As the youngest woman trader in the New York Stock Exchange’s 225-year history, Lauren Simmons knows how to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs to win or ward off challenges. The African-American trader is now going public with her expertise in an upcoming interactive streaming series called “Going Public.”
The show will cast diverse entrepreneurs as they strive to win over investors, make deals and hit the ultimate goal for a startup by becoming a publicly-traded company during the 10-part series. Simmons will be the face of the show that aims to motivate regular Americans to pursue entrepreneurship.
“The moment I heard about this project, I knew I had to be a part of it,” Simmons said in a statement. “America’s entrepreneurs are so much more than just the Silicon Valley tech guys who get most of the attention – and most of the investment. I can’t wait to share the untold stories of exciting and ambitious founders from across the country who, like me, are paving the way doing something completely out of the box.”
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Simmons will use her knowledge in stock-trading to decode the high-stakes process of an investment roadshow. Ordinary Americans will then weigh whether they want to invest in the companies on screen through a Regulation A+ Initial Public offering.
The first season of the show will be streamed on Entrepreneur.com to its digital audience of 14 million. Also, it will be available on smart TVs and app-enabled devices through Facebook Watch, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku.
Simmons became the youngest woman stock-trader in the New York Stock Exchange’s 225-year history when she was only 23 years. She is only the second African-American female trader in NYSE history.
In a BBC interview on how it is like to work in the male-dominated maelstrom, Simmons said: “I fell in love with the numbers and the fast movement, and the men in the trading jackets and everything was moving so fast and I’m loving it.”
“They are like you’re a woman, and you are 23, and you are a minority,” Simmons said. “What are you doing, how did you get this job?”
Simmons holds a bachelor’s degree in genetics from the Kennesaw State Univerity. While in college, she worked as a supervisor at Six Flags and interned at Woodstock Clinical Treatment Center, according to 21ninety.
With her qualification, Simmons worked as an Associate Business Analyst and Sales Manager at Saks Inc. and joined investment banking and institutional brokerage firm, Rosenblatt Securities, in New York City in 2017.
In her role, Simmons executed trades for major institutions and retail brokers and developed investment ideas, making her a leading figure in the world of finance.
About three years ago, Simmons was named Ebony’s Power 100 2018 honoree and was also awarded 2018 Women of Impact by Politico.
