Gwen Edwards

Managing Director

Golden Seeds

Artificial Intelligence

Consulting & B2B services

Diversity & Inclusion

About Me

Gwen C. Edwards is co-founder of the Silicon Valley chapter of Golden Seeds, the female leader focused angel network, where she focuses most of her angel investing. She also serves as Board Chair of the Angel Resource Institute, through which she delivers educational programs , including sessions of governance and leads research in early stage investing activities in the United States. She is an advisor to the Astia Angel community and to K2X and served for many years on the Board of the National Health Foundation. Gwen currently serves on several early stage boards, and on the board of Lark, a mature company delivering solutions for cardiometabolic disease management , Type 2 diabetes prevention and GLP1 drug titration, using a blend of AI behavior management with human augmentation. Her career has a constant theme of new products and services creation, first at Stanford Research Institute, then in corporate structures, with sales and revenue growth assignments, then full profit an

Hear My Insights

Governance for Growth: The Key to Sustainable Startup Success?

Privately funded ventures, particularly early-stage startups and family businesses, often neglect to focus on building robust corporate governance.  And even VC-funded scaleups often look to their Board of Directors for little more than auditing financials and ensuring compliance with legal obligations. Today’s troubled economic climate, diminished trust in institutions, and concerns about data privacy demand that these companies view governance as an engine of sustainable growth. In an era marked by funding volatility and heightened expectations for accountability, neglecting investor relationship management and transparency can severely hinder a startup's long-term viability. This session delves into how effective governance frameworks are no longer a "nice-to-have" but a critical necessity for attracting investment, navigating potential downturns, and fostering the trust of customers and talent. Our panel of three experts will explore practical strategies for building governance structures that help companies survive and thrive.