110. Why Venture Isn’t the Only Path: Sustainable Startup Life with Theanna founder Nomiki Petrolla
AND/BOTH Podcast - Real Conversations, Shared Experiences, and the Community You've Been Missing · Dr. Ashley Blackington
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Show Notes
This week on AND/BOTH, I’m joined by Nomiki Petrolla, founder of Theanna and a mother of four who is reshaping what early-stage entrepreneurship can look like for women in tech.
Nomiki has spent 15 years in the tech world, sitting beside founders, engineers, and venture-backed teams, often as the only woman in the room. That experience eventually led her to build Theanna: a platform designed to support women tech founders from idea to launch.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Why women are turning to entrepreneurship not out of ambition alone, but out of a desire for agency
- The realities of building a startup with four young kids
- How AI is completely changing what’s possible for early-stage founders
- Why venture capital isn’t the only — or even the most aligned — path for most entrepreneurs
- The difference between building your first business for money and your later ones for meaning
- How motherhood sharpens clarity, decision-making, and boundaries
- What Nomiki is noticing about the next wave of women building tech
- Sustainable entrepreneurship vs. the unicorn mythology we’ve all absorbed
It’s a conversation about choosing your own path, understanding your season, and building something that fits your actual life, not a version of life you’re supposed to pretend you have.
Connect with Nomiki:
Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn: @nomikipetrolla
Theanna: @theannaio
Connect with Ashley:
Website: https://www.ashleyblackington.com
Podcast website: https://www.andbothpodcast.com/
Dovetail® App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dovetail-app/id6744341822
Instagram: @mydovetail.app