This week, we sat down with father-daughter duo Evan and Ariel Segal of Segal Ventures, pulled back the curtain on how modern family offices can drive real impact. From investing in 94% women-led funds to creatively deploying donor-advised funds, the Segals share how they're rewriting the playbook on values-aligned investing.
Tune in as they discuss building an ecosystem of trust, navigating today’s venture landscape, and why being additive—not extractive—is the future of capital!
Timestamps / Key Takeaways
0:00 - Intro
02:18 - Evan Segal's journey: from Pittsburgh roots, CEO at 27, CFO at USDA, to impact investing and philanthropy
05:10 - Ariel Segal's path inspired by her father’s entrepreneurial journey
05:35 - Inside Segal Ventures’ over 50 venture funds (94% women-led), 180+ direct investments, spanning 800 startups
08:15 - Segal Ventures’ strategic check-writing; additive relationships over passive capital
09:14 - Weathering the political changes; “for us, making an impact is the key driver; that legacy becomes so much greater than just simply an investment”
14:51 - Portfolio growth from family offices view: balancing profit and purpose
22:38 - Post-2021 downturn: challenges in fundraising; importance of storytelling during fundraises; founder strategies to reallocate resources
29:27 - Creative use of capital, Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), and marketing
34:11 - Setbacks and barriers in venture to achieve purposeful investing; ‘smashing the patriarchy’
41:46 - Final takeaways; Segal Ventures as a model for next-gen family offices: blending profit with purpose
About Segal Ventures
Segal Ventures is an early stage investment firm focused on women-led venture capital funds and companies. They provide capital in three ways:
Intellectual: Strategic and tactical guidance to address business challenges with innovative approaches
Social: Warm introductions to potential customers, vendors, investors & partners to expand your network
Financial: Investment capital, plus advice for current or future rounds of funding
About Evan Segal
Evan J. Segal is a business leader, philanthropist, angel investor, social entrepreneur, author and adjunct professor. He was the President/ Owner of Dormont Manufacturing Company, the inventor and world's largest manufacturer of flexible stainless steel gas appliance connector.
After a successful exit, Mr. Segal served as the Chief Financial Officer at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Nominated by President Obama and confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate, Mr. Segal also served on The White House Innovation and Information Policy Task Force and was the Co-Chair of the Federal CFO Council.
In addition to leading The Segal Family Foundation, Evan serves as Founder & General Partner of Segal Ventures, Co-Founder of The 412 Venture Fund, Founder of Kiva Pittsburgh and Venture For America Pittsburgh.
FOLLOW EVAN | LinkedIn
About Ariel Segal Eck
As Managing Director of Segal Ventures, Ariel advises fund managers and founders on strategies to fuel growth, providing valuable resources and cultivating community. With 15+ years of experience as an operator at tech startups, Ariel most recently led marketing at Foursquare, where she developed deep expertise across content, events, customer insights, social media, email, paid advertising and more.
FOLLOW ARIEL | LinkedIn
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