At our recent Next Generation Summit in New York, BBH Partner Kathryn George hosted a panel of young entrepreneurs to talk about how and why they chose that path, what qualities they look for in a good leader, and advice they would pass on to someone who hopes to be in their shoes someday. Here’s what they had to say.
On entrepreneurship
Interest from a young age and intellectual stimulation were among the key reasons Grossinger and Sarkar chose the entrepreneurial path.
On top qualities of a founder
Both emphasize passion as an essential trait of successful founders.
On advice to the next generation
Always be willing to learn and be deliberate on focusing your efforts towards building your career, Grossinger and Sarkar shared in their panel discussion.
Paul Grossinger is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. In 2015, Grossinger and David Beatty founded Gaingels as an angel investor group for the LGBTQ+ community. After investing about $4 million from 2015 to 2017, they changed Gaingels into a venture firm in January 2018. Since, Gaingels has invested more than $1 billion of AUM in over 2,500 companies, including 75-plus unicorns to date. Previously, Grossinger was the founder of L&M Media and Pervasive Group.
Gayatri Sarkar is the founder and CEO of Advaita Capital, one of the few U.S. growth venture capital funds owned by a woman of color. She invests in generative AI, deep tech, and decarbonization efforts. Sarkar was named a global leader under 40 for championing more than $100 billion in combined capital in gender advocacy. She was featured on the BBH Center for Women & Wealth’s annual list of Women to Watch in 2025.
About the BBH Next Generation Experience
Our personalized Next Generation Experience provides examples, tools, and resources to the current and next generation of your family to support informed decision-making and facilitate communication about a range of topics, such as wealth, values, life events, and business succession. We work side by side with parents and their children, from assisting with early childhood education to advising clients well into their 30s, to provide a helping hand and guidance on any issue they may be facing. If you are interested in learning more, please email NextGen@bbh.com.
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