Female Founders Series with Susan Grace of Givsly
- laurenburke316
- Mar 5
- 5 min read
Spotlighting a values-based leader who has found success by taking a customer-first approach and embracing her true nature
About Female Founders
To celebrate Women’s History Month,in the month of March, The Marketing Spice by Ljs is spotlighting inspiring women in the adtech and marketing industries that have launched and scaled successful companies. Our “Female Founders” series sheds light on their unique journeys and how they continue to overcome the curveballs of entrepreneurship and live out thriving careers. Our fearless founders share both practical insights and motivational mantras to lift up the next generation of founders in our industry.
Spotlight on: Susu Grace, Co-founder at Givsly
By day (and sometimes night) Susan (aka Susu) Grace is the Co-Founder and Head of Experience Partnerships at Givsly. She is also a team leader, client champion, nonprofit partner, and events marketer extraordinaire. Not to mention her esteemed roles as wife, mother, daughter, friend, mentor, and New Yorker (last but not least—iykyk).
The many roles of Susu demonstrate that as a female founder, your role is not limited to one or even two, you play up to a dozen roles at a given time. Wearing this many hats isn’t always easy, but Susu wears them well, and in her interview she shared with us that it is "incredibly rewarding."
Journey to Co-founder
Givsly, the company Susu co-founded with CEO Chad Hickey, is a first-of-its-kind values-focused company in the adtech space that was created to demonstrate that advertising can, and should, exist for the greater good. Givsly has proven to us that adtech is more than “fancy and hard to describe data models layered over a flashy ad unit.” Adtech can help brands market responsibly, and Susu lives that mission every day.
In our interview with Susu, she explained that after years of planning activations at the same adtech conferences (you know them — the CES, Advertising Weeks, and Cannes of the world), she felt “a sense of emptiness.” Despite running dozens of successful events she was constantly filled with anxiety for the next one.
After CES one year, Susu had her “ah-ha” moment, and knew she needed a drastic change. She knew in her heart that she could still do the events work that she loved, but do it in a way that made her feel fulfilled. She then reconnected with her former colleague, Chad, and was immediately sold on his vision for a more responsible adtech industry.
She knew that she could create this alongside Chad, adding her unique skillset and leadership traits to build something truly meaningful. Susu shared that “without knowing exactly what we would build, I took a leap of faith, knowing that this was an opportunity to create something I’d truly be proud of—and the journey took off from there.”
Growing a company
Susu’s journey was not without its challenges, especially in the early days. As an entrepreneur, you are literally stepping into the unknown, and that can be incredibly scary. It was an uphill battle at the start because Givsly was “selling something that didn’t exist yet,” per Susu.
Creating a market for something is no easy feat. In order to be successful, Susu and Chad applied their learnings from their earlier careers “approaching it from a business-first perspective.” Susu understood the challenges of business leaders because she was once in their shoes. By speaking their language, she “built early trust with partners,” which validated the vision and gave them the early momentum they needed to keep going.
Susu takes this same approach when it comes to strategy and innovation: she puts herself in her buyers' shoes. Her biggest and best ideas “come from thinking about the types of events and products we wish had existed when we were in our former roles, and what we would have invested in if we were in their position.”
Susu adds that the beauty of being at the helm of a still early stage company is that they can bring “ideas to life quickly. Business partners trust us to align with their business goals and bring value beyond the bottom line,” said Susu. She attributes this to their ability “to move fast and turn concepts into a reality.”
Despite her friendly and upbeat nature, Susu keeps it real about the highs and lows of starting and growing a business. What keeps her motivated during the harder times? The real impact they have on communities via their nonprofits. Having relationships with hundreds of nonprofits across the country—and now the globe —seems unfathomable, but Givsly has managed to do it in a matter of a few years.
“Through the highs and lows of building Givsly, seeing the direct difference we make — whether through donations raised or volunteer events hosted — reminds me why we do this work.” Being a partner of Givsly’s over the years, we can certainly attest to the truth of that statement.
On female leadership
Talking all things female leadership, Susu shares that she has “embraced” some of her “favorite qualities — empathy, strong communication, emotional intelligence, and resilience.” Susu adds that “too often, women feel they need to mimic male leadership traits to be taken seriously, but I believe our natural strengths make us better leaders.” We could not agree more.
On top of growing a company, Susu is also a new mom. Anyone who is a parent can attest to the ways that it fundamentally changes your outlook on work and life. Susu has embraced this change and become “even more focused on working efficiently and prioritizing what truly matters. Motherhood has reinforced the importance of balance, adaptability, and leading with purpose."
Career pearls of wisdom
To women looking to grow their careers, Susu suggests not letting imposter syndrome take hold. While it is a normal feeling for anyone looking to enter into a new endeavor, women tend to talk about it more, so it may appear to be more prevalent in female leaders. Susu reminds us that regardless of how confident someone may come across in a corporate environment, she adds that “no one truly knows everything,” and that in her experience opportunities present themselves when you are truly ready. Believe in your power and you can accomplish anything.
To people, especially women, looking to take the leap into entrepreneurship, do what Susu did, and what she recommends to aspiring entrepreneurs. “Surround yourself with great people you trust and build something you’re proud of. If you do those two things, anything is possible.”
Final thoughts
Final thoughts from Susu, which we echo wholeheartedly, “there may never be a perfect time to take the leap—just trust your gut and go for it.”
In short, let your gut guide the way. Onwards and upwards.
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Appreciation for our female founders
Ljs Advisory is grateful to Susu and all of the female founders for sharing their time and energy to lift up female professionals, aspiring leaders and future founders. As a startup, female and Latina-owned business, Ljs believes it’s important to highlight the work and wisdom of other women to broaden collective impact.
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