Testimonials

Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

“I have been building startups for 10+ years, and The Fourth Effect has been one of the most impactful communities that I have been a part of. Through this group, I have attended multiple events where I've met very aligned founders, I have secured investor meetings with top tier funds, and have met with potential advisors for our business. Being a member is worth the time - no question!”

Hasti Nazem

Co-CEO, Kindra

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Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

“Fairly immediately after joining The Fourth Effect, I landed my first role as an advisory board member with Jackalo, a sustainable children’s clothing company. It’s exciting to have connected with a startup that can benefit from the exact expertise I bring in strategic communication and that aligns with my interests and values. It’s rewarding to see Jackalo take my ideas on board so quickly and to have a hand in helping it succeed.”

Kara Alaimo

Board Advisor, Communication Professor, Reputation Expert & Author

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Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

“I can’t speak highly enough about The Fourth Effect. They’ve been pivotal in my career journey, connecting me with several valuable board and advisory opportunities that ultimately led to my role as an advisor at the AI travel company, Navoy. If you're looking for a team that genuinely cares about your success, The Fourth Effect is the perfect choice.”

Jessica Greenwalt

Co-Founder and CIO, Nice Industries

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Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

“Thank you for welcoming Afshan and I to The Fourth Effect community. Yesterday's summit, as well as the intimate dinner recently, were fantastic experiences. We have made some meaningful connections that have led to investment pitches (!), coffee chats, and friendships!”

“Looking forward to attending more events.” 

Hasti Nazem

Co-CEO, Kindra

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Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

The Fourth Effect has been a game changer for me as a first-time founder. The resources and fundraising support they provide are incredible. As a solo female founder, having a community to lean on is invaluable, and I was pleasantly surprised to find fellow founders and subject matter experts eager to guide me and patiently answer all my questions, no matter how small. The cold-email VC list and the dashboard for Advisory Board job listings have been key to my success. Thanks to Fourth Effect, I recently onboarded an amazing advisor, Insia, and had conversations with leaders I never dreamed I’d have access to, significantly strengthening my network. I can't recommend Fourth Effect enough to all founders and stakeholders!”

Sanjana Raj

Founder, Fortuna

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Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

"The Fourth Effect matched us with several of our advisory board members and investors. These women are an invaluable extension of our team, and fill in the gaps of experience for our early stage company."—Michelle Z, founder of MyLibrarian / In the Stacks

Michelle Zaffino,

Founder of MyLibrarian / In the Stacks

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Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

"The Fourth Effect is providing us the opportunity to fulfill our vision of building an inclusive and powerful advisory board by helping us find really accomplished, seasoned professional women with years of relevant experience and knowledge."

Jonathan Zimmerman

Co-Founder of Atmosphere

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Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

“I first came across The Fourth Effect in the fall of 2023 and had the opportunity to speak with founders Kat and Breen. Their objectives are not just aspirational—they are tangible and actionable…Through participating in these events, I gained valuable insights into the experiences of various founders, advisors, and investors. This led to a meeting with Adero Miwo, the Co-founder and CEO of TrubAI, a company that develops AI-enabled solutions for urban planning and transportation, serving governments, consumers, and businesses. By March 2024, I was thrilled to take on the role as a founder advisor to Adero and contribute directly to TrubAI’s mission.”

Yvonne Hyland

Advisor, Investor, Operator

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Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

“Thanks to the The Fourth Effect for being a conduit of opportunities for women not only to become advisors and board members but also to have the ability to invest in women founded early-stage companies. And your well planned and orchestrated (virtual & in person) events continue to be a source for new alliances and friendships.”

Lanchi Venator

Chief Financial & Strategy Officer - Global KFC

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Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

The Fourth Effect is a remarkable community with a critical mission -- to develop the next generation of women on corporate Boards. Women in the boardroom hold the power to influence the way companies do business -- more equitably and more sustainably. Breen and Kat are doing their part to make that happen.”

Lynn Loacker

Founder & Managing Director, Project W

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Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

“What I love about The Fourth Effect is the opportunities it offers, not only to network and grow my board career but also to have meaningful conversations that will help level the playing field for women.”

Tricia Montalvo Timm

Board Director | General Counsel | Author

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Kat de Haen Kat de Haen

The Fourth Effect is an incredible community of women lifting each other up and, in the process, transforming the investment, start-up, and corporate board landscape by creating opportunities for women in these areas.”

Mary Smith

President of the American Bar Association/Corporate Board Member/CEO/Chief Legal Officer

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Sasha Yankovskaya Sasha Yankovskaya

"The Fourth Effect is such a great community of loving and supportive humans - on top of that they very well accomplished! The networks here are incredible and the support is all about giving with no expectation. The women here are incredible and to the image of the wonderful founders - very generous with their time, attention and support, truly! I’m very happy to be part of this wonderful community!"

Crystelle Desnoyer

Chief of Staff to the CEO, Techstars

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Sasha Yankovskaya Sasha Yankovskaya

"In The Fourth Effect I have found a community of like minded women in business all there to lift each other up and make strong connections to offer every woman in every industry an opportunity for growth and success. The Fourth Effect has provided me with relationships, including an advisor, mindful and powerful networking events, the courage to be bold and announce that my business exist, and most importantly, the opportunity to have a seat at the table and my voice heard. It’s take a village for all parts of life and I have found my village for my success in business."

Britney Moss

Founder, Cupcake Me!

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Sasha Yankovskaya Sasha Yankovskaya

"Thanks to The Fourth Effect's innovative platform, I gained unparalleled access to influential advisors, directors, and strategic investors. As a The Fourth Effect x UBS fellow, I had the privilege of attending exclusive in-person events where I had the chance to interact directly with industry experts and fellow ambitious founders. These invaluable face-to-face interactions facilitated genuine relationships, fostering potential collaborations, partnerships, and future growth opportunities."

Tania Kottoor

Founder and CEO, WESTxEAST

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Sasha Yankovskaya Sasha Yankovskaya

"The Fourth Effect is an incredible community of exceptional women who are there to help each other -- to provide support for start-ups, community for legal counsel, education and resources for board-position seekers, and so much more."

Karyn Polak

Founder and President, Shift the Prism

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Sasha Yankovskaya Sasha Yankovskaya

"I have been involved with startups for many years as an advisor, entrepreneur and investor. I joined The Fourth Effect as it seemed to have strong female founders and a fantastic mission to advocate for more women board seats. Because of this community I met the founder of a AI/ML/Data Science startup. I signed on as a board member very quickly and happily.”

Cathy (Schwallie) Farmer

Advisor, Investor & Board Member

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Testimonial Sasha Yankovskaya Testimonial Sasha Yankovskaya

“It is not an exaggeration to say that Kat and Breen have carefully curated the best days of my entrepreneurial life in the last three years. I am also a Professor and as a former Conference chair at a “Big Ten” university for a large organization of Black women professors. I regularly attend events of this kind. The Fourth Effect’s events are different. The programming is very carefully curated to facilitate warm introductions for underrepresented founders like myself. We need a similar event for Black women professors who found companies - I am already planning. Thanks for leading the way!”

Eleanor Brown

Founder, Diversiboard

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