#18 - Step Into the Ring - Where RBF Investing and Boxing Collide with Melissa Withers, Founder and Managing Partner of RevUp

We welcome the dynamic Melissa Withers, Founder and Managing Partner of RevUp, an early mover and innovator in the RBF market. Melissa shares her unconventional journey into professional investing, emphasizing her commitment to remaining founder-aligned throughout. She sheds light on RevUp's founder-focused and non-dilutive model, empowering founders to have more control over their destinies. In the conversation, Melissa reflects on her early foray into entrepreneurship, embodying a "if you want it, build it yourself" ethos from a young age. She talks about her desire to provide entrepreneurs with the transparency and tools they need to build the businesses they envision. 

At the end of the chat, Melissa shares a few of her favorite lessons from taking up boxing, revealing how it has aided her both inside and outside the ring.

Key Takeaways

[2:35] Melissa’s background

[3:58] What led Melissa to create RevUp.

[4:45] RevUp’s progress and journey.

[5:49] Melissa’s early background working in Cambridge during the dawn of biotech.

[9:38] Melissa’s Northstar.

[10:27] The opportunity to innovate the capital toolkit.

[11:37] Is capital innovation slow?

[20:20] How building RevUp has been similar to Melissa’s founder journey.

[24:16] An honest dialogue about what equity ownership really means.

[30:29] At RevUp, 60% of the portfolio is female-led companies and 30% are led by black or brown founders.

[39:43] How RevUp helps its portfolio companies.

[42:09] Melissa’s history in entrepreneurship.

[48:06] What taking up boxing has done for Melissa.

[52:40] The pros of Melissa’s unconventional path.

[55:24] Why RevUp would not exist if they tried to start it today.

[57:40] What’s next for Melissa and RevUp?

Resources:
RBF Network
Keith’s Twitter

Keith’s Linkedin
Speaker Series

Guest: LinkedIn | RevUp Capital | | X | (Un)Founded podcast