Raise the Bar

Apr 17 2024 1
Raise the Bar Podcast artwork

Raise the Bar, from Next Chapter Raise, is a podcast for female founders with a very simple mission - getting female founders funded faster. The podcast features news related to female founders, first-hand accounts from founders, investors, lawyers and other key players in the ecosystem, advice from our experts-in-residence, and alternative pitches that showcase our platform members. We will talk about how to fix the broken funding system to help more women succeed and how women can battle through the current system to access capital and scale their businesses. The podcast is hosted by Amanda Williams, strategy lead at Next Chapter, and a former impact investor and manager of accelerator programmes across Asia.mWith our podcast, we want to inspire, empower and celebrate female founders.

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How to overcome getting a lot of No's to my pitch?

Apr 17 2024 14 mins  
In this episode, I share insights on how you can overcome rejection in pitching. I'll be giving you practical techniques to walk into meetings with the right mindset, identify the right investor, and effectively seek feedback to refine your approach and increase your chances of pitch success."Every no brings you closer to a yes, stay strong. keep refining your pitch and b

Founder Profiles Decoded: Money Strategies for Every Business stage 

Mar 28 2024 16 mins  
Join me, Nicole Denholder, your scale-up expert and fellow entrepreneur, on our latest episode of the Raise the Bar podcast by NCR! Today, we delve into the crucial topic of understanding different founder profiles and the types of money that best suit each stage of business growth. Tune in to gain valuable insights and strategies to propel your business forward!

Episode 22: Shea Stanley - Navigating Expansion with Creativity and Strategy

Feb 14 2024 22 mins  
On this podcast we talk to Shea Stanley In 2011, she founded Little Steps Asia, the leading website and weekly e-newsletter dedicated to delivering the inside scoop to parents on what to do, buy, and discover in Asia and beyond. Little Steps Asia has been successfully running regionally with dedicated local sites in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bali, Jakarta, Macau, and Kuala Lumpur. I ta

Episode 21: David Friedrichs - Coming full "Cerqul"!

Jan 30 2024 28 mins  
On this podcast we talk to David Friedrichs who co-founded Cerqular, which was borne out of their passion for sustainable living. In this episode, David shares their moment of inspiration to launch, their transition from corporate to startup life, their vision for Cerqular and why most of their investors are female!

Episode 20 - Vaishnavi Reddy: Scaling with micro personas and community.

May 21 2023 26 mins  
On this episode, Nicole Denholder speaks with Vaishnavi Reddy about how Unsweetened Beauty is using AI-powered personalisation to simplify skincare. Vaishnavi also shares how they built their community to 30,000 people since launch, how they engage with the customers, the importance of micro personas, why they wanted an investor who backs their business and how they are deploying t

Episode 19: Denise Sandquist: The Power of Social Communities

May 10 2023 41 mins  
In this Episode, Nicole Denholder speaks with Denise Sandquist, the co-founder of SKAPA, the parent company FIKA, Asia's first female-focused AI social & dating app and the newly launched LIKA, authentic social network for Gen-Z where you connect with people in groups around mutual interest. Denise shares her personal story that led to recognise the power of community, the

Episode 18: Alison Eyring: Incubating an idea to grow a new category building company

Nov 03 2022 19 mins  
On this episode of Raise the Bar, we speak with Alison Eyring, the founder of Produgie, a Singapore based company that is building a new category in software to multiply the impact of every leader & team in all businesses.

Episode 17: Kate Choyce: Conviction is critical when telling your business story

Nov 03 2022 22 mins  
On this episode of Raise the Bar, we speak with Kate Choyce, the founder of HR Tech, a Hong Kong based company revolutionising the recruitment industry through technology. Kate explains how she is driven night and day to change the recruitment industry through their flagship product the HR Pod and how success, through validation by companies such as Microsoft, keeps her motivated.

Episode 16: Rithika Gupta: Knocking chemicals off your shelf, one bottle at a time

Apr 03 2022 13 mins  
Rithika Gupta, the founder of Ollie, a Singapore based retail brand that helps you better harness the power of essential oils. Rithika shares learning about essential oils through her family’s wholesale business , FP Aromatics Singapore, and how she then launched Ollie as a direct to consumer product business and the differences that she has experienced between these two business

Episode 15: Iva Bravic Millereau: Transforming the sleep industry

Mar 02 2022 16 mins  
Iva is the co-founder of RE.VITYL, a company producing a collection of holistic sleep-routine products that will naturally revitalize the way you live your best life. Iva has a 20 year global corporate career spanning North America, Europe and Asia in management and product development with Adidas, Ralph Lauren, Timex Group, Hudsons Bay Company. She shares how sleep and wellness be