Our Story

We started 81cents because we know first-hand how intimidating and uncomfortable talking about compensation, much less advocating for more, can be.

In summer 2018 we started 81cents with the goal of changing the way things work, providing affordable, accessible, virtual negotiation support (and data!) for women and other underrepresented minorities.

We’ve worked with more than 550 individuals, helping them find more than $3,500,000 in additional compensation.

But, we’re just getting started. Women still earn 81 cents for every dollar men earn on average, and the statistics look even more dismal when you consider race and underrepresented gender identities. We know we can do more.

In November 2018 we won the CommonBond Social Impact Competition — and $10,000!

Our Team

Jordan Sale, Product + Partnerships

Jordan started 81cents to help more individuals advocate for themselves, whether it’s negotiating a new offer, or pushing for a raise.

Prior to starting 81cents, Jordan was the Director of Marketing at Fundrise, a real estate technology startup based in Washington, D.C. Jordan holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and a MBA from UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business.

Fun (pun?) fact - Jordan’s obsessed with puns and has participated in the Bay Area Pun-Off.

Michelle Fuentes, Operations

Michelle runs customer success and operations at 81cents. As an intersectional feminist and social activist, 81cents aligns with her core values.

Michelle has a BS in Business Administration from USC, Marshall and enjoys taking a variety of online courses to continue to learn new skills.

Fun fact - Michelle manages the multi-faceted artist and musician, Austin Antoine.

Lisa Shek, Partnerships

Lisa supports partnerships at 81cents. Lisa has owned customer strategy for various software businesses and, most recently, joined Skillz as Head of Content Operations.

Lisa has a BS in Cognitive Science with a Computing specialization from UCLA and an HBX CORe certification from Harvard Business School.

Fun fact - Lisa has performed in a dozen Salsa shows around the Bay Area.

Tiffany Nguyen, Design

Tiffany is a recent grad from Berkeley, where she studied Art History and Media with a focus on the power and complexity of visual spaces.

Intrigued by the intersection of design, technology, and education, she is interested in designing accessible and inclusive experiences that shape how we interact with each other and other forms of media. Aside from design, she enjoys engrossing herself in cat videos and the whole space of BBC’s the Great British Baking Show.

Fun fact - Tiffany has an obsession with eggs.

Grace Lin, Technology

Grace is a junior at Berkeley studying computer science. Consistently recognizing gender-based inequities, Grace is passionate about bridging the gender pay gap and the impact of 81cents. She is also involved with two organizations on campus that provide resources and create communities for women in technology.

Fun fact - Grace almost exclusively drinks warm water, but somehow prefers iced coffee over hot coffee.