Teaching diverse founders how to create investable pitch material through a scalable online platform and making it easy for investors to discover them through data-driven curation. 

Hi there,

There are few things more exciting to an entrepreneur than seeing your vision come to life. We founders take on the challenge of bringing a new thing into the world that didn't exist before. Visions of a future state exist in our minds and we manifest them into solutions others can use. It's daunting and thrilling and painful and exhilarating and unbearable and fulfilling all at the same time. 

Are you already thinking, geez, it takes a special kind of person to choose that journey? Well, take all of that and amplify it for women and minority founders who are systemically denied access to resources and funding. Then do it again for the crazies like me who built companies during the pandemic.

I had to make some difficult decisions about Scroobious' growth strategy to sustain viability during the years of COVID uncertainty and school closures, which included delaying the launch of our investor-facing portal. As a for-profit social enterprise, it has always been our vision to not only affordably teach founders how to create compelling pitch material, but also to help angel investors discover our vibrant, diverse community and directly impact the flow of capital.

After years of validation work, we are finally realizing this vision. We soft launched our marketplace last week to our own angel investors and witnessed the real-time discovery of relevant, compelling founders on our platform they didn't previously know. The unprompted feedback below sent me into the weekend feeling one of those entrepreneur highs.

Each week we will be extending early invitations to more and more of the 100+ of you who joined our investor waitlist. If you're a founder member reading this, be sure to publish your pitch as soon as you can!

Scroobious has reached an inflection point and the momentum is tangible. I'm so glad to share this exciting time with you.

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: Nailing Down Your Customer Personas & Ideal Customer, 6/13, 2-3 PM ET Join us for an insightful webinar with seasoned professional, Shruti Sharma. By understanding your ideal audience, you’ll be able to inform and align all parts of your organization to establish a strong foundation for your startup’s success.

Virtual workshop: Protect and Grow Your Startup: A Deep Dive on Trademarks, 6/15 2-3 PM ET Nik Sallie is an award-winning Intellectual Property attorney  who will teach us what every founder needs to know about trademarks to protect and grow your startup.

Virtual AMA: Raising Your Round Using Cold Outreach  Despite having no background in tech or startups, Julie Griggs, co-founder and CEO of Fourplay Social, raised a round of capital using cold outreach only. In this Ask Me Anything (AMA), Julie will share a “behind-the-scenes” look at how she accomplished a successful raise, followed by a live Q&A session.

In-person event: WOCE Startup Party with a Purpose, 5/31 6-8 PM ET 

Please join us for a fun evening to reconnect with friends and meet new ones. No formal sit down dinner and long speeches. Just networking drinks, food, celebrating and giving back to Women Of Color Entrepreneurs.

Application: The Cartier Women's Initiative is currently accepting applications for its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award and encourage entrepreneurial solutions designed to close gaps of access, outcome or opportunity for communities that have been underrepresented or underserved to apply.  Applications due 6/30. 

Application: The Conscious Venture Lab is a 12-week accelerator program for early-stage, purpose-driven companies founded by underrepresented entrepreneurs using innovation to break down barriers to access and create a more equitable society. Applications due 6/18. 

Application: The Merck Digital Sciences Studio, a 10-month hands-on accelerator program providing mentorship, coaching, training, support, community, and investment to enable the next generation of innovative technologies for drug discovery and development is accepting applications for their next cohort. Applications due 8/1.

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 discusses the importance of knowing the regulations that govern the sale of securities and the harsh penalties for non-compliance.  Click here for the full article. Quick highlights below:

• Securities are broadly defined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to include stock, membership interest, stock options, restricted stock, convertible instruments and debt. 
• The sale of securities is regulated and enforced by the SEC (including sales by private companies) as well as by state securities divisions. 
• All sales of securities must either be registered with the SEC or have an exemption from registration.  
• Non-compliance can result in a number of civil or criminal lawsuits, financial penalties, rescission of the offering, and more.
• Common pitfalls that can put companies in violation include general solicitation, using an unregistered broker or dealer, and violating the “bad actor” rules. (More on each of these in the full article)
• Companies should also remember to timely file any necessary securities filings with state and federal agencies after selling securities (for example, Form D and blue-sky securities filings).

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  Elizabeth Tikoyan, Founder & CEO of Healp. When you hear Elizabeth's story, you can't help but be drawn into her mission and determination.

Elizabeth was diagnosed in high school with an incurable condition that led to paralysis, memory loss, severe pain, and extreme lethargy. She begged and pleaded with the medical world for any help but doctors could not provide her with answers. So, she turned to online communities and connected with others who helped her find ways to improve her health and regain a normal life.

Healp uses artificial intelligence, crowdsourcing, and big data to help patients with incurable conditions find health answers the medical world can't provide.  She is a force and has a list of accomplishments including: part of Techstars x J.P. Morgan, voted CBIC Student Entrepreneur of the Year, Top 32 Student Startups by Student Startup Madness, a National Geographic Women of Impact, recognized by Senator Mark Warner( D-VA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for her impact in the disability and patient space, and is a Harvard SVMP Alumni and Forbes Under 30 Scholar. 

"I personally experienced the hardships of living with a chronic condition that falls within the 60% of conditions lacking extensive research and treatment options. Throughout my high school years, I grappled with paralysis, memory loss, severe pain, and constant fatigue, leaving me bedridden for most of the day. Despite my desperate pleas, doctors informed me that there was no known cure, leaving me feeling helpless and abandoned by the medical world.

In a final attempt to find answers, I turned to online communities where I connected with individuals worldwide who faced similar challenges. Through these connections, I discovered ways to improve my health and regain a normal life. This experience fueled my determination to establish Healp, an organization that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and big data to provide answers to patients with chronic and incurable conditions when traditional medicine falls short. Our approach combines the support of a community with the invaluable insights derived from comprehensive data analysis, empowering patients to navigate their health journeys with confidence and hope."

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 investor looking to access our deal flow, join the waitlist here.
• If you'd like to sponsor founder accounts and get involved in our community, let's chat!

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