Cindy Eckert

Cindy Eckert

Founder & CEO


The Pink Ceiling

New York City, NY USA


If you feel like you don’t fit in the system, the way to ultimately make your way into it is to surprise people and continue to show up. Never let that underestimation shake your confidence in what you set out to do.

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Cindy Eckert

Milestones

My road in life has been direct.
Admits she had an unusual childhood—she moved every year from 4th grade to her senior year of high school, which made her the “perpetual new kid who wasn’t accepted.”
Says this experience cultivated her curiosity and made her comfortable as an observer and a listener.
Attended Marymount University where she received her degree in business.
After graduating, she had her sights set on working for the pharmaceutical company, Merck—she was initially rejected, but eventually got the job.
She eventually realized that at Merck she was just a number and lacked impact, so she began working for smaller and smaller companies until the path opened up for her to start her own business.
Her first company was Slate Pharmaceuticals, which redefined long-acting testosterone treatment for men, and, her second company, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, pioneered Addyi, dubbed the “female-Viagra.”
She eventually sold both companies for over $1.5 billion—in 2017, she successfully re-acquired Sprout Pharmaceuticals and launched Addyi to the market on her own terms.
She is also the founder of The Pink Ceiling, which invests in companies founded by or making products for women and provides access to mentors, business guidance, and investment opportunities.
Keep following my journey

Career

Founder & CEO

I work to break barriers by investing in and mentoring other women so they can be successful.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Entrepreneurship
Business
Accomplishing Goals

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for college students

Learn from the best. Go where you need to go and do what you need to do in order to work for the people that can help get you ahead. You have to network like crazy. Tell everyone you meet about what you are doing and be unabashed about it. You have to learn to lose the fear of sharing your goals.

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Teachers:

"You need to have options. You can't just pick one thing."

Challenges I Overcame

Relocation
Gender Discrimination