Announcing New gener8tor Partner - Chelsea Linder

This month two years ago, the world looked much different than it does now, and so did gener8tor. We were a team of about 50 in 18 cities across the US, running about 40 accelerator programs annually. Today, our team of 115 across 34 cities runs more than 100 accelerator programs annually.

We learned not only what it takes logistically and structurally to take a team from 12 to 115 employees, but also how to lead that team through an unprecedented global pandemic. We learned about the responsibility we have as an organization to educate ourselves on and take a stance against racism and injustice in our country and communities. We learned how to invest in our company culture and employee wellness, engagement and professional development. Learning these lessons was sometimes hard; we didn’t always learn the easy way, but we also learned that our team is passionate, forgiving, mission-driven, truly loves working here, and is made up of a ton of total badasses. We recognized 18 internal promotions in the last month during our biannual performance reviews, and I wish I could write a post on each and every one of them.

But today I want to recognize one promotion in particular because this person helped guide us through many of those important learnings over the last two years and has been critical in gener8tor’s success since the day she started. I’m excited to announce that we welcomed Chelsea Linder as gener8tor’s newest Partner.

Chelsea joined gener8tor in January 2018 as the gBETA Director in Indianapolis, our seventh gBETA market. She came on as employee number 12 at the time, and it quickly became apparent that she would be a fast-rising star at gener8tor. Chelsea quickly embedded herself in the Indiana startup ecosystem and built a support network for her programs. She was a true champion, coach and cheerleader for the startups she supported. Her programs were so successful that our Partner, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, supported gBETA’s statewide expansion. Our Indiana gBETA metrics are some of the strongest we’ve seen, including nearly $80M raised and 400 jobs created by program alumni.

After running that program for a year and a half, Chelsea was promoted to help lead the team of gBETA Directors across the country. She handed over the Indiana keys to the team she built there and focused on helping other directors recognize the same success in their respective markets. Chelsea was instrumental in managing several direct reports across the gBETA team and setting the gBETA product line up for scale. With Chelsea’s leadership, we ultimately grew that program to 23 markets before she was then promoted again.

Chelsea stepped into the role of VP of Operations in January 2021. We had grown to 55 employees at the time and needed strong operational support to keep up with the organization’s growing demands. Chelsea built a team of 17 individuals across legal, marketing, design, software development, people operations, accounting and events to support gener8tor’s various product lines. Over the last year, gener8tor has come to rely on the operations team “glue” that now holds us together. Chelsea is taking our employee engagement to the next level by providing structure around feedback surveys, performance reviews, professional development conversations and more.

In each role that Chelsea has tackled since joining gener8tor, she has set a new standard and executed well beyond expectations. It’s difficult to imagine the organization without her. We have come to not only appreciate but rely on her unyielding work ethic, ability to draw in valuable stakeholders, strategic mindset and commitment to gener8tor’s mission. We are excited to see what she helps the organization achieve in her new role as Partner. On behalf of the other Partners and team members at gener8tor, I’d like to thank Chelsea for all her hard work and congratulate her on this next chapter!

With Love,

Abby & the gener8tor Team

Q&A with Chelsea Linder - Adding her voice for gener8tor’s future

What attracted to you gener8tor?

I’ve always been a mission-driven person. My original intention when I graduated from college was to go into nonprofit management or international policy. However, as soon as I met Abby and learned more about gener8tor, I knew I had found an organization that would allow me to positively impact my community. I also immediately loved gener8tor’s workplace culture, which gives room for its employees to thrive in a flexible and human-centered environment. 

What excites you the most about gener8tor's future?

At gener8tor, you never know what’s going to happen next. We’re always creating ways to help people upscale their lives like our Skills Accelerator programs. Didn’t imagine that when I first started working here. That’s what makes gener8tor exciting! Our future evolves because of the programs we design to impact those around us.

You've risen quickly not only at gener8tor, but within the Indiana startup ecosystem as a whole. What do you attribute to your success?

Mentorship. This has played a huge role in my career development. There are three buckets of mentors I speak with regularly. The first bucket contains career mentors: These people have been with me since early in my career and have guided me when making key decisions like choosing the next business role. They help me identify my skills and weaknesses using both to my advantage. The second bucket contains my Indiana ecosystem mentors: They’ve helped me expand my network and strategize how I should impact my communities here. The last bucket contains my gener8tor partners: Abby, Maggie, Joe and Troy unselfishly lend their advice and support. With every role originated at gener8tor, I knew my partners had my back along the way giving me the confidence to make the hard decisions and influence the organization’s growth.

gener8tor operates in the venture capital industry, which is traditionally male-dominated. However, your promotion means there are now three female and two male partners at gener8tor. More than half of the employees at gener8tor identify as female. Tell us more about that dynamic.

This organization is filled with strong, intelligent, hard-working women, and I love it! I think this helps keep the organization human centered while also allowing us to get a ton of work done. We’ve built an internal community of women who support each other, and we use that framework to support other women in the industry. We’re helping to push the industry toward equity in a way that is authentic to our team rather than through superficial initiatives. Of all the work we do, I’m proudest that our accelerator programs have served 337 startups with women founders — some of whom are our most successful alumni.

You're about to have your second baby! What is it like to be a working mom in this role? What challenges have you faced? What have you learned?

Being a working mom in any circumstance is super hard and during the pandemic has been what I can only describe as insane. I’m grateful to the community of parents at gener8tor, because we’ve really given each other the air cover needed during this time. A good example of this support was during the company’s first all-staff retreat in Indianapolis. My daughter at the time was 5 months old and had gotten sick. So, I brought her with me. The whole team helped me take care of her. I felt so supported and barely had time to get stressed or feel bad that I was interrupting our day. 

Balancing work and family is the biggest challenge, especially since I absolutely love my job. Luckily, my husband is the true definition of an equal partner in parenting and also my biggest cheerleader when it comes to my career. I don’t think I’d be able to find that balance without his support. Every day he reminds me that my drive, determination and the impact we create at gener8tor make me a better role model for our daughter. This is what keeps me going even on the most difficult days.

You’ve held a lot of different roles at gener8tor. What’s your proudest accomplishment? 

I describe myself as a “backstage person,” because I love doing the behind-the-scenes work that helps others thrive. So, I’m most proud of the small part I play in the success of others both within the organization and those who participate in our programs. The alumni I worked with when I ran gBETA Indiana have become some of my closest friends. I will probably be their biggest cheerleader for the rest of their lives. I’m also excited by the team members I recruited to join gener8tor who have found success here. Mentorship has afforded me the ability to map my success, so it’s a huge honor to be given the opportunity to impact others in the same way.