Lauren Simmons, the youngest female trader in the New York Stock Exchange’s 225-year history, has signed on to host the upcoming interactive streaming series “Going Public.”
“Going Public” will follow a diverse cast of entrepreneurs as they strive to win over investors, make deals and hit the ultimate goal for a startup: listing on the Nasdaq. In a streaming-show first, viewers will be able to support any of the featured companies by investing real money in their Regulation A+ IPOs through an associated online platform.
Only the second African American female trader in NYSE history, as well as the youngest, Simmons will be the face of a show that aims to shatter perceptions about who can be a successful entrepreneur and what regular Americans can invest in. Currently, Black or Latino people run less than 3% of venture-capital-backed businesses and women run only 9%.
“The moment I heard about this project, I knew I had to be a part of it,” said Simmons. “America’s entrepreneurs are so much more than just the Silicon Valley tech guys who get most of the attention – and most of the investment. I can’t wait to share the untold stories of exciting and ambitious founders from across the country who, like me, are paving the way doing something completely out of the box.”
Simmons, who was named to Harper’s Bazaar’s Women Who Lead 2019 list and Politico’s Women of Impact, left Wall Street two years ago. She is now an author and speaker on personal finance for women, young people and minorities.
During the 10-part “Going Public” series, she will use her stock-trader expertise to decode the high-stakes process of an investment roadshow. Viewers will weigh whether they want to invest in the companies on screen through a Regulation A+ offering.
“We are honored and excited that Lauren has chosen to join us and help make business history. She has been shattering glass ceilings and defying expectations her entire career,” said Todd Goldberg, co-CEO of fintech firm Crush Capital, which created the series. “‘Going Public’ was conceived to give retail investors a direct route into the IPO action and provide a funding platform for exciting new entrepreneurs. There is no better person to be the voice of that mission than Lauren.”
“Going Public” will be produced by Emmy-nominated production studio INE Entertainment, founded by Eric Day and Mark Koops, whose credits include “MasterChef,” “The Biggest Loser” and “Be Our Chef.” ROTH Capital Partners, an investment banking firm, will conduct due diligence, price and underwrite the deals.
Season 1 will debut in 2021 to Entrepreneur.com‘s digital audience of 14 million. It will also be available on smart TVs and app-enabled devices through Facebook Watch, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku.
