Avni Barman

We have too few women in tech, venture, and media.

As president of USC Girls in Tech and an engineer at LinkedIn and Aeris, Avni Barman knew the barriers women faced… and decided to do something about it.

She founded Gen She, a media platform and investment fund that reaches over 500,000 ambitious women through newsletters, social media, a podcast, and a job board.

More than just content, Gen She writes $50K-$100K checks into early-stage startups.

Investing in companies like doola, beehiiv, and Rift to help propel more women into the top 1%.

Her journey? Anything but conventional.

Took a “lazy girl job” (a cushy product management role) but quickly realized she wanted more impact.

Built Gen She’s audience from scratch, testing platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and newsletters to see what worked.

Mastered networking, sending two messages every morning to people she admired.

The result? Life-changing connections, job offers, and even secret Nike-sponsored retreats.

Her biggest belief? Whoever cares the most wins.

No wealth or status can outmatch relentless determination.

Fast forward 10 years, she predicts short-form digital content will dominate, but owning your audience will be the real power move.