We’re still thinking about the energy from the Girls Into VC Summit at Harvard. Bringing together hundreds of women interested in venture, startups, and investing was a powerful reminder of why this community exists in the first place.

In this week’s newsletter, we’re spotlighting an incredible investor shaping the venture ecosystem, sharing a few startups we’re excited about, and reflecting on some of the moments that made the Summit so special.

🌟 Founder Feature

Adela Jamal — Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Milemark Capital

This week we’re spotlighting Adela Jamal, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Milemark Capital, a venture capital firm investing in applied-AI startups led by diverse teams emerging from innovation hubs like MIT.

Adela brings a rare blend of experiences to venture. Her career spans working with early-stage startups in Silicon Valley, leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies, and launching global platforms designed to empower underrepresented communities in tech and entrepreneurship.

She is also deeply committed to expanding opportunity within venture capital, serving on the AllRaise Steering Committee and the AMITA Board, where she works to advance women in technology and investing.

Adela is an MIT Sloan Fellow (MBA ’22) and continues to champion the next generation of founders building companies powered by applied artificial intelligence.

Why she stands out:
Adela represents a new wave of venture investors focused not only on breakthrough technology like AI, but also on who gets to build the future.

🚀 Startups We’re Excited About

Abridge

Abridge is an AI healthcare startup that automatically generates clinical notes from doctor–patient conversations. By reducing the documentation burden on physicians, the platform allows doctors to spend more time with patients and less time on administrative work.

Why it’s interesting:

Healthcare systems are increasingly adopting AI tools that streamline workflows and reduce burnout for clinicians.

Runna

Runna is a personalized running coaching platform that creates adaptive training plans based on a user’s goals, schedule, and performance.

Why it’s interesting:

The future of fitness is becoming data-driven and personalized, blending performance tracking with digital coaching to help athletes train more effectively.

🎓 Girls Into VC Summit Recap

We still can’t stop talking about the Summit. And we also wanted to take a moment to thank our wonderful sponsors who helped make the day possible. Their support helped bring together students, founders, and investors for a day filled with learning, connection, and meaningful conversations.

We also hosted a Founder Fair where attendees had the chance to speak directly with startup founders about what they are building and the challenges they are tackling. It was a great opportunity for our participants to step into conversations with women actively building companies.

Moments like these are exactly what Girls Into VC is all about: bringing people together and creating opportunities to learn from those already building and investing. 💗

🙏 Thank You To Our Sponsors

Events like the Girls Into VC Summit are only possible because of partners who believe in expanding access to venture capital.

A huge thank you to our sponsors:

• J2 Ventures

• Diane Greene

• Toni Ko

• Lata Setty

• PopUp Bagels

• Undecover Snacks

• PourTous

• Saint James Iced Tea

• Benny

• The Good Patch

• Graza

• talhydration

• Tilden

• Mi Vedi

• Lil Bucks

• Jelly IV

• That's it

• Sunnie Snacks

Your support helped make this experience possible for hundreds of women exploring careers in venture and entrepreneurship.

💡 Founder Fair Highlights

One of the most exciting parts of the Summit was the Founder Fair, where early-stage founders shared their companies and connected directly with investors and attendees.

Featured founders included:

• Paige Cey and Julie Letizia (Benny)

• Catherine Gray (Show Her The Money)

• Lola Kreuger (Petl)

• Sayawni Lassiter (Complete Sports)

• Yuliia Volchenko (Connexa)

• Aria Ma (Jadewell)

• Emily Weinberg (SkipIt)

• Amelia Martin (Mud Rat)

• Dr. Bobbi Wegner (Groops)

• Eri Tomikawa (Mi Vedi)

• Mariah Hilton Wood (Tilden)

• Kasey Boyle (Muse)

• Allison Tan (Upgraded)

• Cassie Lowell (Studio3e8)

• Alik Christianian (REWRITE Bio)

• Emily Nelson (10DQ)

• Olivia Chen (Hydrohold)

• Maelle Pierre (COVET)

These founders are building across industries — from technology to wellness to consumer products — and it was inspiring to see so many innovative ideas in one room.

🧠 One Thing We Learned This Week

One theme we kept hearing from founders and investors at the Summit: venture capital is ultimately a people business.

Great investors don’t just analyze markets and financial models. They build trust with founders, ask better questions, and develop conviction before others see the opportunity.

🔍 VC Myth vs Reality

Myth: You need a finance background to break into venture capital.

Reality: Many successful investors come from founder, operator, product, consulting, or technical backgrounds. What matters most is curiosity, strong pattern recognition, and the ability to understand founders and markets.

The venture industry is evolving — and the next generation of investors will come from more diverse backgrounds than ever before.

🎤 Quote of the Week

💗 Closing Thoughts

If the Summit showed us one thing, it’s that the next generation of venture investors is already here.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the day possible. We’re excited to keep creating opportunities for this community to grow.

Until next week,
The Girls Into VC Team 💗