Most founders build their financial position in the wrong order. By the time the exit arrives, the decisions that mattered most have already been made under pressure.
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, I talk with Ana Herrero-Wallace, financial independence coach, former US-licensed equities trader, and founder of AdaInvest, about why financial independence is not an exit outcome but a tool you build while building your company. Ana is also the author of ‘Still Thinking? Act., a smarter money guide for women.'
We explore how money mindset shapes the way founders price, fundraise, and negotiate, and what it takes to move from overthinking to action.
If you're a female founder, entrepreneur, or woman in tech who wants to understand how financial agency changes the way you build, fundraise, and choose investors, this episode is for you.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Why the fundraising ask most founders make is shaped by what they think investors will accept, not what they actually need
- How to build a personal financial floor in parallel with your company, and why liquidity matters more than home equity for founders
- What the Dutch pension gap reveals about a system that rewards part-time work without accounting for its long-term cost
- Why moving from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset is less about attitude and more about having a clear financial plan
- How unpaid labor has real financial value, and why women can and should negotiate for it to be recognized
- What "playing to win" looks like in practice, and why most women are socialized into a defensive financial posture before they ever start a company
- Why the goal of fundraising is agency, not validation, and how that difference changes the way you negotiate
Connect with Ana Herrero-Wallace and AdaInvest:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-herrero-wallace/
AdaInvest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adainvestco/
Website: https://adainvest.co/
Still Thinking? Act.: https://mybook.to/rypMMkA
About Women Disrupting Tech
Every week, Women Disrupting Tech covers the decisions, patterns, and structural realities that female founders and investors in HealthTech, FinTech, ClimateTech, and AI rarely discuss in public but run into every time they meet. Follow Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube to get it in your feed.
