5 Things Female Founders Must Do to Get Funded in the Age of AI

Female founders still get a tiny slice of venture capital—and Liana Zavo says the real problem is visibility, not talent.In this episode, refugee kid turned “Mother of PR” and investor Liana Zavo breaks down the 5 things women must do to get funded in the age of AI. From fleeing civil war in Tajikistan and being bullied as an immigrant in Austria and Queens, to selling cars, styling hair on Fifth Avenue, and finally building a global PR firm and a fund that writes checks to female-led tech startups, Liana has lived every stage of the founder journey.We get tactical about how to: build an “irreplaceable” personal brand, close the credibility gap, use a 90-videos-in-90-days sprint to stress-test your message, and turn AI (including AI clones) into a 24/7 sales agent for your story. If you’re a female founder, an aspiring builder, or someone sitting on a big idea, this conversation will push you to stop hiding and start getting funded.🔑 In this conversationWhy women still receive around 2% of venture funding—and why Liana calls it a visibility gapThe 5 things female founders must do to get funded in the age of AIHow Liana went from refugee kid to “Mother of PR” and investorHow to build an “irreplaceable” personal brand investors actually care aboutThe 90 videos in 90 days rule to test your positioning before big mediaUsing AI and AI clones as 24/7 sales agents for your storyWhy faith and a willingness to fail matter more than a perfect pitch deckChapters: 00:00 – Intro: 5 things female founders must do to get funded in the age of AI02:10 – Liana’s refugee story: fleeing civil war and starting over (Tajikistan → Austria → Queens)08:45 – Bullying, raising her sister, and learning to adapt under pressure14:30 – From selling cars to styling on Fifth Avenue: portable skills and soft skills21:05 – Discovering PR, “the art of leverage,” and becoming the Mother of PR29:40 – Launching Zavo Media and the COVID pivot that 10x’d her business37:15 – Why women get ~2% of funding: the visibility gap, not the talent gap44:20 – 5 things female founders must do to get funded in the age of AI52:10 – Building an “irreplaceable” personal brand investors actually care about59:30 – 90 videos in 90 days: stress-testing your message and credibility1:06:20 – AI, AI clones, and 24/7 sales agents for your story1:13:05 – Faith vs fear: doing things that scare you and quantum leaping1:19:40 – Funding female-led tech: how Liana evaluates founders and stories1:26:10 – Advice to female founders who feel invisible (and what to do this week)1:31:45 – Closing thoughts and where to find Liana