Have you ever wondered why there is so much buzz around Big Data? Should it be exalted or feared?

Retired Air Force Captain Kimberly Shenk believes data, used responsibly, is a force for good.

She earned her master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Draper Fellow, served as a senior data scientist in the Air Force at Pearl Harbor, and worked a few stints exploring how data can be segmented and inform marketing with companies like Sports Authority and Eventbrite.

How did Shenk pivot to her current role as co-founder and CEO of Novi, a database that catalogs the supply chain of chemicals and other ingredients used in everyday products?

Shenk explains that consumers are demanding more transparency, as are businesses, who want to ensure they can continue to rely on ingredients they use, as the supply chain has been tested during the pandemic. Shenk successfully raised more than $1M to fund Novi.

Listen to how this woman, with a “superpower in problem-solving” is serving both B2B and end consumers on this 100th episode of SheVentures.

• 5:36 Shenk shares how her upbringing encouraged her to bypass gender stereotypes
• 9:42 How her experiences at MIT and in the Air Force prepared her for entrepreneurship
• 20:07 What led Shenk to co-found Novi
• 31:51 How Shenk raised more than $1M in venture capital
• 38:02 Shenk talks about being a woman (and a mother) in male-dominated industries
• 40:21 How does Novi earn money?
• 41:27 Shenk offers insight on where big data is evolving, and how it can make the biggest impact