#6: Dama Sathianathan on creating connections and that elusive work-life balance
Plus her non-traditional journey into the world of venture capital and sliding into the professional DMs
As we continue to iterate these newsletters (read: have too many ideas), our interview issues - ‘In Conversation’ - will be taking on a different ~vibe~ to our old format. We’ll be bringing you a conversation with a brilliant multifaceted professional sharing insights into their world of work and beyond. Here we hope to enlighten you with the full picture - the sort of stuff you wouldn’t get from a good-old-fashioned Linkedin stalk.
Enjoy!
Milly and Yumi
Dama has a Daruma doll that sits on her desk - a traditional Japanese symbol of perseverance and good luck. Daruma dolls usually only come with one eye painted on - not a manufacturing error, but an opportunity for manifestation. The owner of the doll is to make a wish, and when the wish comes true, you get to draw the other eye on. I ask Dama what her wish is - ‘to achieve a work-life balance’ she replies. I ask her how many eyes her doll has now - ‘still just one,’ she laughs.
Despite this, despite being busier than ever, Dama muses that it’s the right kind of busyness - in that not only does she enjoy what she does, but importantly, she feels agency in it.
Dama Sathianathan is a Partner at Bethnal Green Ventures (BGV) - a tech for good venture capital firm; a Director at Chayn - a nonprofit supporting victims of domestic abuse; and a community advocate for YSYS - an organisation advocating for diversity in tech. The one eye is starting to make sense…
Here Dama talks to us about her non-traditional path into VC, how her different areas of work complement each other, and offers tips for building a community around yourself (disclaimer: we work with Dama in our day jobs, and if anyone knows how to work an ecosystem, it’s her).
How it all started
You can be anything you want, so long as it’s a doctor or a lawyer
I grew up with an Asian tiger mum so there were basically two career options for me - doctor or lawyer. I definitely didn’t want to become a doctor because I decided there was too much Latin involved so I thought I’d do something in law.
First, I studied liberal arts and science, then majored in European law with a focus on human rights.
Alongside my Masters, I also did a year-long internship with an international NGO - Coalition for the International Criminal Court, which made me think that although I didn't want to focus on law, I wanted to work on something with social impact.
From NGOs to venture capital
My first job out of studies was at another international NGO - HelpAge. My role was in communications, with a focus on campaigns.
Despite becoming more common, digital technology in the nonprofit space was done very poorly. I went along to the Tech for Good London meetup (co-ran by Bethnal Green Ventures) to find out about people doing it effectively.
Someone announced there was a job opening at BGV and so I applied! Come to think of it, I’ve come full circle since I now help to run those meetups.
The nine to five
So what do you do exactly?
As a Partner at BGV, my role focuses on ecosystem building and working towards two main outcomes:
Helping more diverse people to either become founders or to be aware that they can apply to us for investment.
Banging the drum about the potential of tech for good to encourage more people and organisations to contribute to a bigger and better tech for good ecosystem.
Best and worst bits of my day job
The best: I really love talking to people, especially to founders about their ideas and to other people in the industry that are moving the needle for more equity and inclusion.
The worst: I don’t like saying ‘no’. We have to do this quite a lot at BGV since we can only back a small percentage of the startups that apply for funding. I find that incredibly hard, especially when the selection process can be so subjective - sometimes an idea just doesn’t fall into our investment remit but it could still be a great idea within a different industry or geography.
Favourite music to work to
Depends on my mood but for Work Daze here’s my playlist that reflects my current state of mind - hopeful, moody, and rebellious.
Recommended procrastination rabbit holes
Very British Problems on Twitter, my mate suntharv on Instagram, and stats of the day from rest of world.
The five to nine
Work outside of work
Outside of my day job I’m also a trustee for a nonprofit tech for good organisation called Chayn - which supports women and non-binary people who are victims or survivors of domestic abuse. I spend a few hours most Sundays on Chayn, checking in with the CEO and founder - which I really enjoy.
I love the fact that tech for good can be both nonprofit and for profit, and that I have the space to explore both.
Another organisation I love being involved with is YSYS (Your Startup Your Story) - a community of advocates who deeply care about diversity and inclusion in tech and VC. I’ve met so many amazing other people through my involvement there that I don’t think I would have been exposed to otherwise.
On a great resource for a fresh perspective
Tech-ish - the only podcast covering the intersection of tech, pop culture, and life. Really love listening to Abadesi and Michael, they have a great dynamic.
Words of wisdom
Finding clarity in an uncertain future
Doing so many different things and projects means finding clarity can be hard. One thing that really helped me with that recently, and that I’d highly recommend to others for honing in on what you actually want to do, is the toolkit from Uncertain Times.
Dama’s dos and don’ts of sliding into the (professional) DMs
I think it’s really important to surround yourself with amazing people that will both challenge and support you. A few tips on how to do that:
The people you want to chat to? Just slide into their DMs! Most people are kind enough to respond.
Don’t email. I don’t think cold emails work as well as DMs, they don’t feel as organic.
Don’t use the phrase ‘I want to pick your brain’ - be specific about why you want to actually chat to them!
Take a permission-based approach - ask them if it’s ok and if they have time.
On great communities to be a part of
I’d highly recommend joining Slack groups to meet new people. These communities in particular are great:
YSYS Community Advocates - a diverse startup community for founders, developers, creatives, investors, and more.
Zebras Unite London - for connecting with people interested in a more ethical and inclusive startup and venture capital culture.
Tech for Good Global - a community with a mission to increase demand from entrepreneurs, civil society, corporates, funders, policy makers, and consumers.
Femstreet - for curated content by female startup founders, operators, and investors.
Innovators Room - a global network of innovators.
Ultimately, if you want to create connections, create connections in a way that is meaningful.
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