Jenny Stojkovic
Built To Break Barriers Keynote
How Underrepresented Talent Builds Visibility, Voice, and Velocity in Their Career
In too many rooms, the most capable voices are still overlooked, dismissed, or silenced. Jenny Stojkovic knows that experience firsthand as a first-gen college graduate and one of the youngest women in venture capital. In this keynote, she equips underrepresented professionals with the mindset and framework needed to stop shrinking, start leading, and claim the visibility, influence, and recognition they’ve always deserved.
WHO THIS KEYNOTE IS FOR
This keynote is designed for professionals who have been underestimated, and are ready to rise anyway.
It’s for:
- Women in tech, business, and leadership roles navigating visibility gaps
- Employee Resource Groups and organizations looking to spark action across DEI initiatives
- BIPOC, LGBTQ+, first-gen, and emerging leaders tired of playing small
- Leadership summits and conferences focused on equity, advancement, and representation
This keynote doesn’t just inspire, it equips underrepresented professionals with real tools to rise. Your audience will walk away with:
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A proven mindset shift to stop shrinking and start owning space in rooms where they’ve been overlooked
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The GRIT Framework to take bold, strategic action, even when they feel like the only one in the room
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Tactical language and tools to advocate for themselves, navigate bias, and lead with clarity and confidence
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Real-world strategies to increase visibility, build influence, and turn being underestimated into a competitive edge
A mindset and action system
THE GRIT FRAMEWORK
This keynote is structured around Jenny’s GRIT Framework, designed to help individuals rise, especially when the system wasn’t built for them.
Every pillar is backed by real stories, tactical tools, and powerful reflection points your audience can use immediately.
Ground Yourself in Vision
Get clear on what you want, and what you’re no longer willing to tolerate.
Reinvent Relentlessly
Don’t wait for space to be made. Learn how to create your own.
Invest in Courageous Action
Say what needs to be said. Ask for what you’ve earned. Step up, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Thrive Through the Unknown
Lead through ambiguity. Persist through bias. Build momentum even when you feel unseen.
WHY JENNY?
Raised in a small Canadian farm town by a blind father and a grocery store cashier mother, Jenny Stojkovic learned early how to lead without a safety net.
She cold-pitched a billionaire to earn a full scholarship, broke into Silicon Valley with zero connections, and rose to lead global policy for Google, Meta, and Airbnb, becoming one of the youngest female venture capitalists in the U.S.
Today, she’s invested $25M into mission-driven startups through Joyful Ventures and built a global media platform spotlighting underrepresented founders, earning features from Good Morning America, Fortune, and Fast Company.
Jenny has lived the rollercoaster of building from the outside in. She knows what it takes to lead when you're underestimated, overlooked, or under-resourced, and how to turn that into your edge.
Her
Why Not Me? philosophy and GRIT Framework were born from real-world reinvention. Now, she helps others rise through it, with the clarity, courage, and conviction to keep going, no matter who’s counting them out.
“Even though our session was up against Conan O’Brien in an adjacent hall during the same time slot, it was standing room only to see Jenny on our panel!”
Chris Hook, Senior Group Director of Communications and Marketing at Cadence AI
“Jenny's work is great for up-and-coming entrepreneurs and innovators.”
Kyle Vogt, Innovation Pioneer & Founder of Cruise & Twitch
“Jenny is an incredibly dynamic and energetic, brilliant communicator inspiring every audience she addresses.”
Heather Mills, Business Mogul & Philanthropist
“Even though our session was up against Conan O’Brien in an adjacent hall during the same time slot, it was standing room only to see Jenny on our panel!”
Chris Hook, Senior Group Director of Communications and Marketing at Cadence AI
“Jenny's work is great for up-and-coming entrepreneurs and innovators.”
Kyle Vogt, Innovation Pioneer & Founder of Cruise & Twitch