Welcome back to The Sunstone Way.
Next Wednesday, Nov. 19, is Women’s Entrepreneurship Day. I certainly don’t need an excuse to talk about the many female entrepreneurs critical to Sunstone, but this designated day prompts me to remind you.
I’ll start by pointing out that Entrepreneurship is the second of our three core values here at Sunstone. We believe in taking an entrepreneurial approach to all our endeavors – not just starting new businesses.
Walk the Walk
We were part of women leading companies before women leading companies was cool. Two of our original partners were women – Stella Zhang and Queena Zhao. Both also are top executives at American Lending Center, our partner company, as chief operating officer and chief financial officer, respectively.
Stella grew up in China, coming to the U.S. in 1997 and ultimately earned her MBA degree at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine, in 2005. That’s where she led the creation of the Stella Zhang New Venture Competition, where student entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas. (You can bet there are plenty of women entrepreneurs in that competition!)
Queena received a Masters degree in Computer Information Systems in 2004 from Boston University. She long has handled dual roles in financials and human resources, acting as a role model for other women working at Sunstone and ALC.
Hand On the Wheel
Sunstone Management is celebrating 10 years in business this year, and women have played guiding roles since the beginning. Here are a few of the amazing people driving Sunstone.
Jasmine Jiang is Senior Vice President of Investment Operations and as such is on the executive committee and the investment committee. She works closely with founders and the companies that are part of our portfolio. She said she is passionate about fostering inclusivity in the startup landscape, using her own identity as a minority in the U.S. to build bridges in global markets – and mentoring women in the same ecosystem.
Heather Lewis joined Sunstone to become our first in-house Chief Compliance Officer, making sure we dot all our “I”s and cross all our “T”s when it comes to state and federal securities regulations. She also is a member of the executive committee. She has a finance degree from DePaul University, and is a member of the National Society of Compliance Professionals, where she acts as a mentor to newcomers, especially women.
Jessica Dela Rosa also is a member of the executive committee as Sunstone’s Administrative & Finance Officer. She’s the secretary for the board of trustees, and the assistant to the CEO as well. Yes, Jessica’s the one who really runs Sunstone!
Last but not least is Jennifer Huang, our Marketing & Communications Manager. Jennifer worked at ALC for more than eight years before coming to Sunstone to help us promote our image and goals. She’s an expert in digital marketing and a past master at event preparation. And you should see her with a microphone in her hand!
World Movement
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day became a thing in 2013, when the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization was formed. Founder Wendy Diamond, an entrepreneur herself, said,” WEDO’s mission is to create opportunities, break down barriers, and uplift women in the entrepreneurial sphere, by driving positive social change and fostering greater gender equality worldwide.”
In just more than a decade, the organization has set up activities in 144 countries around the world. That includes financial training, mentoring and more.
Just in the United States, there are now about 14.5 million women-owned businesses representing 39.2% of all enterprises, according to WEDO. That represents 12.9 million jobs!
Our Own Backyard
Last week, an organization we are close to put on a major event at the Long Beach Convention Center. Wonder Women Tech (WWT) celebrated the 10th anniversary of Wonder Tech Fest, a two-day event celebrating community, innovation and inclusion.
(FYI, another Core Value at Sunstone is community! And we create that through innovation and inclusion.)
Earlier this year, we cosponsored an event with Lisa Mae Brunson, WWT founder, and the Obama Foundation to talk about just how important it is to have women at every entrepreneurial table. And Lisa Mae joined Tracy Colunga earlier this fall at one of our P3 Strategy Series events to discuss how founders could get connected to the entrepreneurial community.
Because, after all, that is the Sunstone Way!
Remember, always be a Sunstone.
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
Sunstone Management, Inc.
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©Sunstone Management, Inc. 2025