In this episode of HigherHer, hosts Krista Tan and Natalie Stones welcome Tanaz Mody, head of people and talent at Lerer Hippeau. Tanaz shares her journey into the people and talent space, her experiences in venture capital, and the importance of building culture in early-stage companies. She discusses the challenges she faced in her career, the significance of focus and prioritization in both work and personal life, and the complexities of referral-based hiring. Tanaz also highlights the unique qualities women bring to leadership roles and the importance of creating a supportive environment for women in the workforce. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest 01:16 Tanaz Modi's Journey into People and Talent 02:22 Role in Venture Capital and Portfolio Companies 04:11 Building Culture in Early Stage Companies 05:47 Foundational Experiences in Recruiting 08:11 Overcoming Challenges in Career and Personal Life 12:40 Focus and Prioritization in Work and Life 16:56 Controversies in Recruiting: Referral-Based Hiring 21:48 Qualities Women Bring to Leadership Bio: Tanaz Mody is Head of People and Talent at Lerer Hippeau, which she joined in 2022. In her role, she primarily works closely with our founders to build strong foundations on the People and Talent front but also oversees People and Talent for our firm internally. Before joining Lerer Hippeau, Tanaz was Chief People Officer at HQ/Digital Currency Group, where she was employee 3 and grew and scaled the company during the peak crypto market to close to 100 employees in 1 year. Tanaz has also scaled a handful of early-stage companies and dipped into being a co-founder. Tanaz graduated with a business degree from Boston University.