Allison Baum Gates, a Harvard graduate and venture capital investor, is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and contributing writer. She is a General Partner at SemperVirens, focusing on B2B technology for work, health, and financial wellness. SemperVirens is backed by a network of 1500+ HR leaders from companies like Disney and Visa, giving Allison a unique perspective on the future of work. Aside from her role at SemperVirens, Allison writes for Forbes and lectures at UC Berkeley-HaaS and Columbia Business School. She authored "Breaking into Venture," sharing insights on risk-taking and wealth-building. Allison has spoken globally on venture capital and workforce technology. Before SemperVirens, Allison worked at Goldman Sachs and General Assembly, which was acquired for $413 million. She co-founded Fresco Capital and was an investor at Trinity Ventures. Allison has lived in New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and now San Francisco. Allison holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University, with a minor in Film Studies and a French language citation. Her videos cover venture capital, workforce tech, and fundraising advice. As a speaker, Allison discusses technology's impact on work, the employer/employee relationship, and healthcare's future. Her book, "Breaking into Venture," offers insights into wealth creation in venture capital.
Although technology has transformed nearly every aspect of our personal lives, it is only beginning to change the largest and most complex systems that govern our lives. Allison Baum Gates provides a compelling deep dive into how technology has disrupted how we make money, take care of ourselves, and find meaning. Through case studies drawn from her portfolio of nearly one hundred investments, she discusses the specific impact of artificial intelligence, automation, and analytics on how employers manage their workforce, how individuals navigate their careers, and how we value the results.
Employee benefits have historically been viewed as an afterthought, a cost center and a box to be checked after compensation has been negotiated. The country’s leading employers, however, have started to leverage benefits as a key strategy for recruiting, retaining, and empowering a diverse workforce while also saving on claims costs. Allison Baum Gates discusses how employers play a key role in accelerating the shift toward a more accessible, equitable, and efficient healthcare system. She highlights case studies of an exciting new generation of technology-based solutions for fertility, mental health, childcare, and LGBTQ+ and BIPOC populations.
A combination of technological advancement, demographic shifts, and social justice movements have permanently disrupted the way we approach the workplace. Leveraging her work with some of the world’s biggest and oldest employers, as well as her experience investing in disruptive technologies enabling new ways of earning a living, Allison Baum Gates how the future of work is taking shape at both an individual and a societal level. Listeners will gain an understanding of how employers can and should adapt their recruiting, retention, and cultural strategies for a generation of workers with different needs, expectations, and talents.
