An AI-powered, algorithmic-driven platform connecting diverse founders and investors.

Hi there,

This month has been full of progress and exciting updates on the Scroobious front. Just to name a few, we:

• Achieved WBENC-certification as a woman owned business.
• Welcomed a new city lead in Las Vegas,
• Dug into our mission to make high-quality resources accessible and affordable for all founders by reducing the price of our Lite plan to a mere $1 per year.
• Lowered the price of our investor plan to $10 per month (for now). We've  already seen success stories of investors discovering founders on our platform and investing, and we want to enable more of that! 

Additionally, our leadership and activism efforts in the realm of startup diversity have made enormous strides this month:

• California Bill SB54, which I helped ideate and write alongside an incredible team of changemakers, was signed into law. It marks the first legislation of its kind and has already spurred new initiatives and inspired others to take action.
• I've taken on the role of  All Raise Boston Co-Chair with Meeta Kapadia.

However, there's another important topic I must address in this month's newsletter. If anything I've ever written has resonated with you, please take a moment to read this.

You've likely heard me cite the stark inequity of capital distribution, with statistics like 1.9% of venture dollars going to women and 0.69% going to Black founders. I belong to another marginalized group that makes up only 0.2% of the population. I am Jewish, and I am afraid in a way I have never been before. This fear cannot be separated from who I am as the founder and activist you all know me to be.

I am not writing with a political stance, nor am I commenting on Palestinian/Israeli relations, nor am I speaking for all Jewish people. I'm sharing this from a place of mutual respect and thoughtful engagement because silence is not an option for me. Your Jewish friends and colleagues cannot turn off our thoughts, feelings, and generational trauma throughout the course of our days. We are terrified, heartbroken, confused, tired, and isolated. 

The Anti-Defamation League reported a 36% increase in antisemitic incidents in the US in 2022, and they are now at an all-time high, up 400% since October 7 when Hamas brutally murdered more Jews on any single day than since the end of the Holocaust. It is an incontrovertible truth: Hamas is a terrorist organization, just like Isis, Al-Qa'ida, and others. Their stated mission is to eliminate all Jewish people, which includes me and anyone Jewish you know. They do not believe we deserve human rights or life, and they murdered a large proportion of our population in one day.

I condemn terrorism; therefore, I condemn Hamas. Why is that statement so hard for people to make?

Condemning terrorism is entirely separate from whatever view you have on Israel, Palestine, or anywhere else. The world should be united against terrorism. Full stop.

There are more antisemites in the world than there are Jews. Being only 0.2% of the population, we cannot be the only ones voicing our condemnation of terrorism.

I am in a WhatsApp group with 100 other Jewish people in the Boston tech community, and we are frantically trying to figure out how to dispel misinformation, help those in need, and protect ourselves. We are afraid to speak with even good friends because of the weight of silence from everyone around us. We need you. Condemn terrorism. Condemn antisemitism. We are witnessing signals of how the Holocaust started right here in America, especially in our educational system, and it is horrifying. 

My work is centered around efforts that support and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the human qualities we all share. Recognizing what is happening, taking a public stand of support, personally reaching out, and creating a feeling of safety are critically important to any DEI effort. You cannot have an inclusive environment if you don't voice your support for the Jewish people in the face of pure barbaric terrorism.

Over 3,000 people subscribe to this newsletter. I am fortunate to have a small platform, and as you all know, I don't shy away from speaking up for myself or others. Since founding Scroobious three years ago I have found strength, warmth, and support from this incredible community. We focus on the humanity in all of us, and I appreciate you reading this personal message and request for help in a dire time.

Read on for some great upcoming events and opportunities, the Morse Minute, and don't miss our featured founder at the end! Thank you for reading this. Thank you for helping us. I appreciate you. 

Allison Byers, Founder & CEO

Click on an update to learn more and access content.

Virtual Workshop: Join us on Tuesday 11/14 from 2 - 3 pm ET as Marc Cote 

discusses how communicate effectively with others, the ability to understand different behavioral styles, how to adapt your style, and more.  

Virtual Workshop: Join us on Wednesday 11/29 from 12 - 1 pm ET as Sage Revell, partner at Brown Rudnick LLP, discusses all things FemTech for founders.

Podcast: Marcia Dawood invited me on The Angel Next Door to discuss the persistent issue of gender bias in fundraising and how Scroobious is taking a novel approach to put unused angel dollars to work.

Podcast: I joined to discuss Governor Newsom passing the first diversity disclosure bill of its kind for VC firms in or investing in California.

Scroobious Call for Startups: If you're an underrepresented founder based in California and currently raising, apply for a Scroobious membership sponsored by Fox Rothschild!

Application due 11/17: Women of Color Entrepreneurs (WOCE). Apply now to WOCE's  Fifth Cohort launching in early 2024! Join a strong community of women of color entrepreneurs growing their businesses.

Applications due 12/5: VHNYC Founder Fellowship. Visible Hands' 10-week Founder Fellowship is for early-stage, underrepresented founders building high-growth, tech and tech-enabled businesses. Through this hybrid program, founders can join an exceptional cohort of 15 overlooked entrepreneurs based in New York City.

Future of Healthcare Founder Residency: The Roux Institute has opened applications for the 2024 Future of Healthcare Founder Residency, which invests $50,000 in early-stage Health Tech companies and gives them access to partner healthcare systems Northern Light Health and MaineHealth, which together serve over 90% of Maine households. The program is designed to support early-stage digital health, healthcare technology, and clinical innovation founders.

Morse supports diverse founders through their Scroobious corporate sponsorship and their legal professionals create exclusive content for our community to help entrepreneurs.

This month Elizabeth Resteghini examines, from the lens of having multiple founders, tips to protect the company and yourself. Some key items leveraged for protecting the company and yourself when there are multiple co-founders are below, and click here for the full article.

• Restricted Stock Vesting Provisions
• Restrictions on Transfer in Bylaws
• Stockholder's Agreement
• Board of Directors Seats
• Employment Agreements

Each newsletter features the perspective of one of our members. I encourage you to reach out to offer networking, investment interest, or expertise.

This month's featured founder is Nathalya Mamane, Founder & CEO of RT MicroDx, which is reshaping the healthcare landscape by offering accurate, affordable, at-home molecular testing solutions. Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to rush to the doctor every time you thought your child might have strep throat or any other bacterial infection? They are making that a reality with a saliva-based home test that gives you PCR quality results at home in minutes.

Nathalya is an amazing entrepreneur who has achieved more in two years than many do in ten or more.  Nathalya founded RT MicroDx after earning her MBA at Babson. She has since been a Mass Challenge finalist, won multiple pitch competitions, presented at the BIO International Convention, and so much more. Not to mention the unbelievable progress she's made in the science and development of the device itself!

"As a Moroccan-born observant Jew, I was raised in a community to which I felt deeply connected. We all moved to Montreal, Canada, around the same time; we spoke the same language, enjoyed the same cuisine, and shared similar viewpoints. When I moved to the US 25 years ago due to my husband's job, I found myself alone. Yet, I was equipped with resilience and determination, instilled in me by the remarkable women who had faced and overcome the challenges of being Jewish immigrants with limited education, fighting for what was right with kindness and passion.

I founded RT MicroDx because, as a mother of four, I understand firsthand the toll it takes on a parent to manage the daily lives of our children and how the stability we strive to create can be disrupted when one of them falls ill. The US healthcare system is complex to navigate and, over time, has provided limited access to quality care, particularly for those who need it the most. I initiated RT MicroDx with a vision of making at-home diagnostics more affordable, especially for families in need of reliable healthcare. Combining my expertise in strategic business planning with my passion for health equity, I am prepared to transform the healthcare landscape by enhancing access to at-home testing, giving parents more control over their family's health and improving their access to superior care."

Do you want to be more Scroobious? Let's chat!

• If you're a founder or accelerator considering PiP but have questions, book an intro call.
• If you're a company looking to support diversity in the startup ecosystem, let's chat about collaboration.
• If you're an accredited investor looking to access our deal flow, sign up here.
• If you'd like to sponsor founder accounts and get involved in our community, let's chat!

Did a friend forward this to you? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know!

The email was sent to lmacomber+newsletter@scroobious.com. To no longer receive these emails, unsubscribe here. View in browser .

Copyright © 2023 Scroobious, Inc. All rights reserved.