Chareeda R.’s Post

🦋GREAT NEWS🦋 As a founder, it's my responsibility to build Renavest to its fullest potential, and I’m grateful for the incredible network I've been able to cultivate in this city. Despite my positive experiences I understand my journey isn’t like that of every underrepresented founders who face challenges navigating the ecosystem. Challenges I can resonate with. Part of my renaissance is not to just build for myself and my team, but to create opportunities for other aspiring founders who want to make their mark in Boston. We have all seen the numbers.... - 0.48% of VC funding in 2023 went to Black founders. - Female founders, despite making up 31% of startups, received only 2% of VC funding. Women of color? Less than 1% combined. With that said Chareeda R. Marisa Nieves & Marvin Lemuel Lim are launching A2C Boston where I’ll be resprenting the founders journey 🤝🏾🦋 A2C Boston (Access to Capital | Community | Connections) is Boston’s newest founders and funders community. We are on a mission to equitably amplify the next generation of tech-enabled ventures across Greater Boston. Our community is dedicated to spreading awareness to grow the number of underrepresented leaders (whatever that means to you) in tech-enabled ventures. We aim to: - Curate intentional communities and events - Connect innovative founders with more equitable access to resources and capital - Create a vibrant and inclusive Boston tech ecosystem If you want to join or learn more, please fill out this 5-minute form here https://lnkd.in/e6XQwWvK! If you are an investor or ecosystem partner, please reach out to us if you’d like to partner and also fill out the Typeform. Follow us on our Linkedin Page here and our Instagram (@A2CBoston)! Special thank you to Jadyn Bryden who has been pivotal in making all of this happen from start to finish! Thank you for your efforts in getting this community up and running. :) #Boston #Community #Startups #Tech #Venture #Capital #Connections #Community #VentureCapital

🚀 Exciting Opportunity for Black Founders in Tech! 🚀 We’re thrilled to announce that Blacks in Business Community is launching a $4M funding initiative, targeting ventures led by Black entrepreneurs in tech. This initiative is crafted to bridge funding gaps and elevate innovative startups and emerging companies to new heights. 💼✨ 💡 Who should apply? Black-led tech ventures that are: • Creating impactful solutions • At a growth stage with a scalable model • Driven by visionary teams with a commitment to excellence 🌍 How to Apply: Submit your pitch deck by 5th December 2024 and show us how your venture is set to disrupt the industry. We’re eager to support bold ideas that create real change, and we’re ready to invest in founders who bring a fresh perspective to the tech landscape. Let’s build a thriving, inclusive future in tech—together. 📧 Apply now and take your venture to the next level! #BlacksInBusiness #TechFunding #BlackFounders #Innovation

This morning, in London, we had the privilege of meeting with key stakeholders in the UK ecosystem who support underrepresented founders. Our goal was to gain deeper insights into their needs and determine how we can best support these underserved startups. A big thank you to Playfair, London & Partners, 10x10, London Venture Capital Network, and Colorintech for an inspiring and essential discussion. We depart with key takeaways that reinforce our focus: 1. Investment: With only 2% of female founders securing funding, this remains a critical area of focus. 2. Skills: While we offer free credits to assist founders in developing their solutions, it is equally crucial to impart knowledge on how cloud technology can truly facilitate the scaling of a startup. Our aim is to enable founders to save time on technical aspects, allowing them to reinvest this time into growing their business. 3. Visibility and Connections: Building the right networks is crucial, and our presence in the community is more important than ever. We're excited to empower future underrepresented founders and help them scale! Huge thanks to my amazing team: Nathan Jordan, Bakari Brock, Tiffany Johnson, 🌈 Anne-Claire Lo Bianco, and Ayo Haruna. Looking forward to making a difference together! #Startups #Diversity #Inclusion #Empowerment

Out of more than 500 applicants, we’re thrilled that Sculpō was selected to share our vision and discuss our business with over 200 VCs across the UK and Europe.   Less than 2% of women receive venture capital funding. 🌟 To help bridge this gap, Playfair launched the Female Founder Office Hours, now in its 12th edition supporting female-led startups. With half of our founding team being female, we are especially grateful that Evelyn Schneider had the opportunity to be part of advancing greater representation and support for women in tech. Events like FFOH play a crucial role in helping women founders shape the future of the industry.   We were privileged to engage with some of Europe’s most supportive and influential investors, who offered invaluable insights and guidance. A heartfelt thank you to these inspiring VCs for their time and mentorship: • Johanna Junkermann – Investor at b2venture • Isabelle Thierfelder & Maria von der Lieck – Investors at seed + speed Ventures • Anne-Sophie Krechting – Investor at Atlantic Labs • Louis Heinz – Investor at HTGF | High-Tech Gründerfonds   Special thanks to Anouska Moss from Playfair, 🌈 Anne-Claire Lo Bianco and Lora ANIS HANNA from Microsoft for Startups, and Finn Maclean from Carta for creating this invaluable opportunity. We’re excited to build on these insights and drive even greater impact on our journey ahead!   #FemaleFounder #PlayfairOfficeHours #Sculpō #WomenInTech #VCFunding #StartupJourney #TeamSculpō #SucceedwithSculpō #StartUp #StartUpBerlin #Berlin

🚨 Attention early-stage founders raising – excited to spread the word about open applications for PEERLESS 2025! Led by AlleyCorp and Management Leadership for Tomorrow, curated programming will culminate in 5 founders pitching at Google's NYC headquarters in April, where one winner will receive a $1M investment from AlleyCorp. This isn't only about creating a more equitable tech ecosystem, it's about backing the next generation of exceptional founders who are uniquely positioned to shape the future. Applications opened on October 15th and close on December 6th 2024. While they welcome all early-stage founders with exceptional ideas, AlleyCorp is encouraging applications from startups that: ✅ Have raised less than $2M ✅ Are technologically innovative ✅ Have a strong go-to-market advantage ✅ Have identified a large market opportunity ✅ Are led by Black, Latine, Native American, or female founders All applicants will be invited to various ecosystem events with top founders and VCs. Learn more and start your application at www.peerlesspitch.com. 💯 👏Desiree Almodovar + #alleycorp

It’s NY Tech week and my new favorite thing is teaching underrepresented founders how to talk back to investors. So many of them ask me for help fundraising, and I get it. I may not always think of myself as an expert, since I’m lucky enough to surround myself with people who are much more experienced at it than I am. But we did do it successfully once, raising more than $3M along the way with little more than a deck, a dream, and an incredible founding team. Of course, we’re all aware that this success puts us in the teeny tiny cohort of startups who raise without a traditional-looking founding team. So what’s the common theme in my advice to non-traditional founders at the early stage? Push back. It’s easy to get intimidated by investors. They’re smart, aggressive, and ask really hard questions. It can be hard to remember that YOU are the expert on your market. They are generalists. Even if they have strong opinions on your market, it’s OK to tell them when you think they’re wrong. In fact, if you have the conviction and confidence (plus evidence to back it up), disagreeing with your prospective investors can even be seen as an advantage. When a VC asks you a question at the pre-seed stage about your path to $100M in ARR, it’s OK to say “dude, we’re a pre-seed company. I know what our path is to get to a million, and we will have a lot to figure out after that.” Now, this only works if you have a track record that can support your confidence. Or if you don’t know the answer, but you DO know HOW you’re going to figure it out, talk about the path from experimentation to scalability. It’s better than making up a bunch of stuff that you’ll probably throw out eventually, and VCs will respect your focus and defense of your precious little time. Plus, they can usually tell if your confidence is lacking in your answer, anyway. This investor market is a tricky one, but never forget that they (investors) need you (founders) just as much as you need them. And hey, if you’re an up and coming female or underrepresented founder, and you need some help (or just a pep talk) I’d love to help. Happy Tech Week everyone!!

⭐ Last up, but certainly not least in our #FounderFandom Series where we introduce the 12 impact-focused founders and startups that make up the 4th cohort of the Denver-based 2024 Techstars Workforce Development Accelerator led by Dave Cass & Sasha Green, we’re spotlighting Inclusion Unpacked (Techstars '24)! 👩🏽💻 Over 70% of emerging SMBs desire to build with inclusivity, yet none of them feel confident in the solutions that currently exist. On top of that, there are over 20K DEI experts in the United States who lack a centralized platform to be booked and leveraged on demand. Founded by Tori Bell (CEO), Facebook and Columbia Business School alumna, Inclusion Unpacked (Techstars '24) is on a mission to make diversity and inclusion simple and easy for founders and leaders. Companies pay a monthly subscription fee and gain access to DEI experts, tools and resources on demand. Key team members include Lauren Dike – Inclusion Expert Acquisition Lead and Daman G. – Head of Marketing. Inclusion Unpacked is based in New York, NY. 🏆 #RecentWins include securing a lucrative contract with a non-profit organization, winning the Startup 302 Pitch Competition in Delaware, receiving a substantial grant from Black Girl Ventures, and hiring a Head of Product Dominique Wimmer & Engineering! 🚀 How to keep up with Inclusion Unpacked (Techstars '24)? Follow us & them on LinkedIn for latest updates! 💚 And a special thank you to our Partners, Strada Education Foundation & World Education Services for helping make this program possible! How are you impacting today’s workforce for the better? #Techstars #WorkforceDevelopment #Accelerator #Founders #Startups #Impact #BetterforFounders #GiveFirst

Venturing Women Pitch Day is for you! 🫵 For founders, VC investors and angels: Join the Venturing Women Pitch Day that will bring together high-potential startups with investors from top-tier VC firms collectively managing over 7 billion euros in assets. This event is a great chance to meet top founders and investors, and help drive diversity in the startup world 🌍 📆 Mark your calendars: October 22, 2024 | 14:00 - 18:00 Google office Tucholskystraße 2, 10117 Berlin 🥇 Format: 10 most promising startups selected among applicants will pitch on stage. Winners will be announced in three categories: Best Startup, Best Product, Best Traction. 3 founders from the audience will be invited to pitch impromptu. 😎 Who should attend: Startup founders, VC investors and angels of all genders. 💜 Why attend: - Get to know high-potential startups shaping the tech landscape in Europe. - Immerse yourself in the supportive Venturing Women community of entrepreneurs and investors. At SISTAFUND, we’re excited to partner with Venturing Women to support and showcase women entrepreneurs in tech.   👇 You can register in the comments!

Wrapping up hispanic heritage month with a powerful splash – announcing PEERLESS 2025! The program and $1M pitch competition is focused on finding founders with bold ideas who are uniquely positioned to build companies that can change industries and shape the future. Applications open today, October 15th, and close December 6th 2024. While we welcome all early-stage founders with exceptional ideas, AlleyCorp and Management Leadership for Tomorrow are especially encouraging applications from startups that: ⭐ Have raised less than $2M ⭐ Are technologically innovative ⭐ Have a strong go-to-market advantage ⭐ Have identified a large market opportunity ⭐ Are led by Black, Latine, Native American, or Female founders Start your application today at peerlesspitch.com. All applicants will be invited to exclusive events with top founders and VCs, so get your application in early so that you can benefit from our program perks. Special thanks to our Lead Partners for making this possible: Google, J.P. Morgan, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Citrin Cooperman And a huge shoutout to all of our supporters: Primary Venture Partners, Harlem Capital, 645 Ventures, VamosVentures, HearstLab, Level Up Ventures, L'ATTITUDE VENTURES, Tech:NYC, New York City Economic Development Corporation, Amazon Web Services (AWS). #VC #pitchcompetition #earlystagefounders #funding #nyctech #techfounders

Female/diverse founders, get all over this! 'Attention early-stage founders raising – excited to announce open applications for PEERLESS 2025! Led by AlleyCorp and Management Leadership for Tomorrow, curated programming will culminate in 5 founders pitching at Google's NYC headquarters in April, where one winner will receive a $1M investment from AlleyCorp. This isn't only about creating a more equitable tech ecosystem, it's about backing the next generation of exceptional founders who are uniquely positioned to shape the future. Applications opened on October 15th and close on December 6th 2024. While they welcome all early-stage founders with exceptional ideas, AlleyCorp is encouraging applications from startups that: Have raised less than $2M Are technologically innovative Have a strong go-to-market advantage Have identified a large market opportunity Are led by Black, Latine, Native American, or female founders All applicants will be invited to various ecosystem events with top founders and VCs. Learn more and start your application at https://lnkd.in/g_j8KVJR