Graduates of StartOut Growth Lab Share Their Thoughts in the Wake of COVID-19
By Pete Holmberg @PeteHolmbergNYC
With COVID-19 radically altering our way of life, drenching us in fear, and consuming the wealth of our attention, there wasn’t a lot of talk about Women’s History in the Month of March this year. Instead, we all collectively and individually spent Women’s History Month making history with our actions. Some people were responsible, while others were not. But knowing that everyone’s actions will play a role in how history records this challenging time, we here at StartOut wanted to shine the light back on the intended subject for the month and share stories of LGBTQ women making us proud in the wake of this novel Coronavirus. We thought it premature to ask ourselves “what is the new normal?” So we came up with a timelier question: “What is the new kicking ass?” We threw the question to two women whose ass kicking work as graduates of our Growth Lab have helped make StartOut the leading force it has become.
Kelly McDonald, Founder & CEO of Kyndoo, an influencer marketplace that connects vetted social media influencers with brands: Taking inspiration from the iconic brewers like Coors, Anheuser-Busch, and Stroh’s who survived Prohibition, Kelly is working from home and helping her influencers and brands to fine tune their distribution processes and make sure the fundamentals of their businesses are running as smoothly as possible. But with her wife Rachel working as an ICU Nurse, Kelly is strongly connected to the front lines of the pandemic.
“My wife now is working ten days in a row in the ICU, and she takes every precaution at work and in coming home every night. I do my part to keep her safe by staying home, constantly washing my hands and interacting with as few people as possible. If I infect someone, I’m not only condemning that person to potential death, I’m condemning them to a death in which they are isolated to prevent further infection and absolutely certain to die alone without friends or family. There’s no question that my wife Rachel is kicking ass, but in this time when literally anyone can be a silent carrier, staying the hell home if you’re not essential has absolutely become another definition of kicking ass.”
Nancy Do, Founder & CEO of Endo Industries, an innovative cannabis and hemp supply chain platform that bridges plant genetics with a collaborative network of operators to build scalable brands for impact and human health: As a decade-long cannabis entrepreneur and advocate, Nancy has navigated a labyrinth of conflicting state and federal laws that have resulted in her personally facing raids and arrests over the years. Even though cannabis businesses are excluded from benefiting from Federal Relief initiatives put in place recently, it was in March of 2020 that cannabis was declared an essential business by California and many other legal states. The irony isn’t lost on her, but her focus is very much on healing and perseverance.
“I come to the world of cannabis from a place of healing. My mother was driven to suicide by chronic pain, so I have never doubted how essential this industry has been to people in need of relief. For me, kicking ass is helping others to heal and embracing my role as the provider of an essential service. It also means taking every precaution to safeguard my employees’ health as they continue this vital work, and continuing to show the world that this queer woman of color won’t back down in the face of nonsensical legal policies, or even a deadly virus that knows no boundaries. It is not going to be easy without government support, but we will work to draw resources from our communities to help us through these times of change. Being positive, strategic and adaptable are essential to success when resources are not as readily accessible. I’ve faced much adversity in my lifetime, and I’ve used it to my advantage in order to thrive in challenging environments.”
Women’s History Month 2020 was the time when this crisis began to overtake our lives, but it is certainly not the first global crisis that the LGBTQ community has faced. The world of StartOut is vast and diverse, extending well beyond a single identity or a single state. As we face a new normal and excitedly embrace new ways of kicking ass, we look forward to sharing more stories from within our growing community.
# # #
