Funding Pathways: Wefunder, Slauson & Co., The Alliance for Southern California Innovation

​​When it comes to money for startups, there's no shortage of options - from crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, equity funding models such as convertible debt, friends & family rounds, smaller VCs, grants and even angel investment networks. 💰 Join us for our funding pathways event series for a panel with industry leaders so you can find out which path is right for you! 🚀

This month's speakers:

​Raychel Espiritu is the Venture Outreach Manager at The Alliance for Southern California Innovation where she helps match Seed and Series-A-ready startups with institutional investors. She is a Los Angeles native with over 13 years of experience in media, startups, business development, and digital marketing. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Cal State University, Northridge, and taught digital marketing at General Assembly from 2014-2015. Her professional experience includes working with large corporate brands, media companies, marketing agencies, and venture firms.

​Adie Akuffo-Afful is the Head of Venture Partners at Wefunder. He is a British-born, Ghanaian-raised American. He joined Wefunder in March 2020 as their Inbound Lead, then moved over to Business Development/Growth, then Partnerships, and is now heading the Venture Programming efforts. Wefunder is the most global value-add Venture Partner program with amazing individuals all over the globe looking to help founders at every level. To date, Adie has helped raise over $45M+ for startups both on and off the Wefunder platform.

​Alieen Kim is a Platform Analyst at Slauson & Co. Prior to Slauson & Co., Aileen interned at The Walt Disney Company, Nuleep, and the Greater LA branch of UN Women in controls, strategy, and engagement. Through USC’s Asian Pacific American Student Services center (APASS), she developed Connections!, an annual career development program with monthly events. Passionate about the intersection of business and social good, Aileen strives to provide a new perspective in all the projects she touches.