Anu Duggal
This VC Maverick Shares Her Stress-Free Nightly Routine
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Pillow Talk
Anu Duggal is the founding partner of Female Founders Fund, an early stage VC fund investing in tech companies started by women, based in NYC. That’s a mission we can definitely get behind. Before starting her barrier-breaking business, Anu lived in seven different countries, in cities like Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Toronto, Manila, Bombay, New York, New Delhi, London and Paris. Talk about being a jet-setter. Other incredible facts about Anu that sound like they’ve been taken from far-fetched fiction include that she spent six months working in a cooking school in Burgundy, France, and has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. After years of fascinating adventures, Anu’s passion is now to support the next generation of female founders. She shares her eventful evening routine below.
6:30 P.M. We have a small but cozy office for three at a co-working space called Galvanize in Soho. Winding down the day usually means responding to emails at the bottom of my inbox and taking a quick minute to plan for the next day. Sometimes that means reading through a board deck, or calling a founder to check in on how a fundraise is going. Both my partner and I live in the West Village, so our rule about work is that we both have to be able to walk home, a real luxury!
7 P.M. Typically, I am out at an event at least two times a week. If I’m not at an event, then by this time I’m walking in my door and taking a few minutes to decompress. Since I’m not much of a snacker, on my way home, I usually order something in. I’m somewhat of a creature of habit, so it will either be a Thai green vegetable curry, spaghetti from my favorite Italian place or grilled tuna with roasted potatoes if I’m feeling healthy. Typically, I have a bottle of red–usually a Burgundy Pinot Noir–open, so I’ll have a glass with dinner while catching up with a friend on the phone.
8 P.M. I have a healthy obsession with skincare, so I have a whole weekly routine. Sometimes that means putting on a sheet mask while responding to email, or doing a quick facial steam with some of my favorite serums. Some of my current faves are: SKII Sheet Mask, Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask, Aavrani Glow Activating Exfoliator and Darphin Exquisage Beauty Revealing Cream. Last step will be a Darphin cleanser and then the Darphin Exquisage face cream. In the winters, I’ve also started using the Weleda Skin Food and have become religious about my humidifier.
8:30 P.M. I try to spend some time in the evenings catching up on social media–Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. We try to post articles that feature female founders and generally share news that highlights women CEOs.
9 P.M. I’ve started listening to a guided meditation before going to sleep, which is a beautiful way to wind down before bed. One of my resolutions for this year was to create a digital-free bedroom environment, so I leave my phone outside my room–which was quite honestly hard at first, but now much easier. I love to read, so I’ll usually spend thirty minutes reading whatever is the latest on my Kindle. Right now I’m reading My Dear Hamilton–the story of Betsy Hamilton, which is fascinating. I love historical fiction and this one reads like a novel. I have a lavender and rose essential oil spray which helps me relax before bed. Lights out by 10 P.M.