Who I Am
To execute on possibility, it’s not just a matter of what we produce but who we are. As an operator and as a leader, here’s an inside look into who I am.
Ever since I was young, I have dedicated each decade of my life to a problem worth solving.
From financial inclusion to mental health, every venture has brought me on an adventure, a new moonshot worth pursuing.
Much of what I’ve built (and continue to build) was sparked by a promise I made at 14: a promise to my brother that he and I would build company after company until we changed the world.
It’s a promise I’m still keeping, even though my brother is gone.
Cherry Rose and her brother Keane
HERE IS WHERE MY ADVENTURES HAVE TAKEN ME SO FAR:
Trained at the University of Toronto & Columbia University in psychology and education, holding an MA and MBA
Invested in and/or advised startups who have raised $60M in venture capital
Co-founded Renew Venture Capital, an early-stage VC firm focused on impact and underrepresented founders
Coached 350 startups (and their executive teams) from 27 different verticals
Founded North America’s largest movement for Entrepreneurial Mental Health, having served 40,000 leaders
Hosted #REALTALK (a Top 14 Business podcast on iTunes) and ranked #17 (out of 25 million players) on Neopets
As Seen In:
I AM AN
ENTREPRENEUR
At Heart.
It is my LEGACY as a 5th generation entrepreneur: five generations on my mother’s side, four generations on my father’s side.
Ever since I was young, I have dedicated each decade of my life to a problem worth solving.
From financial inclusion to mental health, every venture has brought me on an adventure, a new moonshot worth pursuing.
Much of what I’ve built (and continue to build) was sparked by a promise I made at 14: a promise to my brother that he and I would build company after company until we changed the world.
It’s a promise I’m still keeping, even though my brother is gone.
About Cherry Rose
As a Filipino-Chinese woman who immigrated to Canada as a child, I am no stranger to hardship. My ancestors grappled with the effects of war, colonization, and the struggles many Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) face even today.
Entrepreneurship was a beacon for my family.
It was the one thing we could control, no matter the circumstances we faced. My brother Keane and I also saw it as a way to impact the world together - fighting the inequity and injustice we saw.
In 2014,
WE WERE ONE OF TWO CO-FOUNDING FAMILIES TO LAUNCH PAYCASE FINANCIAL.
One of the oldest crypto companies in North America, our mission was to empower the bottom billion by offering low-cost, international money transfers using blockchain.
Our work was fueled by a passion for helping the underrepresented and the historically excluded, but also by a fear that if we didn’t take full advantage of this opportunity, this possibility and mission would end with us.
It was a lot of pressure and admittedly, we worked way too many hours to count.
WE DIDN’T REALIZE HOW VITAL OUR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING WERE TO OUR WORK.
There is always a cost when you sacrifice yourself for your work, when you push too long and too hard to the point of burnout. The cost we paid was my brother’s life.
He died, literally, from burnout-related causes.
Our company (and all of the organizations I’ve led since) have done great things, but no amount of success was worth a life. His life.
We lost one of North America’s most talented COOs that day.
I realized that seeing an opportunity and scaling it at any cost isn’t sustainable. It isn’t humane to ourselves or the people who work alongside us.
INSTEAD, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING OURSELVES AS LEADERS FIRST, EXECUTING A BETTER WAY FORWARD…
After Keane’s death, I began to have very honest, vulnerable conversations with tech CEOs across the planet. Those conversations birthed #REALTALK, the mental health movement for the tech industry, which has helped over 40,000 leaders embrace tough conversations and thrive in their work.
BUT I WANT TO HELP EVEN MORE PEOPLE BUILD A BETTER FUTURE, WITHOUT BURNING OUT.
At the Schulich School of Business, I help young and upcoming entrepreneurs incubate their best ideas, the ideas that can change our world for the better.
At Renew Venture Capital, I remove barriers to money and power by investing in bold and diverse founders who are generating impact at scale.
AND I SPEAK TO AUDIENCES AROUND THE WORLD BECAUSE IT IS THE FASTEST WAY TO CREATE IMPACT.
I cut through the noise and show audiences a glimpse of what the future could be - through innovation, entrepreneurship, and mental health.
THERE IS SO MUCH POSSIBILITY IN THE WORLD, BUT WE NEED THE
Mindset,
Heartset,
& Skillset
TO EXECUTE ON IT.
Together...
We can secure the future of our organizations, while empowering our people along the way.
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Every great leader is guided by their values. Here are mine.
Sovereign
Advocate for the inherent dignity and power of every person to carve their own destiny through systems change and design.
FIRE
Do only the things I am wholeheartedly passionate about (the “Heck Yes!”) and commit to these things all the way
to the end.
Beauty
Strive to create systems, companies, and experiences that are not only functionally valuable but also evoke a sense of beauty and wonder in every stakeholder.
IMPACT
Invest time, energy, and focus on activities that will impact others, especially the disenfranchised and the next generation.
KINDRED
See every single person as valuable and deserving of care, so each person feels seen and understood in a uniquely personal way.
BRING