Exploring Life & Business with Sabrina Merage Naim of Evoke Media

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrina Merage Naim.

Hi Sabrina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started as one of the few female founders in the venture capital space in 2013. At the time, I was working in finance and traveling to conferences and networking events around the country. I was always the youngest person in the room and often one of a few women in the room. I saw an opportunity to create an investment firm that understood the consumer demographic that founders were trying to reach in a very different way than most of the button-up finance guys did at the time. Echo Capital Group became one of the first firms of its kind– female-founded, Millennial-focused, operationally experienced, and consumer-driven. We have made nearly 20 investments in the consumer product space and have influenced the way many VC firms operate in the space. Another steadfast commitment of mine is my philanthropy and social justice activism.

In 2008, I founded the Sabrina Merage Foundation in direct response to on-campus bigotry and anti-Semitism that I was witnessing. SMF was created in order to bridge the divides that seem to be growing immensely between us. We encourage diversity of lifestyle, ideology, thought, and experience through our partner organizations. In 2020, I created Evoke Media as a subsidiary of SMF in order to further this mission through storytelling. We often connect more deeply through the stories that take us on a journey and expand our horizons. Evoke invests in social issue documentaries, podcasts, and other forms of media in order to continue to encourage the diversity of the human experience. We also developed our own original podcast, Breaking Glass, where we delve into issues impacting women around the world with guests who take us on journeys of issues we may not have exposure to otherwise.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When is entrepreneurialism and activism ever a smooth road? Early on in my VC days, I was laughed at (literally) when meeting with (mostly) men in the finance space. I came to the world with little experience, was young and green behind the ears. I saw that as an opportunity to disrupt an old boys’ club that needed a shift. Many people I encountered agreed and were incredibly supportive and encouraging. A few were not and it’s not always easy to block out that noise and keep moving. It’s also worth mentioning that the VC space is a risky place to play. We’ve had busts, hiccups, and more missed opportunities than I’d care to count. Much of our work is intuitive, much of it depends on macroeconomic or geopolitical factors that we can’t control, and so much of it depends on who you’re getting into bed with. Partnerships are like marriages. You have to choose wisely. In the social justice space, I’ve been frustrated by the slow pace and ambiguity of real, measurable change. So many organizations in the non-profit world are top-heavy, weighed down by tons of overhead, resource waste, and lack any measurable benchmarking. I come at my non-profit work in the same way that I run my business. I have expectations for impact, success, and goals. I look at this work as what I call venture philanthropy. If I can’t measure the impact in some way (sometimes more qualitative than quantitative), then it’s time to switch tactics.

Why did you decide to branch out of your business?
In 2020, I was feeling the need to scratch a creative itch in my social impact work and focus more on women. In some ways, we’re living through a renaissance of women’s equity. In other ways, we’ve taken many steps in the wrong direction (see: grab them by the pussy, millions of women leaving the workforce during COVID, Afghan girls and women losing their right to education, the rise in domestic violence and sexual assault against women around the world, overturning Roe v. Wade and SO MUCH MORE). My frustration and impatience with the lack of forward momentum in women’s rights led me to shine a light on issues and stories that we many not gain exposure to otherwise. We created the original podcast, Breaking Glass, and quickly began having conversations with change-making individuals around the world who have truly remarkable stories to tell. We have spoken about women athletes, women in finance, in the military, in the media, in environmental protection, female genital mutilation, titans of industry, and much more. I feel privileged to have gained exposure to incredible guests on a truly global scale who have opened my eyes to stories and issues that deserve our attention.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Listen first. Even if you think you are right or you think you know the answer, just listen. Many of our issues around divisiveness and apathy stem from an unwillingness to see or understand someone else’s experience, view, or position. Also, no issue is as black and white as we’d like to believe. There is context, nuance, and shades of gray to even the most divisive issues. It’s a hard pill to swallow, particularly when we feel passionately about issues that are impacting real, life people, but there is always complexity that we need to understand. It may not change your mind but it may make you have just a little bit more empathy for people who think/feel/live differently than you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://weareevokemedia.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breakingglasspod/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-merage-naim-90415720
• Other: https://www.echocapital.com/