The capital access platform connecting early-stage founders, angel investors, and service providers to increase economic growth and innovation.

Hi there,

I’m writing a book! It’s called Fundraising for the Rest of Us, and it’s the book I wish I had when I was raising millions for my startups.

The rest of us represent the majority of the market. The rest of us are most of the world. The rest of us are powerful. BUT most fundraising advice wasn’t written from our perspective or with our lived experience in mind.

This book is not another VC-backed fairy tale. It’s an honest, tactical guide to how capital actually moves, and how you can find the right investors without compromising who you are. I bring my own lived experience, but I don’t pretend to speak for every identity. That’s why I’m writing this book with our community.

I launched a beta reader program this month, and in just the first couple of days, over 100 people subscribed to follow along. I’vet already welcomed two batches of beta readers and will continue to add more on a rolling basis. Beta readers have access to early, unpolished drafts - something that feels vulnerable to share - but the feedback and founder stories I’ve already received are making this book better in every way.

Here are just a couple of examples of helpful feedback:

Fundraising for the Rest of Us shares real-world sources of capital and helps founders communicate their opportunity in a way that resonates based on data, not theory. I’d love for you to be part of shaping it.

Here’s how to get involved:

1. Apply to be a beta reader to get early access to chapters, give feedback, and join a private community of founders, investors, and ecosystem partners.
2. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes updates and resources.
3. Reply to this email if you have a fundraising story or perspective you’d like to share for possible inclusion in the book.

This is a collaborative effort to create something truly useful, inclusive, and impactful. I hope you’ll be part of it!

Innovation & Impact Conference 2025

The Innovation and Impact Conference brings together leaders from across tech, education, blue economy and life sciences to strengthen workforce, technology and community. Allison will be giving a keynote at this year's conference!

Thursday, 6/5, 4:30pm ET, Providence

📦 Pathway to Opportunities Competition connects small businesses with corporations looking to diversify their supply chain. Receive up to $5,000.
Applications due 6/9

🚗 Progressive Insurance & Hello Alice Driving Small Business Forward Grant is for founders who use a vehicle to power their business and includes $1M in total awards.
Applications due 6/20

🏠 Jobber is giving away $10,000 to 15 winners for support for home service professionals, new or experienced.
Applications due 6/30

💻 AMAKA provides $500 grants in monthly software credit to help women and minority-owned businesses invest in digital tools.
Applications rolling

💪 Warrior Rising Grant provides support to U.S. military veterans launching or growing a business through grants (up to $20,000) and training.
Applications rolling

Daniel is the Founder & CEO of Keepingly, a centralized hub that empowers homeowners to manage, maintain and grow their biggest asset (the home). Keepingly gives homeowners a single place to manage and keep records of their home services and expenses (capital improvements, maintenance, vendors); not only does this simplify homeowners lives but it gives them a full and accurate picture of their home value and empowers them to continue growing their assets.

"Buying your first home was supposed to be one of those euphoric, milestone moments — and at first, it was. But about six months in, that joy started to wear off. My refrigerator broke, and over the years I was faced with the reality of managing it all: receipts, warranties, maintenance schedules, important documents I couldn’t find when I needed them. I remember thinking, do people just start from scratch every time something goes wrong? That question stuck with me — and eventually turned into Keepingly. I built it because there had to be a better way to care for your largest asset without constantly feeling like you’re reinventing the wheel. And when you realize we spend $50–60 billion every year on emergency home repairs, building Keepingly became a no brainer."

- Daniel

• Denielle Finkelstein, Co-Founder of UNICORN in every stall, was named along with Thyme Sullivan as two of the 100 Women to KNOW in America by The KNOW Women. They also received awards from the Center for Women & Enterprise and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

• Epoch Labs and Co-Founder Betty Zhao won the General Track first-place prize at Innovate@BU’s annual New Venture Competition.
• ThermoShade, founded by Emily Dinino, was named one of the top 100 sustainability startups to watch in 2025. 
• SunnyPeriod, co-founded by Cindy Belardo, received the Massachusetts Manufacturing Accelerate Program grant match award.

• Preloved Guru, founded by Cecilia Hermawan, was part of the City of Boston Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Cabinet for Climate on the Plaza.

• Elijah Davis, CEO of Platinum915, shared that their CannaShots product was featured in the March–April 2025 edition of BevNET magazine.

• Anastacia Yefimenko, Co-Founder of Elcove, finished her second MassChallenge program.

• FoXX Health, founded by Maria Catherine, received their first angel investment.

• Founder Liz Otero of WEI Robotics joined NVIDIA Inception.

• Adaptive Reader, founded by Ethan Pierce, was selected as a semifinalist in the 2025 Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition. It was also named one of the winners of the Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge.

• Dtocs LLC, founded by Pallavi Pande, was named one of the 2024 Entreprenista 100 Award Winners.

• Sip Herbals, founded by Orleatha Smith, was selected as one of five businesses nationwide to receive a Good Impressions Consultation Package from Dotdash Meredith.

• Groops, founded by Bobbi Wegner, was accepted into The Foundry at Harvard University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences (IQSS).
• Kalpana Kethineedi, Founder of Kay's Curries, was selected as one of six finalists for the Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream Rooftop Pitch Room in Boston.

• LymeAlert, co-founded by Erin Dawicki, won the Agora Initiative DC pitch finals.

• Dr. Charmain Jackman, Founder of InnoPsych, released her book, The Black Therapist’s Guide to Private Practice and Entrepreneurship.
• Mariam Nusrat, Founder of Breshna.io, was named one of the Trailblazehers in Gaming by the*gamehers.
• &HER, founded by Nini Hu, joined the NVIDIA Inception program.
• Onder Ondemir, Founder of Ubrios, participated in three robotics & automation events this month.

• Karen Kelly, Founder of Purposely Social, appeared on the Building AI Boston podcast.

• Joanna Shu, CEO of FreezeNit, co-presented the Winner's Circle Legacy Prize, at the Texas New Ventures competition at Texas A&M.

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