Audaxa Ventures’ Post

🌐 🌟 I am inviting all Emerging Tech- and Social Impact-driven investors in my circle for the spectacular Founder Pitch Week event on August 6-8, 2024. RSVP to meet 20 of the best fast-scaling startups across various sectors. 🚀⭐ I am proud to take the stage on August 7th to share what team Evenness has been working on in stealth mode over the past months. There are now more than 600 global investors in the queue. We're just missing you! 👉🏿 👉 👉🏻 RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gu3TzK2H. You pick the day, the sector, and the startups you want to meet. All participating startups are led by women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA founders! 💃🏾 🤸🏻♀️ 👩🏿💻 🌈 💥 August 6 Focus: CPG, beverage, sustainability, social impact, health, beauty, marketplace, SaaS 💥👉👉👉 August 7 Focus: AI, tech, SaaS, future of work, marketplace, data, blockchain, social impact 💥 August 8 Focus: AI, tech, SaaS, health, femtech, data, social impact, entertainment, sports, sustainability *** ❓ What is Founder Pitch Week: Founder Pitch Week is a unique, fast-paced Fundraising Accelerator for startups led by #women, #BIPOC, or #LGBTQIA founders. Although more than 300 founders apply each cycle, only the top 10% of applicants are interviewed and accepted. During the 3-month cohort, founders participate in master classes, upgrade their pitch decks, receive 1:1 coaching, and practice pitching in group pitch events with investors. Founder Pitch Week is organized and trademarked by Bridgette L. Smith 🦋, known as "The Oprah of Investing," "YC for Women," "Shark Tank for Women," and "Startup Whisperer." - Chair, Berkeley SkyDeck DEI Committee - Executive Chairman, CEO, and Founder, Purpose Led Ventures - 4x CEO, Angel Investor in 300+ Private Companies, 1x General Partner, 4x Venture Partner, 13x Limited Partner, 17x Board Director/Board Advisor - Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gCzMSVvR 👉 JOIN US! https://lnkd.in/gu3TzK2H #evenness #investors #venturecapital #angelinvestors #womenfounders

👋 Please meet Lolita Taub, an investor, influencer, international keynote speaker, and TEDx speaker. She is the General Partner at Ganas Ventures, where she invests in pre-seed and seed community-driven companies in the US and Latin America. With 15+ years working within the Silicon Valley ecosystem, she has accomplished over $70 million in sales and made more than 90 investments as an angel investor, Scout at Lightspeed Venture Partners, and VC at Backstage Capital and The Community Fund. She's all about lifting underrepresented founders and zeroes in on pre-seed and seed startups in the US and LATAM, chasing big returns, and changing the face of VC. 🗨️ “As a Latina in VC, I'm dead set on changing the narrative of who gets to build the future. It's not just about funding; it's about making sure everyone has a seat at the table and a voice in the conversation.” 🙌 Lolita has been recognized for her venture capital and tech work on Forbes, Inc., The Huffington Post, and Entrepreneur, and other publications. 📣 If she had the TED stage right now, her talk would be on - The Unexpected Superpowers of Neurodiversity in VC. “My journey from South Central to Silicon Valley has been anything but straightforward. Along the way, I've navigated ADHD, PTSD, and anxiety. But instead of letting those things hold me back, I've learned to turn them into strengths. My ADHD helps me think outside the box, my PTSD has given me this crazy resilience, and my anxiety actually makes me super empathetic – which is a big deal in the high-stakes tech world. I want this talk to be a wake-up call, to show people that success doesn't look one way and that the things that make us different — our backgrounds, our experiences, our gender, our neurodiversity — can actually be our biggest assets. It's about building a more inclusive community where everyone's unique strengths are celebrated and leveraged.” 💜 See her previous TED talks…  👉 Face Fear, Do What You Love & Live the Life You Want to Live: https://lnkd.in/dH-3Zeh7 👉 Raising AI: https://lnkd.in/dY9KNvnH ⭐️Connect with Lolita & learn more below. ___________________ Wednesday Women is supported by Commsor 🦕 - where business and personal success is created by a focus on “go-to-network” and relationship-driven growth. Enjoyed this post?  Subscribe to our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gG7MfApJ 💜 Help us amplify the voices of outstanding women with likes, comments, shares, and follow Wednesday Women to meet more inspiring women weekly. 💜 #wednesdaywomen #womenempowerment #womenentrepreneurs Leslie Greenwood Melissa Moody 🍵

As part of our Transition to Community, we’re highlighting the incredibly resilient seed startup founders and their crucial role in transforming the tech landscape. These founders, embodying diversity and innovation, have been pivotal in shaping a more inclusive tech ecosystem through their groundbreaking ventures. GET Cities has been a cornerstone in promoting equity in tech, especially in Chicago, by driving change with a focus on gender. Our efforts, including deploying $3.2 million to support equity in tech, hosting over 200 events, and piloting 37 interventions, have significantly strengthened our ecosystem as a whole. The GET Seed founders, through their startups, have exemplified leadership and tenacity, creating pathways for underrepresented groups in tech and contributing to a more diverse industry. As we transition to our partner organizations, they will ensure that this momentum continues. World Business Chicago (WBC), dedicated to fostering inclusive economic growth and job creation, will take on the work of convening the Tech Equity Working Group and Tech Equity Network. They will also manage the scaling seed portfolios, including initiatives similar to Venture Fellows and Techrise + Velocity. We believe this transition model will inspire sustainable impact, foster resilience within communities, and encourage strong relationships to thrive. Let's celebrate the remarkable achievements of the seed founders within our community and look forward to the continued growth and inclusivity they inspire. #GETTransition

WorkOnward (Techstars '23) Your Job, on the Map. is building a Future of Work to be more equitable and just by focusing on underserved small businesses and job seekers who often get overlooked due to their backgrounds. However, building a startup is never easy. I bootstrapped to launch our product and my entrepreneurial journey could have never been embarked without organizations like The Adecco Group, Fordham Graduate School of Social Service, & Fordham Foundry about 6 years ago. Yes, I was a recruiter who felt lost and struggled to change a career to nonprofit in my mid 30s. During the 'Intro to Universal Human Rights and Social Justice' Class taught by Prof. Vera Mehta, I had a turning point moment after learning more about the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 at the Lincoln Center Campus. Something caught my eyes which changed my career trajectory forever--"decent work" (SDG 8). United Nations We all have a right to choose and work in dignity. Check out these super hero companies on Impact Entrepreneur selected by Village Capital's ADAPT: Social Innovation for Resilient Future Accelerator in the US. https://lnkd.in/eU87vKyd Arbol, Carefully, Gabriel Money,Okovate Sustainable Energy, Pay4Me App, Remynt, Seed At The Table, Share.Farm, Inc, ThriveLink, and WorkOnward (Techstars '23) Your Job, on the Map. The program’s vision, made possible by our partnership with the MetLife Foundation and support from TIAA, is a future where underserved and underrepresented communities in the United States have equitable access to solutions that address economic inclusion, financial health, and community resilience to address social inequality, promote economic prosperity, and achieve racial equality.

It’s Time for an Investor’s Guide to Treating Startups Right Every day, we see guides on how startups should reach out to investors: keep it concise, look for warm intros, don’t waste their time, refrain from cold emails, be Delaware C Corp ready, etc. But isn't it time we talk about a guide for investors? #Investors, we get it – you skim through thousands of pitches every year. But remember, on our end, we’re filling out hundreds of applications, each with an infinite number of questions and descriptions. Some applications take hours to complete, demanding a deep dive into every facet of our businesses. We also attend your events and panels, eager to connect and make an impression, investing our time and resources in the hopes of gaining your attention and support. Not to mention the time we spent crafting our pitches, decks, go-to-market strategies, customer discoveries, and email updates. Please understand we're not just #startup #founders; we're jugglers – managing companies, hustling for funding, and yes, we’ve probably applied for grants, accelerators, and pitch competitions to name a few. Like you, we don’t have time to spare. Yet, we're often expected to work relentlessly, showing revenue and traction, only to be undervalued or led on by investors who, frankly, haven’t made a move in years. Here’s a thought: Don’t lead us on if you’re not interested. Learn to say no. We’re managing a hundred things at once, often emailing you while keeping our operations afloat, just like you. The difference? We’re expected to become unicorns on a shoestring budget, while some investors sit back, nitpicking projects even though they ran out of funds months ago. To the investors out there: Your LPs might be driving you mad over allocations, but remember, on this side of the table, we’re fighting to keep our dreams alive under immense pressure and scrutiny, especially when you are an underrepresented founder like me, Latina, Woman, and part of the LGBTQ+ community. So, let’s cut to the chase. Be direct. If you have zero interest in investing, say so. Time is a luxury neither of us can afford to waste. As much as you are tired of hearing buzzwords like “revolutionizing” or “world-changing,” we too are weary of empty promises and prolonged negotiations that lead nowhere. It’s the time for an investor's guide that champions transparency and respect. Startups and investors alike deserve honest, straightforward communication. After all, in this high-stakes entrepreneurial ecosystem, shouldn’t mutual respect and understanding be the foundation we build upon? Would love to read your comments on this. I'm also ready if you feel like roasting me. #buildinginpublic #startupjourney #dockaboat

One of the things I love most about Forever Projects is the constant and hopeful reminder of our common humanity. The world gets worse when we focus on what divides us, existing solely in our silos, communicating in echo chambers that create downward spirals and negative feedback loops. Every new day provides a fresh invitation to adopt a much more abundant posture than that…. uniting on what we have in common rather than what divides, and co-creating a world we can all agree on that’s together. Our community is united in a belief that external forces like poverty should never get in the way of women and their families flourishing. If you share that belief, we’d love you to join us. Check out our latest partnerships deck here > https://lnkd.in/gn6iNs_U Together, we can #investinwomen and co-create a much better world for everyone.

🚀 Heading to the Nantucket Conference this week and I'm excited to discuss the transformative power of angel investing and mentorship in today's startup ecosystem! The timing is perfect as we're seeing groundbreaking shifts in angel investing and startup funding following the recent Women's Venture Summit hosted by the Stella Foundation. Here's what I see as some key trends shaping the 2024 angel investing horizon: 📈 Market Evolution: ✔ $18.6B deployed by 422,350 angel investors in 2023 ✔ Lower barriers to entry ($5K-10K minimums vs. traditional $100K+) ✔ New SPVs and syndication models democratizing access 💪 Women's Rising Economic Power: ✔ Women will control majority of wealth by 2030 ✔ $3.22T potential additional assets if women invested at same rate as men ✔ 42% of US businesses are women-owned: a 114% growth in 2 decades 📊 The Business Case for Diversity: ✔ Companies with diverse executive teams are 25% more likely to be profitable ✔ 60% of female-led businesses achieve higher ESG scores ✔ # of women entrepreneurs growing 48% faster than male counterparts 🎯 Why This Matters: As a former angel & VC-backed founder who raised $10M and now an active advisor and angel investor, I've seen firsthand how mentorship and capital creates exponential impact. It allows me to personally support compelling founders and teams focusing on innovations in areas I personally care about: like ClimateTech, FemTech, Sustainable Retail, MentalHealthTech & AgeTech. 💡 The Opportunity Ahead: What's most exciting to me? Only 2% of qualified investors currently participate in angel investing. Imagine the innovation we can unlock as we expand this pool to a more diverse community through education, mentorship, and more accessible (and de-risked or incentivized) investment vehicles. Looking forward to diving deep into these topics at Nantucket! Who else will be there? Let's connect! hashtag #AngelInvesting #WomenInV #StartupMentorship #Innovation #ImpactInvesting #VentureCapital #WomenInBusines #Entrepreneurship 💭 Would love your thoughts: What role do you see mentorship playing in the future of angel investing? Let's continue the conversation in the comments! 👇

“Make a difference.”   That’s what my favorite high school teacher always said, and it’s exactly what the Consumer Technology Association’s Diversity Programs and Initiatives team is doing. On Tuesday evening, we had the privilege of hosting a screening at the CTA Innovation House of the powerful documentary "Show Her the Money," which highlights still significant gender disparities in venture capital funding. Did you know less than 2% of funding goes to women?! The film also showcases the remarkable journeys of female entrepreneurs and investors who are driving innovation and breaking barriers. At CTA, we’re deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within the tech industry. Since 2019, we’ve committed nearly $10 million to investment funds that support diverse founders and women-led startups. In fact, two of the funds we support – SoGal Ventures and Collab Capital – were featured in the documentary! It was inspiring to see their efforts captured on the big screen, alongside the grit and grind of the startup founders who are giving it their all to bring transformative ideas to life. I also loved meeting Jasmine Jones, co-founder and CEO of Myya, who was featured in the film. A huge thank you to Executive Producer Catherine Gray and Associate Producer Marcia Dawood for creating and sharing such an impactful and enlightening documentary. Your work is truly paving the way for future generations of female entrepreneurs and investors. I also want to extend my gratitude to CTA's Tiffany M. Moore, Megan Hauck and Glenda MacMullin, and CTA members Sherida McMullan, Mara Lewis, Deena Ghazarian, Sonia Wadhawan, Denise Gibson, and the many others who have made huge contributions to advancing our D&I work. Your efforts are making a real difference in the technology industry! Together, we’re creating a more inclusive technology ecosystem. But there’s more work to be done. Let’s continue to champion and support diverse voices in the tech industry!  #ShowHerTheMoney #DEI #DiversityandInclusion #Startups #VC #Founders #Entrepreneurship 

Some Friday morning OPPORTUNITIES for all the founders, funders, and leaders in our network 👇 (If you have any more or run cool things for startups then let me know and I can add them to future lists. ALSO pretty much everything below is free, and also *very soon*) 🤌 Techstars is running mock investor interviews: a fun and useful exercise to see how a live investor meeting goes down - be prepared for your next investor call. Five or six founders will be called up one at a time to participate in a mock interview. https://lu.ma/ukwm1ybx 👟 At Rare Founders we have startup runs for founders to get some exercise in together, every other week. https://lnkd.in/eZcgfPke 🤝 *Exclusive* opportunity for founders to get into this event organised by NoBa Capital for their portfolio companies and their investor network. You will need to be approved to get in -- but NoBa is expecting to get requests from the Rare Founders network. 🌈 iiF, an Unconference event run by our friends i³ investing (Christian Tooley Craig Brown Marcus McDowell and many more cool people) is for superstar, intersectional founders who are thriving in their industry, particularly as LGBTQ+ or migrants (our first year's spotlight). This is for smart investors who want to embed intersectionality as a criteria for investment, better understand its power, and necessity for returns. iiF is for our ecosystem friends who work bloody hard to spotlight, support, & help our founders get capital to accelerate. https://lnkd.in/esWDHjQi (NOTE: LGBTQ+ founders can also now fill out a new survey in partnership with Crunchbase through these folks, learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ecFEZpAa) 🏦 Resolution Ventures is running the WorkerTech Pre-investment Programme, a programme of grants and mentoring to provide support for early-stage WorkerTech founders who want to take the next steps towards investment readiness. Applications are open until 26th April. https://shorturl.at/blEL7 💵 An Inbound Marketing Channels workshop for founders trying to get their #revenue up: Discover how to raise your brand awareness and increase sales conversion using efficient means (and be able to switch off ads). https://lu.ma/fdfzl3m0 🥲 GoodTech Ventures is running "Things I wish I knew before fundraising"; chats with with founders who have been there https://lnkd.in/eh_bKtKa Have an INCREDIBLE weekend everyone 💖 ---- I'm Seven - and on April 22nd, I'm running London's largest in-person investor conference and demo day.👋 We're SOLD OUT on most tickets except for #VCs. We're expecting some LPs, HUNDREDs of #investors, some people even flying in from other countries. Learn more here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gy8mAuja and if you're actively investing, comment down below or DM me for a special discount ;)

👉Founder Pitch Week 👉Aug 6-8, 2024 👉Investor RSVP: https://lnkd.in/gPEXfMUN Dear Investors: This private invite-only pitch event features 20 diverse underrepresented founders leading innovation in 18 different sectors! And, all of them are led by underrepresented women, BIPOC and LGBTQ founders! They all have grit, their stories are amazing and their products are quickly scaling! 👉 The capacity for this event is 100 investors per day. So, please arrive early. All pitch decks and recordings will be available to registered investors. Founder Pitch Week is a unique fast paced Fundraising Accelerator for startups led by women, BIPOC or LGBTQIA founders. Although more than 300 founders apply each cycle, only the top 10% of applicants are interviewed and accepted. During the 3 month cohort, founders participate in master classes, upgrade their pitch deck, receive 1:1 coaching, practice pitching and participate in group pitch events with investors. To-date, more than 600 investors have joined our community to invest in underrepresented exit-minded founders building innovative startups in the US, Canada, the UK. Here is the line up: 💥 Aug 6 Focus: CPG, beverage, sustainability, social impact, health, beauty, marketplace, SaaS 💥 Aug 7 Focus: AI, tech, SaaS, future of work, marketplace, data, blockchain, social impact 💥 Aug 8 Focus: AI, tech, SaaS, health, femtech, data, social impact, entertainment, sports, sustainability hashtag #investors hashtag #venturecapital hashtag #angelinvestors hashtag #privateequity hashtag #familyoffices hashtag #startups hashtag #womenfounders Supporting Diverse Founders 💃 Bridgette L. Smith 🦋 Executive Chairman, CEO and Founder Purpose Led Ventures, LLC 👉Free Investor Workshops: https://lnkd.in/g3xEHDVD 👉Free Pitch Deck Reviews: https://lnkd.in/g-qsdf5N 👉Founder Pitch Week Application: https://lnkd.in/gb-48HPZ 👉Website: https://lnkd.in/gCzMSVvR 👉Calendar: https://lnkd.in/gG7y_iYa Chair, Berkeley SkyDeck DEI Committee, Chief, 4x CEO, Angel Investor in 300+ Private Companies, 1x General Partner, 4x Venture Partner, 13x Limited Partner, 17x Board Director/Board Advisor "The Oprah of Investing" "YC for Women" "Shark Tank for Women" "Startup Whisperer"