WELCOME TO CENTRL STATION

Welcome to C/O Digest!

This month, we're excited to highlight Oana Olteanu, Managing Director & Founder of Motive Force, who is based out of our new location in San Francisco's North Waterfront. You'll also find local events happening around LA and a thought-provoking read from The Guardian on the hidden workplace labor that often falls to women and what it means for burnout, equity, and culture.

We also want to recognize that March is Women's History Month, a time to celebrate the women who have shaped industries, strengthened communities, and changed the way we work. At CENTRL, we're proud to support a workspace where women leaders, founders, and changemakers have the resources and community they need to grow.

From our workspace to yours,

OUR APPRECIATION

From the ideas they champion to the communities they help build, the women of CENTRL bring a creativity and care that makes this company better every day. We're proud to work alongside each of you, and grateful for everything you bring to this work and to each other.

From left to right, top row to bottom row:

Ashley Petersen, CFO

Jelina Cortero, General Manager @ Sacramento

Carly Smith, General Manager @ Lake Oswego

Katherine Nevitt, General Manager @ Portland Pearl

Jolene Padgett, General Manager @ LA Marina Del Rey

Jazzmine Hall, General Manager @ SF North Waterfront

Carmen Leung, Area Sales Manager @ DTLA

Kaitee Quinn, General Manager @ Seattle Capitol Hill

Jemimah Burke, General Manager @ Portland West End

Danielle Cipriano, Director of Sales @ LA South Bay I & II

Prita Gopiram, General Manager @ DTLA

Tami Wood, Director of Operations

Tricia Knox, Community Associate @ Portland Metro

Annalie Dern, Community Associate @ Seattle Capitol Hill

Kim Brewer, Senior Accountant

Courtney Janes, General Manager @ LA South Bay II

Caitlyn Klein, Project Manager

Madison Stribling, Community Associate @ LA South Bay

HAPPENINGS @ CENTRL

Here's a look at what’s on the calendar this month at our Little Tokyo and El Segundo locations.

UPCOMING EVENTS IN LOS ANGELES

Here are some links to events happening around LA this month, including Women History Month events, that we think are worth your time.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Oana Olteanu is the Managing Director and Founder of Motive Force, a pre-seed and seed investment firm backing founders with the internal drive to sustain momentum through uncertainty. Based out of our new San Francisco North Waterfront location, Oana brings a rare blend of technical fluency and investor instincts to the work of finding and supporting exceptional builders. 

When she's not meeting with founders, she keeps an open door for engineers and entrepreneurs who want to talk design, beautiful software, and, notably, tanks.

What's Motive Force all about?

Motive Force is a pre-seed and seed investment firm dedicated to founders with high "motive force," the internal drive that sustains motion through uncertainty. We invest in "beautiful software," where code architecture mirrors user intent so cleanly that complexity disappears.

What's the mission?

Our mission is to replace social signaling with craft, investing in software designed to amplify human agency in unprecedented ways.

How did you get into venture capital?

Truthfully, I got into VC to secure my Green Card. But my time at a top-tier firm revealed a beautiful marriage between my technical roots in Computer Science and the humbling work of being in service of entrepreneurs.

What works for you about CENTRL?

The location is ideal for walks with founders. There's a lot of greenery on Telegraph Hill, and Butter & Crumble, the best bakery, is five minutes away. I love the interior design; people pay attention to detail. The people are great, and bonus points for the cuddly office dog.

Any books or media that have inspired your work?

The Art of Atari by Tim Lapetino.

Follow Oana Online

Website: motiveforce.ai

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/olteanuoana

X: @oanaolt

WORKING BETTER

In Do You Have a Competence Hangover?, Emma Beddington examines the often invisible labor women take on in the workplace, from emotional management to extra administrative tasks, and how consistently being the “competent one” can quietly lead to burnout.

We think it's a sharp, relatable look at how expectations still fall unevenly at work, and why meaningful cultural change starts with recognizing and redistributing that hidden labor.

Read more →

REFER A FRIEND

Love CENTRL? Tell your friends! Refer a friend and they'll get a free week trial of our FLEX Plus membership and you'll get a referral credit for your introduction!

Please send any questions or referrals to work@centrloffice.com.

THAT'S A WRAP!

You made it!

Spring is here, and so is the community we're building together. If you've got thoughts or feedback, hit "Reply" anytime. We always want to hear from you.

See you around the space!