I'm about to present a stark picture, but keep reading, because inspiration and motivation soon follow. Come along on this quick newsletter journey. THE URGENT PROBLEM Venture funding has consistently been one of our nation's most inequitably distributed resources, persisting throughout the industry's existence. The strides made by women and minority founders following George Floyd's murder and the diversity commitments during COVID-19 have been obliterated in the past two years. |
Dozens of reports underscore that women and diverse founders generate higher return per dollar invested. Notably, Black women are spearheading company launches faster than any other segment. The absence of suitable and fair funding means the world will miss their groundbreaking innovations, and our economy will forego trillions in growth.
WHY IT MATTERS This is an everybody problem. Every individual has, to some degree, felt the repercussions of insufficient funding for women and minority entrepreneurs. Surprisingly, most Americans remain unaware of this disparity and its impact on their health, happiness, and finances.
The VC industry's evolution has given rise to biases and inequalities that are unsustainable in today's entrepreneurial landscape. THE SCROOBIOUS IMPACT
We offer accessible expert fundraising guidance for founders on a large scale and a connective infrastructure for non-venture capital investors and ecosystem partners, fundamentally altering who participates in our innovation economy and creates generational wealth.
Today, I'm excited to share our 2023 Community Report, spotlighting the diversity and success of our community members and the profound impact our platform has on founders, investors, and ecosystem partners. As a mission-driven company, the fruit of our partnerships is evident in our community's composition.
While I've shared a few highlights here, I encourage you to read the full report. Inside you'll find inspiring stories of our members' achievements along with essential insights and data detailing the growth and evolution of our community and the broader early-stage ecosystem. |
|
|
|
We intentionally partner with diversity-first organizations, fostering a vibrant community that derives tangible value from our education, events, and connections with investors and providers. |
|
|
|
Traditionally, investors are confined to interest-based and location-based networks for deal flow. Our platform transcends these geographical challenges. 70% of investors who messaged a founder after viewing a profile had continued conversations around funding. |
|
|
Explore great upcoming events and opportunities below, and don't overlook our featured founder at the end! Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting us. I appreciate you. |
Allison Byers, Founder & CEO
|
Click on an item to learn more and access content. |
|
|
|
|
2023 Community Report: Our second annual Community Report highlights the diversity and success of our community members and the impact our platform has on founders, investors, and ecosystem partners including service providers, universities, and accelerator programs.
|
|
|
|
Virtual Workshop: Join us on 3/12 from 2-3 pm ET where James Oliver Jr., co-founder of Kabila, will discuss how to find a co-founder and maintain that relationship. |
|
|
|
Virtual Panel: Join us on 3/28 from 2-3 pm ET where a panel of angels will share relevant, tactical tips and tricks for founders to consider when using cold outreach to fundraise.
|
|
|
|
Virtual Event: The Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership (IFEL) is an incredible organization and the WOCCON Summit is a unique experience. I'm thrilled to be speaking on a panel with Maurice Holloman and LaToya Wilson about taking action to address capital access inequity. You can join us on 3/7 at 3:40 pm ET.
|
|
|
|
Podcast: Do you know about the techno-optimist movement? If not, you should. Give a listen to this quick Venture Daily podcast by Demo Day, who invited me to share my views. As you might imagine, I have strong ones.
|
|
|
|
Post: I dove into the Pitchbook/NVCA funding data for female-only teams based on the top US combined statistical areas. Click to enjoy this fun yet infuriating graphic I whipped up that sparked some heated dialogue. |
|
|
|
Podcast: I joined the The Medtech Impact Podcast for an insightful conversation about increasing startup ecosystem diversity. This was a really fun chat and I shared some personal experiences while raising nearly $10M for my last medical device company. I encourage you to give it a listen!
|
|
|
|
|
Screening: Winner of 7 Awards including "Best Feature Documentary" this movie should not be missed. Show Her The Money reminds us that money is power and women need it to achieve true equality. Join us for a screening and panel discussion with the producers 4/2, 7 pm ET, at Simmons University.
|
|
|
|
Event: The All Raise Boston Chapter is excited to host our 3rd Annual "Agents of Change" event on 4/4 at MassChallenge! Join us for this half-day event, where female and non-binary founders, investors, and allies can network, learn from some of Boston's biggest mentors and influencers, and dive into how we can be agents of change toward gender equity.
|
|
|
|
|
Post: I'm sick of startup symbols being rockets, meteors, or unicorns. Two bring unsustainable growth that causes companies to crash and burn and one is a myth. Let's strive for bluebirds. They symbolize happiness, fulfillment, luck, hope, and prosperity. Isn't that entrepreneurship? Hundreds of people agree.
|
|
|
Click on an item to learn more and access content. |
|
|
|
Gusto Impact Award: Founders in Atlanta, Austin, and Orlando are encouraged to apply for the Gusto Impact Awards. Share your small business story for a chance at a $50,000 advertising package, $10,000 cash, and one year of free Gusto payroll services. Applications are due 3/14.
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
Women's Product Entrepreneur & Inventor Summit: April 27-28th in San Diego, CA. This 2-day event will include keynote speakers who have successfully taken products to market, “roll-up-your-sleeves” workshops with take-aways specific for your business or idea, and an inspiring investor pitch day in front of a highly respected panel of judges and an engaged live audience.
|
|
|
Each newsletter features the perspective of one of our members. I encourage you to reach out to offer networking, investment interest, or expertise. |
Actions always speak louder than words. My friend James Oliver, Jr. has been taking action for as long as I've known him. He runs the nonprofit ParentPreneur Foundation for Black parent entrepreneurs, founded Kabila to bring diverse co-founders together for stronger teams, and is now raising a fund to invest in the communities he's grown for years. Scroobious has proudly partnered with all of his efforts from the get-go, and we're excited to feature him this month!
Investors - check out his pitch on our platform! |
"With over 10 years of experience as a tech entrepreneur, author, and community builder, I am passionate about creating innovative solutions and opportunities for overlooked founders. As the CEO and co-founder of Kabila I connect overlooked founders to capital and each other and provide them with resources and support to launch and grow their startups. I founded Kabila because I know firsthand the challenges of needing a co-founder and not being able to find one with my first startup, as well as the difficulty of raising capital as an underestimated founder for all three of my startups.
I also founded the ParentPreneur Foundation, a non-profit organization that empowers Black ParentPreneurs to be the best parents and entrepreneurs they can be. Through grants, mentorship, and community, I help Black ParentPreneurs overcome the unique challenges they face and leave a legacy for their children." |
Do you want to be more Scroobious? Let's chat! |
|
|
The email was sent to lmacomber+newsletter@scroobious.com. To no longer receive these emails, unsubscribe here. View in browser . Copyright © 2024 Scroobious, Inc. All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
_01HQNSTH7QMNJ0MFVRT8ENRZRQ.png)
_01HQKK7N2DTJ6A5TEPG7J8SZ1Z.png)
