Lisa Burton O’Toole, SM ’09, PhD ’13, was born on a cattle farm outside of Fort Worth, Texas, the daughter of a horseshoer and an administrative assistant. Raised by a single mom who had three jobs and urged her two daughters to reach for the stars, she grew up determined to work hard to land a great job.
A data scientist and small-business founder who is now a vice president at HearstLab, she evaluates and invests in startups led by women in media, data, technology, and finance. She and her team support companies across the country, aiming to close the gap in venture capital funding for women by helping founders build healthy, sustainable, and highly scalable businesses. The organization provides women who lead startups with access to 130 female leaders at Hearst businesses who are willing to share their networks and know-how.
“Starting a business is a privilege,” says Burton O’Toole, who worked at various startups before launching and later selling AdMass, her own marketing technology company. The company gave her access to the HearstLab program in 2016, but she soon discovered that she preferred the investment aspect and became a vice president at HearstLab a year later. “To empower some of the smartest women to do what they love is great,” she says. But in addition to rooting for women, Burton O’Toole loves the work because it’s a great market opportunity.
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