All Things Video

Jesse Draper is the Founding Partner of Halogen Ventures, an early stage VC fund focused on female-founded consumer technology companies. Jesse started her career in entertainment, landing a part as a series regular on a Nickelodeon show before launching her own program: “The Valley Girl Show.” The Emmy nominated talk show, which started on YouTube and later transitioned to television, featured interviews with legendary entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban, Sheryl Sandberg, Jessica Alba, and Eric Schmidt. Jesse also interviewed many aspiring female entrepreneurs and began angel investing before raising her first venture fund. In this episode, Jesse shares her early experience in media as well as her frustration with the industry’s outdated business models. She calls for alternatives to sponsorship-based monetization, highlighting the success of her portfolio company The Skimm’s hybrid model of ads and paid subscriptions. Finally, Jesse explains how Halogen’s mission to invest in women-led startups is good for busine