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

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Hi there,

Happy New Year! Larry David would have a conniption about that greeting at the end of January, but, this is the first newsletter of 2024 and I truly do hope you have had a wonderful start to the year.

From launching our investor marketplace, to helping write and pass a landmark California law requiring public disclosure of investment diversity metrics, to  witnessing investor discovery of founders on our platform result in funding, 2023 was full of value-building momentum!  

In the spirit of reflection, this newsletter will share learnings and updates from the past year. I don't like to waste peoples' time, so expect each link to bring you somewhere informative and to the point. This newsletter distribution organically grew 119% in 2023 to over 3,000 people and our average unsubscribe rate is only 0.15%. The numbers indicate this is good stuff! 😉

• Jan: Silencing Women: The 1.9% VC funding struggle in 2022 and calling out content theft.
  
  
• Feb: Scroobious Impact: 2022 report highlights 58% Women, 65% Non-White Founders, and 81% at Pre-Seed/Seed Stage.
  
  
• Mar: Startup Shock: SVB closure sparks emergency and 99.9% of VC funding in MA goes to men.
  
  
• Apr: From 250 to 5,000: The evolution of entrepreneurship education, but funding still a hurdle.
  
  
• May: Scroobious Hits Inflection Point: Investor marketplace mvp connects diverse founders and investors in real time.
  
  
• Jun: From Data to Democracy: Championing Senate Bill 54 for transparency in venture funding.
  
  
• Jul: Three Big Moves: Testifying in CA, launching the Investor Portal, and welcoming Pipstant AI.
  
  
• Aug: Builder Capital Unleashed: Scroobious calls for City Leads to expand support for entrepreneurs.
  
  
• Sep: From Vision to Reality: Scroobious Ambassador program gains momentum with inaugural City Leads.
  
  
• Oct: Milestones Amidst Primal Fear: WBENC-certified, affordable plans, and an enormous advocacy triumph in a dire time.
  
  
• Nov: Building Roots and Reaching Heights: Our new Head of Engineering and our growing role in entrepreneurial growth.
  
  
• Dec: Building a Moat of Authenticity: Scroobious' guiding principle.

Read on for some great upcoming events and opportunities, a Morse Minute roundup, and don't miss our featured founders 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  2/21 from 2-3 pm ET where Danielle O'Neal, SVP of Life Sciences at Banc of California, will cover the basics of fundraising today in the life sciences space.

Virtual Workshop: Join us on 2/22 from 2-3 pm ET where industry expert and investor Kathy Copic will share a framework for how founders can use data and AI to level up their business.

Hult Prize:  The Hult Prize recently launched the Hult Prize Open Application. This year, you can pitch any idea you have for a social enterprise, as long as it is world-changing and aligned with at least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Rolling applications.

Pitch HearstLab: Pitch HearstLab is a pitch event series aimed at finding and funding the best high-growth, B2B(2C) women-led startups in the US and select international markets.The winner (s) will receive $100k in investment and 3 months of support from HearstLab, an investor in early-stage, women-led startups. Finalists will pitch live in New York City on April 17th. Applications are due 2/4.

M2D2 $200k Challenge: The $200K Challenge is an annual start-up competition hosted by M2D2, focused on identifying and rewarding disruptive companies in the medical technology and biotechnology industries. This year, 15 finalists will become eligible to win a share of their $200k  purse of sponsor-provided, in-kind services. These services include lab and office space; engineering, product development, legal, regulatory, clinical, and business services . Applications are due 2/11.

Amplifier Grant: The Amplifier Grant is a fund by The Outrage accepting applications on a rolling basis with at least $5,000 in funds awarded on a seasonal basis (i.e., Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). Applications are due 3/31.

Unshackled Residency: If you're a solo immigrant founder seeking $150K in capital, immigration support, and a supportive community of fellow solo immigrant founders, apply for the residency at Unshackled VC. Applications are due 3/1.

Morse supports diverse founders through sponsoring Scroobious founder memberships and creating exclusive content for our community.

Here are 12 things you should know about the legalities of running an early stage start up:

• Jan: When it is and isn't appropriate to ask an investor to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
  
  
• Feb: Five key categories to consider when negotiating a preferred stock term sheet.
  
  
• Mar: How to win the war for early stage talent.
  
  
• Apr: The equity dilution consequences of accepting venture capital financing.
  
  
• May: Regulations that govern the sale of securities and the penalties of non-compliance. 
  
  
• Jun: Key C-Corp incorporation documents.
  
  
• Jul: Six top employment considerations for startups and emerging companies.
  
  
• Aug: Fiduciary duties of directors on the board.
  
  
• Sep: Ten things to keep in mind after being served with a complaint.
  
  
• Oct: Tips to protect the company and yourself.
  
  
• Nov: Key advantages and disadvantages of an asset purchase vs. a stock purchase.
  
  
• Dec: A primer on issuing stock options to startup employees.

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

Founders gain access to a full suite of expert-led and investor-vetted guidance on our scalable platform when they join Scroobious. They also join a supportive community and amplification through our social reach to 21K+ investors, founders, and ecosystem players. We featured 12 incredible founders in 2023 who shared why they started their companies.

We've been featuring founders in our newsletter since 2020; check them all out here, and of course, on our platform! See even more Founder Friday features on our Instagram and LinkedIn.

12 founders you should know:

1. Julie Rasmussen, Founder & CEO of SheBanks.
2. Christian Ross, Founder & CEO of Happy Talks.
3. Anj Fayemi, Co-founder & CEO of Rivet. 
4. Sesha Kadakia, Founder & CEO of Tangify.
5. Elizabeth Tikoyan, Founder & CEO of Healp.
6. Stanley Rameau, founder of Renavest.
7. Dianne Austin, Co-founder and CEO of Coils to Locs.
   
8. Shivangi Khurania, Founder and CEO of Udeso.
9. Tommy Johnson, Founder & CEO of MADE.
10. Nathalya Mamane, Founder & CEO of RT MicroDx.
11. Dr. Abraham Lin, Co-Founder & CEO of Orbits Oncology.
12. Dana Fry, the founder and CEO of Ujamaa Financial.

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

• If you provide startup services and want to decrease customer acquisition costs with mutually beneficial warm introductions,  let's chat!

• If you're a founder interested in joining to de-risk your business, book an intro call.
• If you're an accredited investor looking to access our deal flow, sign up here.

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