Rosie Rios: a view on finance and the drive for innovation

A key reference figure for women in business, Rios was the 43rd US national treasurer, and her signature is on around 1,7 billion dollars in cash, about 85% of US currency in circulation.

Choose your risk level

In the Unicorn Hunters Circle of Money, Rosie Rios takes the role of asking incisive questions. “Why would we invest in Starton before you’ve started phase 2 trials?,” she asked Pedro Lichtinger, the CEO and founder of Starton Therapeutics, a biotech company that has developed a solution to improve the quality of life for people with cancer.

She followed that with a valuable reflection on risk: “From an investment perspective, how should we evaluate risk? Because if I’m an investor and I know that human trials are starting in phase one, is it best for me to invest now or wait for the results of those trials?”

Besides such reflections, Rios never ceases to view participants under the exhaustive gaze of a former treasurer who focuses on the numbers. “I feel that I didn’t receive enough financial information. It’s promising but I feel that something’s missing,” she told Mihir Shah, CEO of UE LifeSciences, the company behind iBreastExam , a device that identifies various forms of breast cancer in just minutes, painlessly and without radiation. Rosie quite often asks for more time “to do her homework” before deciding to invest in a project. “It’s our responsibility to help viewers to understand each project. It’s not only about our investment, but theirs too. This is an invitation for them to do their own numbers and make their own decisions.”

From pitches to people

A potential unicorn’s story is as important as its innovations and the scalability of its business. Rosie knows this and it’s why she doesn’t hesitate to heap praise on participants who are convincing and passionate. “She’s one of those people for whom you invest more in the person than the company,” she said about Lauren Foundos, the CEO of Fortë, a tech plataform for gyms: “I was impressed the second she came out. When I showed it to my kids, the first thing I said was, when you make a pitch, here’s a great case study.”

On such occasions, Rios doesn’t hesitate to share her praise directly with the entrepreneurs in question. Her fresh frankness has already become a signature of the program. “You’re a perfect intersection of passion, purpose, personality and power,” she told Foundos. And she told Margaret Kocherga, CEO of Margik, a startup that develops organic lighting: “Yes, yes and yes…. You are a bright light… You are a person of talent, of change and of courage. And that is what the world needs more of today. It needs real courage.”