About

In this week's episode we chat with CEO, entrepreneur, and former U.S. congressional candidate, Rachel Payne. She began her career studying government with the dream of one day being a Foreign Service Officer with the State Department. That all changed after being introduced to technology right at the start of the internet boom -- before the "learn how to code" craze, and before Silicon Valley was a TV show. After graduation, she began working for a tech firm, and eventually received an MBA from Stanford, thus, enabling her humanitarian work abroad. From joining the founding team of Google's charitable branch Google.org, to co-founding FEM Inc, a research company focused on the role of gender in media, and finally, becoming the CEO of tech venture, PRIZMA -- making the decision to run for Congress doesn't seem so crazy after all, but rather a natural next step in fulfilling her life's work. Her resume is as impressive as it is diverse, consisting of numerous pivots and setbacks. But throughout her life, one thing is consistent -- her undeniable commitment to harnessing technology to empower diverse communities, and ultimately, champion equal opportunity for all.   Rachel's Resources: FEM Inc: FEM Inc. is a media technology company that creates relevant and engaging video experiences with a woman-centered community in mind. FEM Inc.'s goal is to change the content paradigm by empowering viewers with more choices based on the effects of the content they watch. Their vision is that this will drive greater demand for intentional content that has a positive impact on society. Google.org: Google.org is Google's philanthropy branch which focuses on data-driven and human-focused philanthropy. Their pillars include outstanding work in education, economic opportunity, and inclusion. Rachel was on the founding team of Google.org. Find out more at https://www.google.org/ PRIZMA: Prizma is built by FEM Inc., a female founded tech team, whose mission create video content that resonates with diverse audiences. Find out more at http://www.prizma.ai/ Emily's List: Founded in 1985, Emily's List is an American Political Action Committee (PAC) that aims to assist the election of pro-choice Democratic female candidates to office. The organization chooses to focus on raising money early for women because historically women were not getting the distributive attention and funding from the Democratic Party-- thus, not winning races for which they were qualified. Emily's List endorsed Rachel Payne in her run for the 48th Congressional District primary race. You can find out more about Emily's list here at https://www.emilyslist.org/   This Episode was produced by Emily Le, Tiffany Le, and Jennifer Rundle Special thanks to our sound designer Kinsey Green, who mixed this episode.