LAKEISHA LANDRUM PIERRE - From Raisins to Returns

LAKEISHA LANDRUM PIERRE - From Raisins to Returns

From Eating While Broke by The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartPodcasts

April 23, 2026 · 1h 6m · Season 3 · Episode 29

About this episode

Lakeisha Landrum Pierre discusses venture capital, representation, and her entrepreneurial journey while cooking a low-cost dish inspired by her past.

Host Coline Witt welcomes Lakeisha Landrum Pierre, founder and managing partner of Emily Line Venture Capital, for a conversation about venture capital’s influence, the industry’s barriers for women and people of color, and why representation among check-writers matters. Lakeisha cooks a low-cost Colombian coconut rice with raisins inspired by her broke grad school days at Harvard, and shares her background growing up in Los Angeles with deep entrepreneurial family roots in real estate, including the impact of the 2008 crash on Black wealth. She discusses choosing finance and business after briefly studying theology, the role of education and relationships in her career, and taking on major leadership roles early—such as becoming COO of a $10M ARR e-commerce startup at 20. Lakeisha outlines how Emily Line Ventures invests in women-led and mixed-gender founding teams, typically at early stages (often around $500K–$1M+ revenue in the current market), and focuses heavily on women’s health areas like maternal health, endometriosis diagnostics and treatments, fertility, menstrual health, and menopause/perimenopause.  See omnystudio.com/listener for…

People in this episode

Host: Coline Witt

Guest: Lakeisha Landrum Pierre

Topics covered

  • venture capital
  • representation
  • women in business
  • entrepreneurship
  • Black wealth
  • women's health

Keywords

  • venture capital
  • women entrepreneurs
  • Black wealth
  • Colombian coconut rice
  • 2008 crash
  • women's health
  • education
  • leadership

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Emily Line Venture Capital

Books & works: Colombian coconut rice

Places: Los Angeles

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