Increasing diversity in the startup ecosystem with a virtual platform that mobilizes founders to be more investable and helps investors discover them through hyper-curation.
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Hi there,
Our May newsletter followed the devastating mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde and I wrote about the dangers of having those in power lack parity with those they are supposed to represent. I also wrote that my preamble wasn't typical of our monthly update content.
Yet, here I am again, writing the Scroobious update following a Supreme Court ruling that grants more rights to guns than to women.
Multiple rulings last week marked the start of a truly dark time in America. Like so many, I have been overwhelmed by the power of my emotional response to the fundamental rights being taken away from segments of our population who have fought for decades to secure them. It is infuriating, embarrassing, and devastating all at once, and impossible to reconcile especially knowing more legislation and rulings removing equitable rights will be coming.
BUT, you're here to learn what our company and the startup ecosystem is up to, and there is a lot to be excited about. We work with dozens of accelerators and entrepreneur organizations and we're in the thick of demo day season. I was fortunate to have two inspiring experiences last week that helped remind me the world is a big place and gain a broader perspective, which I'd like to share with you to infuse some positivity into your day.
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First, I had the absolute pleasure of working with 13 entrepreneurs from Latin America through World Boston and Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative helping them prep for their final pitch presentations. I was blown away by their ambitious companies, their presentations in what is a second language for most, and their support for one another.
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Second, I was delighted to serve as a judge for the Harvard Business Analytics Program (HBAP) final pitch competition. This virtual program ran during COVID and people traveled from literally all over the world to come together in Boston for the weekend. The enthusiasm was contagious and the mutual support was palpable. Truly a special group.
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Both of these programs bring together accomplished, visionary, and diverse individuals from different countries and industries who genuinely delight in collaborating and lifting each other up. When I sink into the despair that comes from the irreversible divide that has split our own country, I am so thankful to have these experiences and to have expanded my network beyond our borders. If you have a chance to engage more with international communities, I highly encourage you to do so.
Read on for upcoming events, replays of past ones, and don't miss our featured founder at the end! Let's chat if you run an accelerator or program and are interested in providing pitch content and guidance to your members. Thank you for reading this. Thank you for helping us. I appreciate you.
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Allison Byers, Founder & CEO
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Click on an update to learn more.
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Virtual Workshop: Upmarqt CEO Olga Ten led a great workshop about how to build the right team at every stage of your startup.
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Virtual Workshop: 7/13, 12-1 pm ET How to decide on the size of your option pool with Shoobx. Option pools can affect everything from how much of your company you retain to your company’s effective valuation, so it’s important to be strategic.
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Event: Venture Lane is hosting a Blue Hour in their downtown Boston office space Thursday night (6/30), from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm.
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Event: Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) is hosting an Ask & Offer Breakfast on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at their office in downtown Boston. Each attendee should be prepared to make an "ask" (a call for advice or expertise about a challenge you're tackling) and an "offer" (advice or expertise you can share).
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Grant: The Accelerate(HER) Fund sponsored by Tiger Global Impact Ventures, in partnership with Hello Alice and the Global Entrepreneurship Network, will provide grants up to $50K to support women entrepreneurs building breakthrough technologies that have a demonstrated need for funding to reach the next stage of growth.
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Accelerator: Applications to the Majira Project are open for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous founders or for companies serving under-resourced communities. Majira partners with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to provide each company with a pro bono team skilled at solving business challenges in Strategy, Sales & Marketing, Operations, and more.
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Pitch Competition: Applications opened for the Plain Sight Black Founders Demo Day for startups in the SaaS, Transportation, FinTech, and Entertainment industries. Each of the 16 selected companies will receive $3,000 for travel, planning, and accommodations.
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Each newsletter features the perspective of one of our members. I encourage you to reach out to offer networking, investment interest, or expertise.
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This month's featured founder is Renee Fry, Founder & CEO of Gentreo. As soon as we started our pitch review session, I knew I was going to love Renee. She radiates honesty, confidence, humility, humor, and a desire to help others. I know, that's a lot for a first impression, but it really is true and if you meet her you'll know what I'm talking about.
Renee watched her parents spend $10K on estate planning they didn't understand and couldn't fully utilize without continued help. Those documents we need throughout our lives to help us prepare, plan, and protect all that we love should be affordable and easy to use. This is what Gentreo does and they've already market tested with 5,000 users! They have incredible traction and just graduated from TiE ScaleUp's accelerator.
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"80% of Americans today don't have an estate plan. After our parents paid $10,000 to do estate planning, we knew we had to modernize estate planning for the next generation to help solve this problem. Families today deserve to be able to protect themselves, those they love, and their assets.
Every adult in America should be able to have a medical and financial power of attorney and a will. The medical and financial power of attorney are documents that empower someone you trust to make decisions for you during your lifetime if you become incapable. If none of that is organized and you become incapacitated or die, the state comes in and makes decisions for you, regardless of what you may have chosen.
All of us need to be able to find and use our documents and important information too. That's why Gentreo added features like our Instant Access Button, our team sharing feature, and annual review. Having the tools to make good decisions is something we all need to secure our financial futures."
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Do you want to be more Scroobious? Let's chat!
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