One Woman's Unlikely Path to a $100 Million Company Instead of taking more VC money, 1-Page became the first Silicon Valley company to get listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

By Jennifer Reingold

This story originally appeared on Fortune Magazine

Marco Antonelli | Fortune
Joanna Weidenmiller

Joanna Weidenmiller had severe dyslexia and no athletic ability as a child ("If you threw a ball at me I could never catch it," she laughs). So much for expectations: She became a nationally ranked rower with a 4.0 GPA at the University of Virginia. And now, at the age of 32, she heads up a San Francisco-based recruiting technology company, 1-Page, that last month went public—not on the NASDAQ, but instead on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). It was the first Silicon Valley company to list on the nascent exchange.

Weidenmiller made the move, she says, instead of taking more VC money. The Australian Stock Exchange has easier listing requirements than the NASDAQ. And although the method was unorthodox (the company used a reverse merger with a defunct mining company called InterMet Resources, which allowed it to take over its ticker symbol), the end result is that the company has a market cap of over $100 million.

What's more, the founders–Weidenmiller and her father, who wrote the 1-Page recruiting concept that the company is built on—avoided further dilution from venture capitalists. "You have to take so much funding from VCs," she says, and then if you go public, many of the VCs have to exit the day their restriction period is up. "So instead, I have investors."

A conversation with Weidenmiller makes it clear that she's not one to follow the traditional path—not only from a corporate perspective, but also when it comes to women's issues, which are close to her heart. An outspoken supporter of women in the technology space, she isn't afraid to say that quotas and regulations may be what's necessary to get women to equal levels within the sector, much as Title IX allowed her to receive a full scholarship to college. "Why not say 10% of a fund has to go to women-led companies? You'd start seeing huge competition," she says.

The fact that the VC industry is so male – 89% of partners – doesn't help, Wiedenmiller says, noting a Stanford study saying that in 2013 women entrepreneurs received only 4.2% of VC funding. "I heard 99 nos," she says – which, of course, is typical for many a founder—before she gained investors such as Blumberg Capital and TMT Investments (she bought them out after the IPO).

And yet, she says, women-owned businesses are a better bet, citing research from Indiegogo that women are 61% more likely than men to achieve their financial goals on the site. Put another, typically Weidenmillerian way: "Women are incredible, and men are scared shitless," she says. "It's so true. I won the biological lottery. I would be freaked out if I were a man."

Jennifer Reingold

Senior Editor

Jennifer Reingold is a senior editor for Fortune Magazine.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

AI Is Going to 'Replace Everybody' in Several Fields, According to the 'Godfather of AI.' Here's Who He Says Should Be 'Terrified.'

Geoffrey Hinton, called the "Godfather of AI" due to his pioneering work on AI, says some fields face a heavier risk of replacement due to automation.

Science & Technology

Turn Your Professional Expertise into a Book—You Don't Even Have to Write It Yourself

All you need is Youbooks AI to generate publish-ready non-fiction manuscripts of your ideas.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Growing a Business

'You Need Support:' Honest Advice for a Founder Trying to Do It All Alone

Dr. Drew Pinsky and serial investor Kim Perell explain why building a business isn't just about funding—it's about having the right 'people pillars.'

Business News

Meet Alexandr Wang, the 28-Year-Old Who Went from MIT Dropout to Billionaire Meta Hire: 'I Wanted to Make a Difference'

One of the terms of Meta's $14.3 billion investment in Wang's company, Scale AI, was that he joins Meta in a leadership role.

Growing a Business

Free Webinar | July 17: How to Build a Sales Machine That Fuels Growth

Join us for an actionable workshop on July 17th to learn how to build a revenue-boosting sales pipeline, straight from one of the most dynamic sales experts in the game.