– Home sweet home. They say you can never go home again, but Sarah Leary would disagree. In 2019, the Nextdoor cofounder stepped away from the company she helped build. Five years later, she returned to her old stomping grounds to help usher in a new era of the neighborhood social networking platform—now a $247 million-in-revenue business with 45.9 million weekly active users.
Leary says that while she attempted to take some time off (unsuccessfully, she points out) and then pivoted to investing in early stage companies like Contra and Connectly, she was able to reconnect with Nextdoor’s original goal of helping people strengthen their real life communities. “When you step away, you’re like, ‘Ooh, maybe we could do that a little bit differently,’” she says. While working with small startups, Leary also better understood the rarity of creating a platform that became ubiquitous: Today, there are over 100 million Nextdoor users in 11 countries.
Three priorities—time-sensitive information, local insights, and neighborhood news—are powering Nextdoor’s next era. A series of partnerships with local news outlets is being unveiled today, and Nextdoor is also improving real-time safety alerts to become an emergency resource.
What would 2011 Sarah think of all that her brainchild has turned into? “I’d be like, ‘OK, girl, you did it!’ And at the same time, I’d think: ‘Wow, building enduring companies is hard work,’” she says. “Nextdoor is my baby. I put my heart and soul into this. This is a mission that I believe in very strongly.”
Sara Braun
sara.braun@fortune.com
The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Today’s edition was curated by Sara Braun. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Office exit. The remote work gender gap has widened since before the pandemic, with men returning to the office in greater numbers than women, according to new data from the Labor Department. In 2024, 29% of employed men reported working from home, down from 34% the previous year. Approximately 36% of women worked from home last year, staying consistent with the year prior. Wall Street Journal
- Blocking (part of) the BBB. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani blocked the implementation of a provision of President Trump’s recently passed domestic spending bill that would prevent Planned Parenthood health centers from receiving Medicaid funding. She rejected the administration’s request to dissolve her temporary restraining order, arguing that it was necessary to prevent disruptions to health care until she could hear arguments on July 18. Reuters
- Ukraine’s new prime minister. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy nominated Yulia Svyrydenko to serve as the country’s next prime minister on Monday. Svyrydenko currently serves as the country’s first deputy prime minister and recently played a major role in negotiations for a minerals deal with the United States. The change, which will require parliamentary approval, is the highest-level shake-up in the country’s government since the Russian invasion. New York Times
- The degree appeal. More teenage girls are seeing the value in higher education than their male counterparts, according to a recent poll from the AP and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About 70% of teenage girls said it was “very” important for them to go to college, whereas 54% of teenage boys said the same. The poll’s results are in line with the increasing disparity in college completion rates between men and women. Associated Press
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
August Jackson, a creative agency specializing in high-impact events and strategic communications, appointed Lindsay Grinstead as executive vice president of growth. She most recently served as SVP, global account director at Jack Morton.
Secretariat, an expert services and litigation consulting firm, announced the appointment of Tamika Tremaglio as managing director and leader of the company’s global sports consulting capabilities. She previously served as the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).
Constant Contact, a cloud-based email and digital marketing platform, appointed Smita Wadhawan as chief marketing officer. She most recently served as global chief marketing officer at EcoVadis.
Envestnet, a fintech company specializing in wealth management solutions, appointed Sue Quackenbush as its chief people officer. She most recently was the CPO of Dynatrace.
MarketCast, a market research and analytics firm, promoted Amy Fenton to CEO. She most recently served as co-president of the company.
ON MY RADAR
Catherine, Princess of Wales, Dresses for a New (Life) Stage New York Times
South Asian women may be the winners of the gold rush CNN Business
Beauty is an ‘insidious force in women’s financial lives,’ says ‘Rich Girl Nation’ author—here’s how to overcome itCNBC
PARTING WORDS
“It’s truly just pushing yourself to say: Is this the point 0.01% of how big we can go to solve a problem and make the world better? Is this idea capable of improving four billion lives? Now, we’re at the scale we should be thinking about.”
— Inspired Capital cofounder Alexa von Tobelon the importance of ambition
