.720. Use the EARLIER of the 2 timestamps in the range.
Return ONLY valid JSON. Ensure all strings are properly quoted and escaped, no trailing commas:
{
"media_mentions": [
{
"title": "Exact Title as Mentioned",
"category": "Book",
"author_artist": "N/A",
"context": "Brief context of why it was mentioned",
"context_phrase": "The exact sentence or phrase where it was mentioned",
"timestamp": "estimated time like 01:15:30"
}
]
}
If no media is mentioned, return: {"media_mentions": []}
Full Transcript
[00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:10.160] Okay, got it.
[00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:16.640] So you're in that situation and then you meet a certain someone and things start to change.
[00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:18.240] Yeah.
[00:00:18.240 --> 00:00:35.040] And so in 2018, during my pregnancy, and you know, I'm like still like hustling and bustling plus pitching, you know, whoever I can meet, really random, we get this order for Serena Williams on our D2C channel.
[00:00:35.040 --> 00:00:44.880] And eventually, you know, a conversation started because we sold out of her SKU that she needed for one of her tennis matches.
[00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:47.440] This was like in the middle of her tennis season.
[00:00:47.680 --> 00:00:50.560] And the question was around like, well, when are you restocking?
[00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:55.200] And I had to explain like, well, you know, I'm bootstrapping and this is how I'm bootstrapping.
[00:00:55.200 --> 00:01:00.560] And basically, if I could save up enough money to get this particular SKU, that's kind of how it goes.
[00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:08.800] And I have to do a lot of the, you know, analyzing of the data to decide, you know, pick and choose which SKUs are going to be restocked.
[00:01:08.800 --> 00:01:18.720] And ultimately, that, you know, always had us in a position where we were sold out of things all the time, which is obviously a bit frustrating to the customer, but that is the reason why.
[00:01:18.720 --> 00:01:23.840] It's just like there wasn't like a ton of outside capital, if you will, that was coming in to support that.
[00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:30.320] So anyway, you know, that conversation led into, you know, well, would Serena be interested in investing?
[00:01:30.320 --> 00:01:33.040] I just, you know, asked and like shot my shot.
[00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:33.600] No way.
[00:01:33.600 --> 00:01:34.720] Oh my God.
[00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:35.520] Yeah.
[00:01:35.520 --> 00:01:49.840] And so around that same time, that conversation led into them, you know, suggesting I apply for a pitch competition that Serena was doing in partnership with Whitney Wolf Heard from Bumble, the dating app.
[00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:56.480] And so, Bumble, the fund, and Serena Ventures were coming together to invest in black female founders.
[00:01:56.480 --> 00:01:58.880] I thought this was like not going anywhere.
[00:01:58.880 --> 00:02:05.960] Like that, I mean, this was like posted on social media, and I'm sure thousands of people applied for this.
[00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.200] So, you know, I just thought I was going to get lost in the shuffle.
[00:02:10.200 --> 00:02:23.400] And I went through several rounds of like, you know, conversations and as a part of the process, as did the other finalists, but I made it as you know, one of the top three finalists and eventually won the investment.
[00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:25.640] And they were my first investors in.
[00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:27.400] That is so cool.
[00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:28.520] How much was the investment?
[00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:30.280] How much did you win?
[00:02:30.920 --> 00:02:32.280] I can't share.
[00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:33.560] Oh, okay, right.
[00:02:33.560 --> 00:02:34.600] Sorry.
[00:02:34.600 --> 00:02:35.080] Got it.
[00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:35.400] Got it.
[00:02:35.400 --> 00:02:35.880] Got it.
[00:02:35.880 --> 00:02:37.160] You know what I think is funny?
[00:02:37.160 --> 00:02:47.640] And we've spoken about this on the show before: is like everyone thinks that it's just like overnight success, but actually, it literally takes 10 years to reach overnight success.
[00:02:47.640 --> 00:02:50.120] And I feel like that's probably how you're viewed.
[00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:53.560] Like now you've got this amazing celebrity partner.
[00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:57.320] You've got people who, you know, obviously celebrities that wear you.
[00:02:57.640 --> 00:03:06.360] You're doing all these amazing things, but you've been hustling at this since 2009, which is a long, bloody time.
[00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:09.560] God, great perseverance.
[00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:15.160] Hey, it's June here.
[00:03:15.160 --> 00:03:19.960] Thanks for listening to this amazing episode of the Female Startup Club podcast.
[00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:29.320] If you're a fan of the show and want even more of the good stuff, I'd recommend checking out femalestartupclub.com, where you can subscribe to our free newsletter.
[00:03:29.320 --> 00:03:37.560] We send it out weekly covering female founder business news, insights and learnings in D2C, and interesting business resources.
[00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:48.000] And if you're a founder building an e-commerce brand, you can join our private network of entrepreneurs called Hype Club at female startupclub.com forward slash hypeclub.
[00:03:48.320 --> 00:04:00.000] We have guests from the show joining us for intimate ask-me-anythings, expert workshops, and a group of totally amazing, like-minded women building the future of D2C brands.
[00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:06.160] As always, please do subscribe, rate, and review the show, and post your favorite episodes to Instagram stories.
[00:04:06.160 --> 00:04:09.280] I am beyond grateful when you do that.