Dear Girls Into VC family,

I’m Sarah Phillips and it is an honor, privilege, and responsibility to serve as your next CEO.

Three years ago, I stumbled upon a LinkedIn post that changed the trajectory of my life. It told the story of a young woman building an organization to confront an uncomfortable truth: women are still not equally represented in venture capital. Kind, passionate, and brilliant—those were the three words that immediately came to mind as I read about her. That woman is Isabella Mandis. Today, I’m grateful to call her both a mentor and dear friend.

Through that single post, Isabella did something powerful. She showed me—and thousands of young women—that breaking into VC isn’t a distant dream. It is possible now.

Inspired by her, I launched Girls Into VC at Princeton, which today includes 160+ active members and has a dynamic partnership with a venture capital firm that offers opportunities for practical experience. Upcoming, I look forward to working as a Summer Analyst at Insight Partners, a leading software VC firm, which will deepen and broaden my commitment to this industry.

My younger self—the girl obsessed with Shark Tank, constantly dreaming up business ideas (sorry Mom for all those middle-of-the-night pitches!)—had no idea what “VC” meant. But the girl who always raised her hand, sat in the front row, and never shied away from being the only girl (in honors math or in finance clubs) is proud of this moment.

Proud to lead a community of women shaping the future.
Proud to open doors for the next generations.
And proud to be here with all of you.

Together we build. I started this letter by addressing you as family, and I truly mean that. Like any family, there is always room to grow and evolve, so here’s my ask: please complete this form to share your honest feedback. What are we doing well and what needs improvement? I will read every response, so please be candid about how we can make this community even better.

And lastly, this Sunday (December 7th) at 8 PM EST, I’ll be hosting a town hall to share my vision for GIVC’s next chapter. I’d love for you to join us—bring your questions, meet me, and get to know our incoming COO, Suhani.

Thank you for your efforts towards growing this incredible Girls Into VC organization. We grow by showing up for each other with critical support. That is my commitment and I am eager to connect through a call, text, or email to support you.

With gratitude,

Sarah Phillips
CEO, Girls Into VC
[email protected]

Join Our Town Hall! —> Link

Looking forward to hearing from you all, and grateful to have you in the Girls Into VC community. Wishing you a fantastic Friday and an energizing weekend — more exciting updates to come!

- 💓 GIVC Content Team