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3 0 C T I N N O V A T O R S , 2 0 2 5 One of those topics was assembly language, a relatively simple computer coding tool. She picked up a book on it, taught herself to code and, at around 14, convinced her parents to let her build a computer. "For as long as I could remember, I was just that nerdy curious kid," Rocha said. "It was easy for me to get into tech." Her first job, however, was at a call center selling books in the early 1990s. A self-described introvert, she acknowledges she was not good at it. But she hung onto the job because of her ability to troubleshoot and repair the call center's computer hardware and soware. "I knew how to swap out motherboards, and all of that," said Ro- cha, who gleaned tips from books but also from hanging out at Radio Shack and listening to the engineers who congregated there. Aer realizing she had no future in book sales, Rocha turned back toward technology. "I didn't know one Black person or even a woman in tech, but it just seemed appealing to me anyway," Rocha said. "And I don't even know that I called it tech. I was just curious about how computers work." Having grown up in a family that emphasized giving back, she also felt computers could help make the world a better place. "I was like, 'Oh, if I am part of this, one day, we're going to change the world by automating stuff so everybody can eat,'" she said. Her first tech job was more practical. She worked for a small so- ware company that built backend systems and trading platforms for banks — and met her now ex-husband there. Aer their first child was born, Rocha stayed home and looked for more flexible work. "I didn't want to go back into tech," she said. "So, I thought the next best thing was something that dealt with numbers and data and community, and real estate made sense." Her career move came during the boom years for home sales before the Great Recession of 2008-2009. But, Rocha said, she could not always close the deal. She recognized when transactions made no financial sense for buyers and would end up talking them out of it. "People were finding all sorts of ways to get approved," she said. "And I was not that kind of Realtor." She and her family were living in northern New Jersey at the time, but they had begun vacationing in Cape Cod aer a storm canceled a trip to the Caribbean, their usual destination. But one year, the drive from Jersey City to the Cape took nine hours. e Rochas began to reimagine where else they might live in order to be closer to places they liked to travel, and their daughter suggest- ed Connecticut. A family friend showed them around Stamford, and their daughter was sold, Rocha said. e move allowed Rocha to escape the real estate business. But she struggled with the change of scenery and even drove back to North Jersey on occasion for groceries and other shopping. But as her two children grew more independent, she started taking on volunteer work for local nonprofits, helping them build websites and databases and other tech tools. "is was a moment when they weren't leveraging tech at all," said Rocha, who recalls a neighbor struggling with stacks of papers aer starting a nonprofit. "at was just mind-boggling to me." Rocha eventually started a company that consulted for both nonprofits and small businesses. She also teamed up with a friend to start an online jewelry business called Casanova Atelier. Her friend designed and made the jewelry, which incorporated sustainable materials. Rocha focused on social media, business development and establishing an ecommerce presence. Health problems eventually sidelined her partner. And while Ro- cha harbored dreams of becoming an artist herself, she realized she would be better at helping more people like her friend — people with good ideas who needed assistance getting them to market. "at's essentially what kept leading to all the little things that I did before Realist Lab," Rocha said. Creating a sustainable nonprofit As Rocha worked with more would-be entrepreneurs, she found they oen shared a critical need: guidance through the world of rais- ing capital. But she also met a lot of investors making what she believed were bad investments. She repeatedly talked one friend out of those bad bets, and the friend eventually suggested Rocha start her own venture capital fund. Rocha had trepidations. "I honestly didn't think anyone was going to give me money to do that," she said. She was aware that very few Black women were active in venture capital. But she chalked it up to money rather than gender or race. "It's expensive to raise a fund," she said. e reality turned out to be different. Nonetheless, she convinced enough individuals to raise $8 million and started investing in companies ranging from supplement maker AG1 to canned beverage company Liquid Death. Another is Career Karma, an online platform that matches people with career training programs. In September, the company sold a portion of its business to Climb Credit, a student payment platform focused on career training. Based on the success of her first fund, Rocha is contemplating cre- ation of a second. But she also is deeply engaged in her current work of advising and mentoring entrepreneurs. Before starting Realist Lab, for example, Rocha co-founded HAY- VN Hatch, a pitch contest and program for coaching women entrepre- neurs on making stronger cases to potential investors. "It's hard out there, and women don't get much of the funding," said Felicia Rubinstein, the program's co-founder, who also leads HAYVN co-working spaces in Darien and Greenwich. "So, we wanted it to be more than just a night of pitching, but a supportive community all around." Rocha recruited both judges and participants for the program, Rubinstein said. "She's very connected and kind and thinks about things, and if she sees some potential, she'll help grow it to the next level," Rubinstein said. Economic tool e next level for Realist Lab? Rocha sees several paths ahead. One is for the nonprofit to run incubator and accelerator programs for corporations, a service that could generate revenue in addition to grants. Companies oen want to start their own programs. But they may lack the infrastructure or connections to investors, Rocha said. "Some companies have reached out to us wanting to get involved in this space," she said. Realist Lab also expects to generate revenue from the small equity stakes it takes in the companies it assists, Rocha said. "I wanted that model because I wanted to create a nonprofit that had some sustainability, that wouldn't rely on grants in perpetuity," she said. And she still occasionally mulls the potential of life-changing mon- ey. Rocha said she and a friend once joked about retrofitting a Sprinter van to travel through the U.S. creating opportunities and connections for diverse entrepreneurs who are oen overlooked and underfunded. "I really truly think that it's an underservice to America that we are not investing in more R&D and entrepreneurship as an economic tool," she said. "I really truly think that it's an underservice to America that we are not investing in more R&D and entrepreneurship as an economic tool." — Marie Rocha Continued from previous page I