# Carolyn Rodz

> Carolyn Rodz is the co-founder and CEO of Hello Alice, a platform connecting small business owners with capital opportunities, networks and business guidance. A former JPMorgan investment banker, she closed a luxury retail venture, built and sold the digital media business Cake, and founded the virtual accelerator Circular Board before launching Alice with Elizabeth Gore in 2017. Her work focuses on making entrepreneurial resources available beyond established startup networks.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Hello Alice
- **Organizations:** Hello Alice, Circular Board, Cake, JPMorgan, Center for American Entrepreneurship
- **Nationality:** Bolivian-American
- **Education:** B.B.A. in Finance, Texas A&M University
- **Known for:** Built and sold Cake, a digital media and marketing business., Founded Circular Board, a virtual accelerator for women entrepreneurs., Co-founded Hello Alice with Elizabeth Gore.

## Career timeline

- **2001-2005** — Worked in investment banking at JPMorgan.
- **2005** — Left banking for entrepreneurship; her first luxury home and gift business subsequently closed after two years.
- **2009-2015** — Founded and ran Cake, a digital media business, before selling it.
- **2015** — Met Elizabeth Gore at an entrepreneurs’ event in Utah.
- **2016** — Circular Board and Gore convened the first Circular Summit in Houston in April.
- **2017** — Alice debuted at Dell EMC World on May 9; Rodz also testified before the House Small Business Committee.
- **2019** — Selected to co-chair Houston’s Women and Minority Small Business Task Force.
- **2021** — Hello Alice raised a $21 million Series B.
- **2024** — Hello Alice announced a Series C at a $130 million company valuation; its grant programs passed $50 million since 2020.

## Achievements

- Built and sold Cake, a digital media and marketing business.
- Founded Circular Board, a virtual accelerator for women entrepreneurs.
- Co-founded Hello Alice with Elizabeth Gore.
- Recognized in Entrepreneur’s 2016 Women to Watch and Inc.’s 2017 women-to-watch coverage.
- Testified before the U.S. House Small Business Committee in 2017.
- Serves on the Center for American Entrepreneurship board of directors.

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — Discussed lessons from her first business failure and the trade-offs of raising capital on Yahoo Finance’s The Big Idea.
- **2025-03** — Appeared on Black Tech Green Money to discuss access to entrepreneurial opportunity and the role of technology.
- **2024-11** — Hello Alice’s grant programs exceeded $50 million distributed since 2020.

## Links

- Website: https://helloalice.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynrodz/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/carolynrodz

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/carolyn-rodz
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25