Meet Breen Sullivan | Founder & CEO | The Fourth Effect
We had the good fortune of connecting with Breen Sullivan and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Breen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
As an executive, I realized there was no clear path to board service for women and as a General Counsel to tech startups, I realized startups and growth stage companies often have unfilled board seats and empty advisory boards precisely because they struggle to find the right people to help them grow and scale their companies. I wanted to access advisory and other ‘under the radar’ for profit board opportunities, but there was no clear place to go to find them. I knew they would help me negotiate for a raise or a promotion, and they could break me into the board candidate pipeline. I also realized startups and growth stage companies were missing out because they had no place to go to create those seats and tap the right talent. These insights led to The Fourth Effect, the fastest growing board marketplace where women have the power to make the first move, focused on startup and growth-stage company board and board-adjacent opportunities, so women can effectively break into the board candidate pipeline, and early stage companies can reap the benefits.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I mentioned earlier how we came up with the idea behind The Fourth Effect – it was because we were trying to build something that women and founders were searching for that just didn’t exist yet. We began as an in-person, event driven community and then slowly cobbled together a couple of initial tech platforms that could deliver on the potential and scale. It took 3.5 years of slowly building our 2-sided marketplace and community, continuously testing how to deliver value before we figured out the right scalable product that could drive systemic change. We are the most proud of our perseverance – it is no easy thing to bootstrap a marketplace, especially an innovative platform revolutionizing the way forward-thinking companies, from startups to growth stages, connect with board-ready women. We have created a space where women take the lead, breaking into the board pipeline and shaping the future of leadership.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about Miami to adequately answer this question! I know that I would want real Cuban food, an amazing mojito, and an evening walking around the Wynwood art district. Of course, the beach is AMAZING and I have had some incredible deconstructed cuisine which I know you can find in the many incredible restaurants in Miami!
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are SO many! First and foremost, my incredible co-founder Katrin deHaen. None of this story would be possible without her. She has so many talents and so many incredible characteristics – I am grateful every day! Next, our very first (and most important) employee and team member, Sarah Hounshell. She deserves one hundred shout outs for working tirelessly to improve our product and all things design. Next, all other incredible employees and interns we have had these past 4 years – they have all contributed so much and we are so grateful. And then of course our entire community of 800+ startup founders and 2k executives and investors – our founding and legacy members have brought so much value to The Fourth Effect. They ARE The Fourth Effect. Our larger community of partners also deserves a shout out, but none so much as Kirkland & Ellis and UBS!
Website: https://www.thefourtheffect.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-fourth-effect/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheFourthEffect
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefourtheffect
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thefourtheffect/featured
Other: Sign up for a Platform Tour to learn more or get started for free: https://www.thefourtheffect.com/platform-tour
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