Breaking Barriers For Women In Tech With Beverly Parenti

Beverly Parenti is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and cofounder of The Last Mile, a nonprofit providing technology training to incarcerated individuals. She has founded and cofounded several other successful companies, including First Virtual Holdings, one of the first online payment systems, which went public in the 1990s.

 

In the interview, Parenti stresses the importance of grit, resilience, choosing the right partners, and providing second chances. She recounts the origins of her entrepreneurial spirit from her parents, both survivors of the holocaust, along with the incredible story of her father escaping the Nazis. She discusses cofounding First Virtual Holdings and other startups, as well as cofounding the KickLabs accelerator, which successfully launched massive companies like Wish.com. Her current project is The Last Mile, which provides training in coding, web development, and other technical skills to prepare incarcerated individuals for careers in technology upon release. The organization has expanded to 8 states and gained support from leaders in business, government, and philanthropy. Parenti emphasizes the need to break generational cycles of incarceration and allow individuals to become productive members of society. Her journey and the work of The Last Mile showcase the power of purposeful work, compassion, and redemption.

 

Episode Outline

(00:00:00) Introduction of Beverly Parenti

(00:02:10) Parenti's childhood and entrepreneurial parents

(00:08:53) Launching the First Virtual Holdings payment system

(00:14:01) Moving to California and starting retail businesses

(00:21:34) Getting into tech/consulting in San Francisco

(00:25:57) Meeting Chris Redlitz and joining his startup

(00:30:34) Taking First Virtual Holdings public

(00:31:03) Leaving First Virtual Holdings and consulting

(00:33:48) Joining AdAuction.com with Chris Redlitz

(00:44:27) Starting KickLabs Accelerator

(00:51:02) KickLabs success stories like Wish.com

(00:55:50) Partnership with Chris Redlitz

(01:05:59) Cofounding The Last Mile nonprofit

(01:11:39) Expanding The Last Mile to reduce recidivism

 

Episode Links

 

Marketplace Consulting: https://www.marketplaceconsultinggroup.com/

The Last Mile: https://thelastmile.org/

The Last Mile Radio: https://thelastmileradio.org/

HBR Case Study on First Virtual Holdings: https://store.hbr.org/product/first-virtual-holdings-inc-a/98E007#:~:text=Source%3A%20Ivey%20Publishing-,First%20Virtual%20Holdings%2C%20Inc.,and%20services%20over%20the%20Internet.

 

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