How founders beat loneliness | Marina Davidova | TEDxWoodLaneWomen скачать в хорошем качестве

How founders beat loneliness | Marina Davidova | TEDxWoodLaneWomen

In this deeply moving TEDx talk, Marina Davidova confronts the silent epidemic hiding behind startup culture — loneliness. With 16 years in venture capital and experience backing over 150 companies, Marina reveals what most founders won't say out loud: 76% feel lonely, and the rest are too busy pretending they're not. Behind the pitch decks and polished confidence lies a world of masks — performed for investors, customers, and teams — where real human connection quietly disappears. Through her own raw story of betrayal, immigration, and rebuilding during COVID, Marina shares how losing trust in partnerships, friendships, and herself led her to a powerful realisation: control is an illusion, but we do have agency over the inputs that shape our lives. She introduces her Triple B framework , a personal operating system for resilience: 1. Body – Scheduled recovery, movement, and letting the body carry pain away. 2. Brain – Feeding the mind through learning, curiosity, and growth. 3. Belonging – Gathering with people you don't have to perform for But Marina doesn't stop at the personal. She shows how these principles can be engineered into communities, designing for psychological safety, trust, and repeated cooperation. Her own venture capital firm, built as a tribe of 400 people, is living proof: 94% of members say helping others is valued, and 75% feel safe to ask for help without judgement. Her message is clear: the most valuable thing you can build isn't a unicorn company, it's a community where no one has to walk alone. If you've ever worn the mask, carried the weight, or pretended everything was fine, this talk will light something in you. Marina Davidova is co-founder and Managing Partner of DVC, a community-powered fund backed by over 160 founders and engineers from leading AI companies like OpenAI, Google, Meta, Tesla, and Microsoft. DVC leverages collective expertise and in-house AI workflows to source deals and support its portfolio, including the AI-search deacon Perplexity AI, a breakthrough AI chipmaker Etched, and Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab. Marina’s hands-on leadership oversees DVC’s strategy, investment process, and community. She is also the COO of Humanism.ai, and is recognized for her innovative community-powered investing approach and dedication to empowering entrepreneurs. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx