From straight A’s to startups.

Written By Kristi Candela

EDITION 19: INVEST ON PURPOSE

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written. I’ve been busy building BeeCene—funding our first loan, approving our second loan, and planning how to scale it all further. During this, I had a moment that I think is relevant and relatable that I wanted to share with you all.

When perfectionism holds us back.

I was that straight-A kid. Give me extra credit so I could get more than 100%? I was all about it. And it didn’t stop there. I was the one who trained extra hours at gymnastics to go from mediocre to winning a national competition on the uneven bars. I once gave the girl who beat me in the all-around category such a dirty look, it got caught on video. It's still a memory that makes me cringe and laugh at the same time.

Perfection wasn't just important to me—it defined me.

I worked hard to shake off the parts of perfectionism that weren’t serving me in my adult life, especially during my last 13 years working within design orgs. That’s where I learned, and even enjoyed, the value of iteration, sharing early drafts and embracing the messy beginnings of projects.

But something interesting happened these past few months.

The perfectionist tide returns.

Building BeeCene has pushed me to stretch in completely new ways. And somewhere in that stretch, the old perfectionist tide rolled in again, quiet but powerful.

I kept saying, "I'm about to start fundraising."
I'd revise the deck. Then revise it again.
I made detailed lists of people I would talk to. But never actually called them.
I'd tell more people I was "about to" start the process.

The pattern was clear: I was waiting for everything to be perfect.

I told myself I just needed to check one more box.
The pitch needed more clarity.
The financial projections needed more research on assumptions.
The roadmap needed to be airtight.
I needed to anticipate every possible question.

I needed to be more ready.

Then last week, a mentor saw right through it all.

"You have permission," she said bluntly. "Stop waiting for every box to be checked. Stop waiting for the business or your pitch to be perfect. Just start. You’ll fill in the blanks as you go."

It was exactly what I needed to hear.

Taking the imperfect leap.

So I did just that. This week, I had three real conversations where I directly told people: "I'm fundraising for BeeCene, and I'd like to talk to you about investing."

It wasn't flawless. My pitch evolved with each conversation. I didn't have every answer ready. I stumbled over some explanations.

But something magical happened. Each conversation taught me something valuable. The feedback gave me new clarity. The questions helped me refine my language. The discussions confirmed hunches about some features that might be most compelling and revealed gaps in my thinking that I hadn't considered.

I walked away from each meeting with more confidence and sharper insights than I had going in. The act of starting—imperfectly—was more valuable than any amount of preparation could have been.

And I even got some new investors signed up on my waitlist for when we launch our platform!

 

The parallel to investing.

And isn't that exactly what BeeCene is all about?

I'm building this platform to help women get started investing in private markets before they feel like they're "perfect" investors. Before they know everything. Before they've checked all the boxes that society tells them they need to check.

I want to create a space where women can learn as they go, where the act of beginning, even imperfectly, is valued more than waiting until you're "ready."

The irony wasn't lost on me. I was getting caught in the exact same trap that I'm trying to help other women escape.

 

Moving forward.

So here's my commitment: I'll keep having these fundraising conversations. I'll keep refining my approach based on what I learn. I'll embrace the imperfection of the process.

And I will secure the funding that will allow BeeCene to create more opportunities for women to start investing in private markets—before they feel fully ready, before they know everything, before they're "perfect."

Because that's how we learn. That's how we grow. That's how we ultimately succeed.

Join the movement.

If you believe in starting before you're ready...
If you want to learn by doing rather than waiting until you know everything...
If you're interested in a community that values progress over perfection...

Then BeeCene is for you.

Here's how you can be part of this journey:

Let's build something imperfectly powerful together.

——

The information provided is current as of the date of this writing and for informational purposes only. It should not be relied upon as investment advice or recommendations, does not constitute a solicitation to buy or sell securities, and should not be considered specific legal, investment or tax advice.

Investing entails risk, including the possible loss of principal, and past performance is not predictive of future results.

Kristi Candela
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