Ginger Rothrock (FU ’00, BS, Chemistry) 
Senior Director, HG Ventures & Scientific Entrepreneur
Ginger grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, the kind of entrepreneurs that will second mortgage their house to make it work. Understanding the hustle, Ginger applied this mindset to her academic, athletic, professional and social life at Furman, where she gained exposure to a diversity of people and opportunities. Though a chemistry major with an interest in having an impact in product development, Ginger values her Liberal Arts degree which has prepared her to make an impact as a leader in Venture Capital.
Read more below about how Ginger went from Furman to entrepreneur to preparing entrepreneurs in Venture Capital. Ginger also gets personal and shares one of her most meaningful failures and how she has gotten to where she is today because of it.
Q: What do you remember most about your time at Furman?
A: I remember the diversity of people and opportunities. For example, I was a chemistry major but also in a sorority. I ran track and field and also worked on campus. Through these experiences, I was exposed to so many different parts of Furman community.
Chemistry research as an undergrad is not always an opportunity at large schools, so the opportunity to research with faculty for three summers was incredible. I practically begged my Chemistry professor to take me early, as a sophomore, to study nuclear waste remediation and environmental cleanup in a lab in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
The coursework integrated in the Liberal Arts has also prepared me so well in my career as a leader and effective communicator.
Q: When in your life did you think of yourself as an innovator or entrepreneur?
A: I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs — like the type that will second mortgage their house to make it work. I’ve always been an entrepreneur, but I never used the words ‘entrepreneur’ or ‘innovator’ to describe myself.
I chose the chemistry major because I loved the chemistry involved in the early phase of product development. My interest was in discovering new products and ways to help the environment etc. I wanted to solve big world problems from an early age.
Q: What COVID innovation will you continue in your daily life?
A: My family has always been into Lego building, especially my husband and children, but since COVID, we all build things. Creating something by hand is very cathartic, fun and something I’d like to continue.
Q: What’s it like being a female in Venture Capital?
A: People ask me this question a lot now that I’m in Venture Capital. It’s funny though because as a STEM entrepreneur, I’ve always been the only female. I feel a sense of responsibility to prove that females can do it in this industry, lifting others with me.
I work really hard to support female entrepreneurs. Females don’t always have as strong of a network or mentors, so as a female in Venture Capital, it’s my job to amplify their voices.
I strive for my actions to reflect my values, so I spend a lot of time supporting and advocating female entrepreneurs.
Q: What is your greatest failure?
A: In college, I won a lot of awards and thought I was pretty awesome… even into my first job. The startup I worked for was incredible, but at some point, I realized I was burning a lot of bridges. I had so many opinions and really wasn’t listening and wasn’t tuned into other styles of communication.
This realization has led me to change the ways that I interact with and listen to people. At the time, I specifically invested in courses for listening and understanding, skill sets needed for collaborative teamwork. And today, I believe these are some of my greatest strengths — interpersonal relationships and listening to customers to find out the problems they need to solve.
Q: What advice do you have for college students today?
A: Say yes more often, even if you don’t know anybody involved. Learning comes from discomfort and the unfamiliar.” In the midst of a pandemic, Ginger advises students to take walks together, one of her own favorite ways she has improved meetings during COVID, “Walks remove the awkwardness. People are more open to talking about themselves and having authentic conversations. Students should get out of the dorm room and make meaningful memories!
“Oh, one more thing,” at this point you could hear the smile in Ginger’s voice as she talked about her husband and the support he has provided to help her pursue her career, “Ladies, marry well,” she says.