WeLearn Workshop #1: Inside a Cannabis Start-up Investment with Helene Servillon
“Do what wakes you up every day and be relentless about it.”
— Helene Servillon
WeLearn 2021 had a phenomenal start with Helene Servillon — a strategist, role model, and innovator. After graduating from Northeastern University in 2012, Helene experimented in various industries before establishing herself in the world of venture capital. It was the drive to seat more women at the table that ultimately pushed her to make this decision. Subsequently, Helene now wears many hats. She is an early-stage investor, focusing on underestimated markets such as cannabis, women, wellness. Additionally, she is the Founding Partner at JourneyOne Ventures, a cannabis-focused fund, and also a Venture Partner at Chai Angels, a firm in NYC that focuses on investing in women-led teams across the future of living, consumption, work, and health. And finally, Helene is not one to forget her roots, as she is on the advisory board for Spark Fund (Northeastern’s first venture fund) and, of course, WISE.
From highlighting the various trends in VC to analyzing the investment deal of a cannabis-infused sparkling beverage, Wunder, our attendees were captivated from the beginning. Helene first introduced the global market size for cannabis in 2020 and then pointed out the importance of market intersections — it is tactical to initially focus on one specific sector to invest in.
Then, diving into the case study of Wunder, Helene extracted key components that she looks at in an early-stage company such as the leadership team, the prevalence of complementary skillsets, and expertise.
Transitioning into clear takeaways, she identified her personal evaluation criteria called The 5 Ps: People, Product, Plan, Price, and Potential. Everyone who attended the event even had the opportunity to get their feet wet and participate in an interactive activity of choosing the better deal between two very different companies. Finally, Helene concluded with advice on how you can break into VC. Find her words of wisdom below:
Find your focus
- What are you curious/passionate about?
- Become an expert…in many things
Back door access
- Make a decksume, not a resume [a slide deck compiling your achievements in a more visual format]
- Get in touch with an employee
Make bold requests
- Start training — read constantly, co-op at a firm
Helene’s Favorites ⤵️
Podcasts:
Newsletters:
Networking Articles:
Student VC Groups:
Hungry for more? Take a look at this VC resource guide we created for you!
We hope this article provided an insight into VC career. To get involved with WeLearn, mark your calendars for our next event on Wednesday, February 10th led by our very own Lisa Phan! 💚
