Debbie Sterling

Everything Debbie Sterling said on any show that made the record, most notable first. Each card names its show and opens the statement there.

20VC Opinion

Sterling calls Bratz "prostitute dolls" while noting their shift to STEM

“We have companies like the creators of Brat, who are the epitome of prostitute dolls for girls, coming out with a line of STEM dolls.”

Debbie Sterling Dec 1, 2017 ▶ 14:14 20VC: Overcoming The Engineer Boys Club, Disrupting The "Pink Aisle" & Why VCs Are Missing A Trick Not Investing In The CPG Space with Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO @ Goldieblox

20VC What-if

Lack of early construction toy exposure reduces women in engineering

“Most girls don't play with those toys, because those toys were very explicitly boys' toys, and that maybe if more girls had exposure to toys like those, maybe there would have been more girls in our engineering classes”

Debbie Sterling Dec 1, 2017 ▶ 5:33 20VC: Overcoming The Engineer Boys Club, Disrupting The "Pink Aisle" & Why VCs Are Missing A Trick Not Investing In The CPG Space with Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO @ Goldieblox

20VC Opinion

VCs miss out by avoiding children's products and inventory risk

“So many VCs, they don't want to touch the children's space with a ten-foot pole. They don't want to take on any inventory risk, and I think it's a shame because I see so many really, really exciting young entrepreneurs and innovators who are tackling really, r…”

Debbie Sterling Dec 1, 2017 ▶ 18:34 20VC: Overcoming The Engineer Boys Club, Disrupting The "Pink Aisle" & Why VCs Are Missing A Trick Not Investing In The CPG Space with Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO @ Goldieblox

20VC Insight

Expecting digital-style annual growth doubling is unhealthy for hardware startups

“It's a different model than trying to see scalable digital growth doubling year after year. I don't think that that's a healthy business model for a hardware company, especially a startup hardware company.”

Debbie Sterling Dec 1, 2017 ▶ 21:12 20VC: Overcoming The Engineer Boys Club, Disrupting The "Pink Aisle" & Why VCs Are Missing A Trick Not Investing In The CPG Space with Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO @ Goldieblox

20VC Opinion

Sterling disagrees that husband-and-wife co-founder teams are a red flag

“I always hear that husband and wife teams should have a red flag, and I completely disagree.”

Debbie Sterling Dec 1, 2017 ▶ 23:44 20VC: Overcoming The Engineer Boys Club, Disrupting The "Pink Aisle" & Why VCs Are Missing A Trick Not Investing In The CPG Space with Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO @ Goldieblox

20VC Assertion Partly supported

Girls begin losing confidence in math and science by age six

“Age six is a really critical time, even before middle school, when girls are losing confidence in their ability in math and science.”

Debbie Sterling Dec 1, 2017 ▶ 10:26 20VC: Overcoming The Engineer Boys Club, Disrupting The "Pink Aisle" & Why VCs Are Missing A Trick Not Investing In The CPG Space with Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO @ Goldieblox

20VC Assertion Supported

Target eliminated gender labeling in its retail toy aisles

“Target has taken down its gender labeling and its toy aisles.”

Debbie Sterling Dec 1, 2017 ▶ 14:10 20VC: Overcoming The Engineer Boys Club, Disrupting The "Pink Aisle" & Why VCs Are Missing A Trick Not Investing In The CPG Space with Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO @ Goldieblox

20VC Opinion

GoldieBlox proved to legacy toy manufacturers that empowering toys are profitable

“I think GoldieBlox has played a huge role in not only pressuring those companies to do the right thing, but I think more importantly, showing that they could make a lot of money doing it too.”

Debbie Sterling Dec 1, 2017 ▶ 14:28 20VC: Overcoming The Engineer Boys Club, Disrupting The "Pink Aisle" & Why VCs Are Missing A Trick Not Investing In The CPG Space with Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO @ Goldieblox

20VC Prediction Not checkable as stated

GoldieBlox aims to reach the scale of Barbie and Disney Princess

“Ultimately, what I really want to build is a global franchise of the size and scale and influence of Barbie, Disney Princess, Dora the Explorer.”

Debbie Sterling Dec 1, 2017 ▶ 27:04 20VC: Overcoming The Engineer Boys Club, Disrupting The "Pink Aisle" & Why VCs Are Missing A Trick Not Investing In The CPG Space with Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO @ Goldieblox

20VC Assertion Not checkable as stated

Stanford Engineering maintained an aggressive weed-out culture

“At Stanford, the engineering program was a weed-out program in a pretty aggressive culture, where they made a point to tell all of the students that, you know, they're really trying to weed out the weak and have only the strong survive”

Debbie Sterling Dec 1, 2017 ▶ 6:31 20VC: Overcoming The Engineer Boys Club, Disrupting The "Pink Aisle" & Why VCs Are Missing A Trick Not Investing In The CPG Space with Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO @ Goldieblox

20VC Assertion Not checkable as stated

GoldieBlox scrapped its professional launch video to reshoot in Sterling's apartment

“We actually ended up scrapping that entire video moments before we were supposed to launch and reshooting it on my living room floor in my apartment so that I could be comfortable.”

Debbie Sterling Dec 1, 2017 ▶ 16:12 20VC: Overcoming The Engineer Boys Club, Disrupting The "Pink Aisle" & Why VCs Are Missing A Trick Not Investing In The CPG Space with Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO @ Goldieblox

The other half of the tape: Debbie Sterling's own voice is left out of every number here. Other people bring the name up 2 times in 2 episodes across the shows. every mention, with the transcript →

Who brings them up most Harry Stebbings 1Harley Finkelstein 1

Every mention by year

One line per show, most statements first. The link opens Debbie's full record on that show: the calibration, argument clarity, speaking style and every statement made there.

Show	Role there	Eps	Statements	Record
20VCLEDGER	Founder & CEO, GoldieBlox	1	11	50% 1/2	full record on 20VC →