There can be a lot of noise on social media, particularly on Twitter, but within the investment space Erica Wenger has created a valuable channel on her Twitter page where she shares insight, tips, and her perspective on an ever-evolving industry.
Wenger, a social entrepreneur and investor, has a proven track record of success, as a founder and investor, and has big plans for 2023.
Wenger was the youngest graduate to receive her Masters in Social Entrepreneurship from USC at age 21. Wenger was a founding team member ( the 2nd employee) of TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie’s startup, Madefor, and helped scale the business to the incredible success it is today.
Wenger also spent time with Worklife Ventures as Head of Platform, where she oversaw all programming and support for the founders of their portfolio companies, and now has her sights set on building her new company.
“I invest early-stage at the intersection of tech and impact” said Wenger, in an exclusive interview with NFuzer. “Main focus areas are democratizing access to resources (fintech, edtech), improving quality of life (healthtech), and building for a more fair & sustainable world (climate tech, frontier tech). My approach is very much looking for moonshots vs slightly better versions of companies that already exist. I also care a lot about the grit, experience, and passion of the founding team.”
Wenger’s feed has racked up close to 13,000 followers, with discussion threads, positivity, and motivation, and is a recommended follow for founders as it gives valuable insight on approach, communication, and more.
Wenger also shares tips on how founder approach, which can be very valuable for any startup looking to make that connection with a potential investor. Wenger shared the three common mistakes that she has seen in a pitch.
“One, Talking at investors vs having a two-way conversation and learning what the investor cares about too” she said. “Two, not being simple/clear enough when explaining the offering. Three, not sharing the larger vision/potential for what this could become”
Wenger also hosts a podcast called ‘Dear Twentysomething‘, a weekly podcast that features interviews with the movers throughout the industry, with clips from the episodes shared on TikTok.
“On the Dear Twentysomething podcast, I do a combination of guest interviews and solo episodes centered on a variety of relevant topics for ambitious twentysomethings” she says. “The goal is to humanize being a twentysomething – most of the successful people we all admire had no idea what they were doing throughout that defining decade.”
Wenger has something in the works for later in 2023, which we will be sure to feature here on NFuzer, and it will be exciting to see what she does next.