Summit Partners’ Sophia Popova on Grit, Gratitude & Building her own American Dream

Sara is joined by Sophia Popova, a Partner at Summit Partners, mother of two, and proof that ambition and gratitude can coexist beautifully.

Born in Bulgaria as the Berlin Wall was falling, Sophia’s childhood unfolded in a family shaped by socialism (her father literally studied economics at the Karl Marx Institute where supply & demand were never mentioned). When they moved to Waco, Texas, she got a front-row seat to capitalism and a spark that would shape her life.

From Yale to Harvard to Morgan Stanley to a four-person startup, Sophia built a career defined by curiosity, conviction, and courage. Now a Partner investing in high-growth tech companies, she brings a lens sharpened by motherhood, resilience, and a near-death experience that taught her to replace “hard” with “grateful.”

In this conversation:

🇧🇬 From Bulgaria to Boston and from socialism to Summit Partners

💼 The “free lunch” of motherhood

🧠 What paint-by-numbers taught her about creativity & confidence

🌅 The near-death experience that helped her replace “hard” with “grateful”

💪 Why “doing hard things” might be the point

Sophia’s story is a masterclass in perspective and a reminder that fulfillment isn’t found in balance, but in how we choose to build our lives.

Also in this episode:

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