Haley Bryant's journey from journalism student to venture capital partner is a testament to how curiosity and determination can transform an opaque industry into an accessible opportunity for all.

## A Family of Entrepreneurs Inspires a Bold Career Path

Growing up in a family of **entrepreneurs**, Haley Bryant was surrounded by business innovation from an early age. Her father's career at Bank of America and subsequent ventures in investment and consulting, combined with her mother's public policy consultancy and her sister's leadership in a 30,000-member chronic illness community, created a blueprint for betting on oneself.

## From Apple Stores to Startup Success

After earning a degree in media studies and communications from the University of Virginia, Bryant joined **Apple's retail division**, where she quickly rose from associate to senior manager, leading stores generating **millions in revenue**. "I was really drawn in by people, passion, and this idea that we wore on our credo cards every day in the stores at Apple, ['our soul is our people']," she recalls.

Her immersion in the startup world began when she launched Apple's small business program in the DMV region, supporting companies like **WeddingWire, Cava, and Sweetgreen**. This experience led her to roles at productivity and virtual event startups, both of which were eventually acquired, and later to scaling an agency from $2 million to $14 million in revenue.

## The Accidental Angel Investor

In summer 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and social reckoning following George Floyd's murder, Bryant had what she calls a "come to Jesus moment." Inspired by an email from Animalz founder Walter Chen about building the world you want to see through startups, she made her **first accidental angel investment** in Sacra, a private market research company founded by a former coworker.

"It's almost like wanting to invest in AFROTECH™ and then getting to learn about so much in tech, business, [and] entrepreneurship," she explains. "It was a very similar sort of investment, which gave me access to a community of investors and founders and helped me at least get started with my angel investing journey."

Bryant has since invested in **50 companies** on her own, focusing on startups solving problems she experienced as a single mother, serving underserved markets, or overlooked by traditional venture capital. Her portfolio includes Scout, Rain, AngelList, and Dopl, which she describes as "democratizing access to health care by building for rural hospitals, specifically robotic ultrasound solutions."

## Democratizing Venture Capital at Hustle Fund

Today, Bryant describes her investment thesis as "investing in great founders from anywhere who look like anyone." She has scaled this vision through her work at **Hustle Fund**, a venture capital firm investing in "hilariously-early pre-seed founders" primarily in B2B, fintech, and health tech.

"I did not go to school for finance. I did not know what venture capital was," Bryant admits. "When I worked at a venture-backed startup, I just knew that these guys with gray hair and Patagonias with briefcases came into a glass boardroom once a quarter... It was totally just opaque to me."

## Building the Angel Squad Community

Bryant joined Hustle Fund's **Angel Squad** community in summer 2021 as a paying member, formalizing her angel investor education. By fall, she became a venture partner helping build what is now a community of **more than 2,500 members** investing in Hustle Fund's over 650 portfolio companies.

The Angel Squad has done **$25 million in deal volume** across 89 deals and aims to onboard 10,000 angel investors. "That's why this mission of bringing the next 10,000 angels into the startup ecosystem is so resonant with me," Bryant emphasizes.

## The Hustle Fund Venture Fellowship

Bryant ideated the **Hustle Fund Venture Fellowship**, a subset of the Angel Squad that brings together 50 global members who participate in Hustle Fund through the entire deal lifecycle. The fellowship, gearing up for its fifth cohort in January 2026, reviews over a thousand companies monthly.

"Our fellows are just members of our Angel community who want more experience, exposure, and are willing to do work, both to share their expertise with us and with founders and to help founders be more successful," she explains. "So that's probably the work I'm the most excited about getting to do at Hustle Fund."

## From Principal to Partner

Promoted to principal at Hustle Fund in 2022, Bryant has invested in **48 companies** during her time at the firm. Her investment lens has sharpened to focus on what truly differentiates an idea, customer acquisition economics, and a founder's ability to sustain long-term work in their market.

Now stepping into the role of **partner**, she will manage limited partner communications, drive the Venture Fellowship forward, and raise funding. She has also recently joined **BLCK VC** as co-chair of its DMV Chapter, bringing her learnings about mentorship and apprenticeship to unlock the next generation of venture capitalists.

"I'm really excited to see how I can take some of those learnings to now this role with BLCK VC as the co-chair of the DMV chapter around mentorship, learning, and this idea of apprenticeship to unlock the next generation of VCs," she expresses.

What began as unfamiliar territory for Haley Bryant has become her mission — to democratize access to venture capital through her work at Hustle Fund.

From Apple Store Manager to VC Partner: How Haley Bryant is Demystifying Venture Capital for the Next Generation of Angel Investors

In the first season of **Build Mode: Product, Meet Market**, we dive deep into what it truly takes to get your product into customers' hands. While product-market fit is often discussed, this episode shifts focus to **founder-market fit**—a crucial but overlooked element in startup success.

Investors frequently ask about competitive advantages, typically referring to moats, intellectual property, or defensibility. However, before writing a single line of code, founders already possess valuable assets: their background, experiences, reputation, and network. Many founders overlook these as strategic tools.

As the saying goes, "if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room." It's essential to be intentional about your network, build focused connections, and boldly share your unique expertise.

In this episode, Isabelle Johannessen interviews **Kyle Rudolph** and **Jon Walburg**, co-founders of **Alltroo**, a fundraising platform that turns celebrity access into charitable sweepstakes—from swimming with Michael Phelps to Oktoberfest at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s house.

Kyle and Jon’s journey highlights that while celebrity status can open doors, it's the **execution, trust, and authenticity** behind the company that keeps them open. Their credibility stems from Kyle’s career with the Minnesota Vikings, co-founder Jason Zucker’s career with the Buffalo Sabres, Jon’s operator background, and early crowdfunding success, creating a powerful foundation of founder-market fit that’s hard to replicate.

Their pivot from exclusive $10,000 golf events to accessible $10 sweepstakes shows how democratizing access can elevate prestige when done with intention.

Not every founder starts with celebrity reach, but every founder begins with a network and the ability to grow influence. The key differentiator is how you activate it: strategically, authentically, and in ways that create clear value. **Thought leadership** is one of the most effective levers—sharing insights publicly, engaging purposefully on social media, writing, speaking, and consistently putting ideas into the world. This is how you build credibility and become a "celebrity" in your own right.

This episode isn’t about chasing fame. It’s about how Kyle and Jon leverage their community and relationships to build trust, gain early traction, and open doors most founders never consider—and how any founder can apply the same strategies to drive their go-to-market approach.

New episodes of Build Mode are released every Thursday. Subscribe to the podcast or watch on YouTube. Isabelle Johannessen hosts the show, with production and editing by Maggie Nye, audience development led by Morgan Little, and special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

Isabelle leads Startup Battlefield, TechCrunch’s iconic launchpad and competition for early-stage startups. She scouts founders globally and helps them pitch to top investors and media. With a Master’s in Entrepreneurship & Disruptive Innovation and a background as a professional singer, she combines strategic rigor with stage presence to help founders stand out.

On season one of Build Mode: Product, Meet Market, we explore what it really takes to get your product into the hands of customers. 

From NFL Star to Startup Success: The Unconventional Path to Founder-Market Fit

## A Transformational Gift for Entrepreneurial Education

Each year, the **Conrey Center for Entrepreneurship** at Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics hosts the **Titan Fast Pitch** competition. In this high-energy event, student entrepreneurs have just **90 seconds** to present their business concepts to a panel of professional and academic judges.

This competition celebrates the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that drives positive community impact—core values of the Conrey Center.

### Student Innovations Shine

Recent winners include:
- **Julie Yun and Dhara Panchal** (computer science and engineering students) who took second place for developing **Novvhex**, an **AI-powered home security platform** that detects suspicious behavior before theft occurs.
- **Daphnay Pino** (entrepreneurship student) who placed third for creating **Blink Clean**, an eco-friendly, refillable double-sided stain remover pen.

These students exemplify the ingenuity, purpose, and vision that define the Conrey Center’s mission.

### The $4.5 Million Legacy Gift

The exceptional work of these students inspired **Jerry Conrey** and his wife, **Dr. Victoria Shook Conrey**, to bequeath a **$4.5 million gift** to the College of Business & Economics. This generous contribution—one of the largest single donations for entrepreneurship education at Cal State Fullerton—along with the couple’s decades of service, led the college to rename the center in their honor.

In July, it officially became the **Conrey Center for Entrepreneurship**.

![Sri Sundaram, dean of the College of Business and Economics, left, thanks donor Jerry Conrey for supporting students and entrepreneurial education at CSUF. (Photo courtesy of Cal State Fullerton)](https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CSF-L-CONREY-1130-2.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)

### Jerry Conrey’s Vision

Jerry Conrey, founder and agency principal of **Conrey Insurance Brokers and Risk Managers**, attended Cal State Fullerton as a finance and political science major from 1981 to 1987. At the naming ceremony in October, he shared his vision:

> “Our hope with this gift—and with the naming of the Conrey Center for Entrepreneurship—is that it becomes a **launchpad for bold ideas**. We want this to be a place where students are encouraged to take risks, to learn from setbacks, and to create ventures that make a difference in our communities.”

Conrey credits Cal State Fullerton with shaping his career path and sees this donation as a way to **“pay it forward”** for future generations of entrepreneurs.

### Mentorship and Hands-On Engagement

Conrey emphasizes that **entrepreneurship** is about turning ideas into opportunities that generate profit while creating lasting impact. He views entrepreneurial education as essential for innovation and preparing students to thrive in competitive environments.

**Mentorship and hands-on engagement** are critical to student success, according to Conrey. “Our hope is that this gift will help future generations of entrepreneurs pursue bold ideas and create ventures that uplift our communities,” he said.

### Building a Lasting Relationship

The university’s gratitude for the gift opened a meaningful dialogue between Conrey and Cal State Fullerton. Conrey and his wife felt welcomed like family, gaining deeper insight into the university’s diverse programs—from its music department to holiday concerts.

> “They treated us really well and engaged with us and showed us all things that are going on that maybe the public doesn’t always see,” Conrey noted.

### A Transformational Moment

**Sri Sundaram**, dean of the College of Business and Economics, called the gift and renaming a **transformational moment** for the college.

> “Jerry and Victoria’s extraordinary generosity strengthens our mission to empower students and impact the Southern California community through **entrepreneurial innovation**. Their legacy will inspire future Titans to pursue bold ideas, build impactful ventures, and lead with purpose for years to come.”

CSUF alum Jerry Conrey said the gift is a way to "pay it forward" for generations of entrepreneurs.

How a $4.5M Gift is Fueling the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs at Cal State Fullerton

**Everything seemed to be going right for Dan Moyer.** During the pandemic, he decided to launch a business with a friend—creating frames for displaying comic collections. What began as a passion project turned into a thriving enterprise. His company, Crafti Comics, was shipping thousands of frames worldwide, and revenue was flowing.

## The Hidden Challenges of Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs face all sorts of minefields when they launch a business. They would do well to keep these in mind. While success stories like Dan's are inspiring, many new ventures struggle to survive. Understanding the common reasons for failure can help aspiring business owners navigate these obstacles more effectively.

### Key Factors Leading to Business Failure

1. **Lack of Market Research**: Many startups fail because they don't thoroughly understand their target audience or market demand.
2. **Insufficient Funding**: Running out of capital is a major issue, especially in the early stages when revenue might be inconsistent.
3. **Poor Management**: Inexperience in leadership and decision-making can derail even the most promising ideas.
4. **Ignoring Customer Feedback**: Failing to adapt based on user input can lead to products that don't meet real needs.
5. **Competition Overlooked**: Not accounting for existing or emerging competitors can leave a business vulnerable.
6. **Scaling Too Quickly**: Expanding operations before establishing a stable foundation often results in operational chaos.
7. **Legal and Regulatory Issues**: Neglecting compliance requirements can lead to costly penalties or shutdowns.
8. **Weak Marketing Strategies**: Without effective promotion, even great products may go unnoticed.
9. **Team Dysfunction**: Conflicts or lack of alignment among founders and employees can hinder progress.
10. **Resistance to Change**: Inability to pivot when necessary in response to market shifts.

## Lessons from Real-World Examples

Dan Moyer's journey with Crafti Comics highlights how passion and initial success don't guarantee long-term viability. Entrepreneurs must continuously assess and adjust their strategies to avoid these pitfalls. By learning from others' mistakes, you can increase your chances of building a sustainable and profitable business.

Entrepreneurs face all sorts of minefields when they launch a business. They would do well to keep these in mind.

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