Meet Marie Rocha, the visionary founder of Realist Ventures, a Connecticut-based venture fund investing in early-stage startups with diverse teams solving scalable problems. Since its founding in 2018, Marie navigated the landscape of venture capitalism and uncovered a common challenge faced by many founders seeking her support – they lacked the essential skills and resources needed to excel in their ventures. This realization ignited a desire to make a lasting impact in the lives of these entrepreneurs. It was then that the seeds of an idea were sown, giving birth to what would later become the force known as Realist Lab. In 2021, Realist Lab emerged, dedicated to empowering underrepresented and aspiring founders seeking to launch and scale their ventures. Realist Lab was conceived as an ecosystem of knowledge, mentorship, and support – a space where founders could not only secure capital but also gain the tools to thrive and succeed...