Allison Byers’ Post

What a powerful initiative! Above 2% shines a spotlight on New England's female entrepreneurs, challenging the stark venture capital disparities. By providing professional headshots and showcasing 200 founders, this initiative not only empowers women but also equips them with essential tools to elevate their business presence. Kudos to Scroobious, At the Table, HQ, and Mass Cultural Council for this inspiring effort. Let’s actively support and invest in female founders. #investinwomen #riseabove2%

Quick stats on this post: ♂ Of the 190 reactions, 17% are from men. ♂ Of the 16 reposts, 1 is from a man. Here's an EASY way to be an ally. React and/or repost this content to amplify its reach. This is an important initiative that deserves awareness. When you repost you help: ✅ Female founders see the opportunity. ✅ Ecosystem partners learn about the exhibit so they can engage. ✅ Inspire advocates in other regions who might want to explore a similar initiative. My friend Samantha Katz and many others have shown how the algorithm here buries posts by women. Use your platform to walk your talk. Allyship means active participation. Reposting women's content is about as easy and fast as it gets. SHOW UP.

"In 2023, 1.8% of venture capital dollars went to female founding teams. In MA that number is 0.9%. Yes, those are real numbers. A common and unfounded refrain from venture fund managers is that there just aren't as many women seeking investment...We're going to showcase 200 of them for you. Scroobious has proudly partnered with At the Table,HQ and Mass Cultural Council on a new initiative called Above 2%. This photography exhibit will celebrate the achievements of female #entrepreneurs in New England to inspire and foster inclusivity. #CalltoAction: 👉 If you're a female founder in New England and want to participate, nominate yourself (or others) here: https://lnkd.in/e7XDp6XM 👉 If you're interested in hosting the traveling exhibit in the coming year, reach out to At The Table: atthetablehq@gmail.com Quick stats on Allison Byers original post: ♂ Of the 190 reactions, 17% are from men. ♂ Of the 16 reposts, 1 is from a man. Here's an EASY way to be an ally. React and/or repost this content to amplify its reach. This is an important initiative that deserves awareness. When you repost you help: ✅ Female founders see the #opportunity. ✅ Ecosystem partners learn about the exhibit so they can engage. ✅ Inspire advocates in other regions who might want to explore a similar initiative. Use your platform to walk your talk.#Allyship means active participation. Reposting women's content is about as easy and fast as it gets. SHOW UP." ALL Excerpts Allison Byers #OnRepeat #InspiredByYou #business #venturecapital #investing #entrepreneurship #investinwomen #startups #diversity #equity #inclusion #money #cultureofmoney

Charleston, SC is best known for being a travel destination because of so many reasons… beautiful beaches, charming downtown, incredible history, and some of the best food you can imagine. If you’ve been here, my guess is you’ve loved it. :) But, did you know that Charleston (and SC in general) is becoming quite the hub for startups and businesses? The innovation, brilliance, and support that is here (and moving here) is astounding. People like John Osborne, Nancy Conwell, Jamie DeMent, Mackenzie Cruz, Will Cruz, and so many others are leading the way. Yesterday, stacey and I had the honor and privilege of being speakers at the Charleston Angel Partners Summit, and we got to talk about the power and importance of funding diversity. The room was full of approx. 75% white men who mostly invest in the tech and healthcare industries… but we were so thrilled to see that this is shifting. These men (and women) were excited and open to hear about diversity, and want to be a part of the change. Our ask of them was to consider - just at least be open-minded - about funding women and other underrepresented groups. We explained that you don’t have to have a whole portfolio of investments in women and/or diverse founders, but at least make an active, conscious effort to have one/some. I said, “Most of you probably would never have even given someone like Sara Blakely 10 minutes to hear her pitch when she was starting out because she had a physical product that was geared to women. But, my guess is you’d love to have her in your portfolio now.” :) The groundswell is most definitely happening. As investors, if you don’t start considering investing in women (and specifically women inventors) and the less represented, you may just miss the boat. #investing #charleston #southcarolina #entrepreneurship #founders #investors #womensupportingwomen #funding #angelinvestors

💡 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 At our recent Breaking Barriers Event, female founders shared their best tips on how they closed financing. Thank you, Andrea Ippolito, Manuela Zoninsein, Allison Byers, and Melanie Samba, for sharing your knowledge with us! Here’s what they had to say: 🎥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐝: Andrea Ippolito used TCP DocSend to analyze how investors interacted with her pitch deck. By understanding what resonated, she fine-tuned her approach. 💪𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 “𝐍𝐨”: Fundraising is a numbers game. For every rejection, you’re one step closer to the “Yes” that can change everything. 📈 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞-𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Show investors your traction and growth through clear data and milestones. It’s all about proving your business’s potential. 🔍 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡: Research potential investors and funds to ensure alignment with your business goals. Relevance is key. 🗣️ 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: Manuela Zoninsein shared how understanding investors’ motivations can help you craft compelling pitches that resonate. 🌟𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐩: Approach fundraising strategically and methodically—treat it as a campaign, not just a conversation. Read more at our blog https://lnkd.in/dy5vdHNR #TheStartupStation #PowerUpGlobally #FemaleFounders #Fundraising #Entrepreneurs #VCs #Startups

Join the Orange County Women's Business Center Founders Forum on 8/22/24 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PST) via Zoom for an interactive webinar designed to equip entrepreneurs with crucial knowledge for startup fundraising success. Hear from seasoned founders, investors, and experts. Register today! https://lnkd.in/d6ZXYCUJ #StartupSuccess #FoundersForum #Entrepreneurship #StartupFunding #OCWBC #VentureCapital #AngelInvesting #OrangeCounty #California Scott Fox 🦊

There are moments in life when you can feel real, tangible change —change driven by amazing people who genuinely care about making a difference. That change becomes a movement, and that movement is happening now. I'm thrilled to share this incredible and inspiring story in my latest column for The Herald Business HQ. Many of you may have seen the shocking news last month when Innovate UK halved the number of grants awarded to women-led businesses, sparking outrage across the entrepreneurial community. This year's ‘Women in Innovation’ Awards saw a record 1,452 applications, but only 25 grants were awarded—despite many applicants scoring over 90%. The result? Over £2 million in underfunding, leaving female entrepreneurs frustrated. In response, a powerful movement was born. Shoutout to Emma Jarvis, founder of Dearbump, who first flagged the issue on LinkedIn, which led to Becky Lodge, founder of Startup Disruptors, quickly mobilizing a grassroots movement. This united female founders and advocates including Tara Attfield-Tomes, Zandra Moore, Ingrid Murray, and Emmie Faust, forming a coalition called ‘Let’s Fund More Women’. Their collective efforts secured a meeting with Innovate UK, and in a stunning 36-hour reversal, Innovate UK reinstated £2.12 million in funding, allowing 25 additional women to receive grants! But these incredible women didn’t stop there—they’re now pushing for broader reforms, demanding greater transparency and a more inclusive application process. This victory marks a significant milestone for female founders, who still face challenges in securing funding. With only 2% of venture capital funding going to women, this movement proves that, together, we can drive real change. 🙌 Read more in my latest article for The Herald Business HQ, where I explore how this movement is reshaping the entrepreneurial landscape for women. A huge thank you to all the trailblazers leading this charge and continuing to advocate for equity in entrepreneurship. Read the full article here -https://lnkd.in/eBynktZS Ian McConnell #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #Let’sFundMoreWomen #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #WomenInTech #HeraldBusinessHQ

Insights from The Founder's Journey panel from Canadian Women's Network Pathway to Silicon Valley event featuring Mariane Bekker Vicki Knott, P.Eng Alex Abelin Some calibration on round sizes in the US. Of course these are a bit squishy, but here are some good guidelines. - Pre-seed is $500K to $1M - Seed is $1M to $3M - Series A is $3M to $10M Fundraising tips: - It's really a numbers game. It's not uncommon to get 97 "No"s to get to the 3 "Yes" answers you need to raise your round. You should be meeting with 4-5 VCs a day for a shorter period if you possibly can. - At pre-seed stage, investors want to see your passion. They don't have a lot of data to go on at that point. Founder Market Fit (domain expertise) is also helpful. - Find a mentor that will teach you to raise VC funding and run a funnel. Work really hard to get warm intros. Follow up on Tuesdays, since investors often have partner meetings on Mondays. - Going to events is a great way to build your investor network in early days. - Understand what VCs are looking for - is your business VC fundable? VCs are looking for 100X returns and billion-dollar companies. If that's not what you are planning, VC is not right for you. If it is what you are planning, make sure your confidence and your competitive advantage comes through. - Don't forget to do due diligence on investors too. Speak to founders in their portfolio companies. It's great to talk to ones that performed well and ones that didn't. #entrepreneur #startup #pitch #fundraising #femalefounder #VC

Have you ever felt like you're playing a different game than your male counterparts in the business world? I recently came across a Harvard Business Review (it's a little older, but still relevant) article that shook me to my core. It revealed that venture capitalists ask male and female entrepreneurs dramatically different questions - and it's costing women millions in funding. The study found that VCs tend to ask men about potential gains, while women face questions about potential losses. This subtle bias led to male-led startups raising five times more funding than female-led ones. FIVE TIMES! As a female founder, this hit close to home. How many times have we been on the defensive, justifying our ideas instead of showcasing their potential? But here's the empowering part: We can change the narrative. The study showed that entrepreneurs who reframed prevention-oriented questions with promotion-oriented answers raised significantly more funds. We have the power to steer the conversation towards our vision and growth potential. This isn't about changing who we are. It's about understanding the game and playing it smartly. It's about recognizing these subtle biases and not letting them define our worth or our businesses. So, fellow female founders and supporters, let's arm ourselves with this knowledge.  Let's practice reframing those tough questions.  Let's confidently showcase the potential of our ideas, not just their safety. Remember, we're not just building businesses.  We're changing the landscape for every woman who comes after us. What's your experience with pitching to investors?  Have you noticed a difference in how you're questioned compared to male counterparts? Share your stories below - let's learn from each other and lift each other up. These ladies are such supporters of female founders, and I love what they do! If you aren't following them, please do! Jennie Blumenthal Cindy Gallop Erin Gallagher Kinga Vajda Ellinor Otter #FemaleFounders #WomenInBusiness #VCFunding https://lnkd.in/eUfWcBVE

Businesses founded by women generate DOUBLE the revenue per dollar invested than those founded by men. [drop the mic] Join me and BUY YOUR TICKET TODAY, this event on July 22nd is an event not to be missed. Red carpet, move premiere, Newport, an evening of fun and education.... [drop the mic x 2]. ABOUT THE FILM: This is a story that’s never been told. SHOW HER THE MONEY addresses how women are getting less than 2% of venture capital funding and demystifies what venture capital is. Featuring rock-star female investors who invest in diverse women entrepreneurs with innovations that will change the world, Show Her The Money reminds us that money is power and women need it to achieve true equality. The film follows four visionary founders as they endure uphill battles to turn their ideas into reality. In spite of their dedication and passion constantly being challenged, these women, with the financial support and mentorship of their angel investors, become even more determined, resourceful and resilient, and the growth of their businesses is mind-blowing. Each business has the potential to become a “unicorn” … a billion dollar business.