Jennifer Chen

Our Positive Woman is Jennifer Chen, who holds a degree in Business Administration from Florida, USA, and is the CEO of JC Capital, a specialist acting as a business intermediary and connecting companies and investors. Jennifer talks about how she started her career, as well as her achievements and challenges as one of the few women working in fundraising for companies. "Due to life circumstances, I closed my store and had to reinvent myself. That's when I started working in the high-end real estate market and became a partner at the D'Felix Real Estate Intelligence office. It was then that I got to know a company that did what I do today at my JC Capital: connect investment funds and financial institutions with companies seeking resources for expansion. When I started working at this company, I discovered a market I didn't know and ended up falling in love with the field," she says.

1. How did your career begin? I started my career very early. From the age of 13 to 22, I worked as a model for the renowned agency FORD MODELS, participating in major fashion editorial campaigns and runway shows. After that, I moved to the United States and graduated in Business Administration with a focus on fashion management from Lynn University, Florida. After 8 years, I returned to Brazil and was invited to open my store in Shopping Cidade Jardim in São Paulo with my own brand. Due to life circumstances, I closed my store and had to reinvent myself. That’s when I started working in the high-end real estate market and became a partner at the D'Felix Real Estate Intelligence office. It was then that I got to know a company that did what I do today at my JC Capital: connect investment funds and financial institutions with companies seeking resources for expansion. When I started working at this company, I discovered a market I didn't know and ended up falling in love with the field, as it allowed me to help various companies expand through fundraising. When I decided to open my own company, I started operations from the beginning to the end. Then, I started looking for funds and financial institutions, practicing mediation between companies and investors.

2. How is JC Capital's business model structured? JC Capital's business model is to connect companies from various sectors, such as hospitality, hospitals, clinics, technology, startups, and the real estate market, with investors. For example, we have companies in the real estate sector, which are developers and builders that already have the land and only need to build, but they lack capital, and our role is to raise investment funds for this project to be executed. This also happens with startups looking for investors. We are hired by companies to provide advisory services to identify a fund that has a profile to invest in that sector.

3. What was the most challenging moment of your career? There have been several difficult moments in my career, especially when the famous bypass happens, meaning when I present a company to a certain investor, and they end up trying to cut me out of the deal, negotiating directly without my mediation, which means I don't get paid for my service.

4. How do you balance your personal life with your corporate/entrepreneurial life? It's not easy because it requires a lot of organization and an extremely disciplined routine to balance children, home, and work. Fortunately, I have a support group that helps me with some tasks. Another important aspect is setting specific times for everything. For example, I wake up every day at 5 a.m., go to the gym, then take my daughter to school at 7:30 a.m., and from there, I start working and only finish when my daughter returns from school. This schedule helps me balance my personal life with being an entrepreneurial woman.

5. What is your biggest dream? My biggest dream is to continue working in this field, to be increasingly recognized, and to have a positive standing in the market, serving as an inspiration for other women who may want to start their careers in this sector, which unfortunately is still predominantly male.

6. What is your greatest achievement? Without a doubt, my greatest achievement is JC Capital, as it is a company I built from scratch, and today I am closing major contracts with various companies and investors from different sectors. Additionally, I have the opportunity to speak at events, addressing various topics such as technology and investment. One of the most gratifying opportunities was being invited by an investor to GITEX, one of the largest technology fairs in the world, held in Dubai.

7. Book, movie, and woman you admire. I love reading and do it daily, so one of my favorite books is the last one I read, "Essentialism" by Greg McKeown. The movie that inspired me was "Self Made," which tells the story of Madam C. J. Walker, an entrepreneur who became the first black woman millionaire in the United States. The woman I admire is Oprah Winfrey, because she reinvented herself throughout her career, becoming a highly successful businesswoman and continuing to influence many people today.