👀 Recruiting on Twitter, deep-held beliefs, record-breaking unicorns, Black female founder's playbook, $500k+ in new funding opportunities and more
A bi-weekly newsletter of curated actionable resources for underestimated founders, funders, and friends.
Welcome to Lolita’s Newsletter! We share curated actionable resources for underestimated founders, funders, and friends. We are at 9,771 members. To give or get access to exclusive founder content, office hours, our Slack community, and get your pitch deck reviewed become an annual subscriber.
Fatima D (Sugar), Tony & Ameer B (Breakr), Parul S (Initialized)
Is “how big is your rocket?” the new billionaire mid-life crisis go-to, Bezos, Branson, and Musk? Of course not. 😉 They, as CNN captured, just really “hope their otherworldly pursuits inspire a new generation of curious space explorers and entrepreneurs.” While some people’s minds are in space, on Earth: 41% of workers are thinking of or are quitting and startups are picking them up on Twitter; Miami’s startup funding activity is growing (up 142% in Q2); NYC’s subway x Google now helps you avoid people (and COVID); and 83% of US COVID cases come from the Delta variant. So, get vaccinated. Wear a mask and don’t be unruly on your flights. Otherwise, you might have to deal with 🥷 ninja attendants.
Taking a step back. Can you think of deep-held beliefs you picked up while growing up that served you well for some time but are now holding you back? Thanks to my last introspective challenge from my Recast Enablement Program executive coach, I learned that I have some things to reprogram in my mind. And, after discussing the topic with a girlfriend and having her tell me it was helpful talking about it, I want to share more with you.
It was the Summer of 1991 in South Central Los Angeles. Mass had ended. My family and 6-year old me walked out of church and saw nuns handing out plastic bags filled with bolillos, Mexican baguettes. I ran up and asked for one. My dad made me return it and when I got home he spanked me hard and told me: we would never be “people asking for or taking handouts,” that we would always “earn our pay and buy our own bread” as long as “we have arms and legs to work.” He continued, “We give and do not take from others.” There were other instances where he beat it into me that I needed to work for what I wanted and not ask for anything. That made me the community-oriented, giving, and self-reliant worker I am today. It’s served me and led me to success but it’s now holding me back.
“Our parents did our best to raise us and yet we need to break through the shackles of our upbringing to unlock our next levels,” a friend told me this week. He’s right. For those who need to hear it, especially the ever giving community-builders and communal minded folks out there, remember this:
Valuing ourselves and asking for our worth is not asking for a handout.
If you are not being valued or paid your worth, demand it or walk-away.
If people offer to help, you’re not taking advantage of them.
Accept help. It’s healthy to take (and not just give).
ICYMI: Join my AMA with Jason Calacanis's Inside team on 8/18. Featured in the More Equity podcast. Quoted in Fortune, TechCrunch, and TecNoticias. Startup-Investor Matching Tool's intros have led to 32 checks ($4+ total value).
Congrats
Nasir C. Qadree raised $62.1M for Zeal Capital Partners. Anu Duggal raised $57M for Female Founders Fund’s III. Dana Guthrie raised $12.5M for Gateway Capital. Abbey Wemimo and Samir Goel raised $10M for Esusu. Samir Kaji and Hana Yang raised $5M for Allocate. Tony Brown and Ameer Brown raised $4.2M for Breakr (portfolio company). Fatima Dicko raised $2.5M for Sugar Living (portfolio company). John Henry and Loop announced a new partnership with TomTom. Parul Singh joined Initialized Capital as a Partner. Miguel Arias joined K Fund as a Partner.
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Funders
Susa Ventures | Aspiring VCs: apply for the Venture Fellows Cohort by 7/30
Lolita Taub | Emerging managers: check-out these communities made for us
Startup-Investor Matching Tool | VCs: receive thesis-aligned customized deal flow
🌈 Are you an LP who wants to meet underrepresented GPs? Learn more about the GP-LP Matching Tool and sign-up to get intros.
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Founders
Holly Liu | Read 10 reasons you didn’t get the best investors
Asking for a founder | Find the best communities for female founders of color
All Raise | Women and non-binary founders: get your FREE fundraising masterclass
📚 Want more resources? Here are courses + services for you.
SPONSORED Art lovers and investors: on Masterworks, you can invest in multi-million dollar paintings by artists like Basquiat and Banksy with annual appreciation between 10-30%.
Money
MetaProp | Real estate founders: apply for this accelator & get <$250k by 7/30
Pow Wow Pitch | Indigenous founders: apply for a $25k pitch competition by 7/31
SoGal Foundation | Black female founders: apply for $5-$10K in grants
Asking for a founder | BIPOC founders: find several grant programs for BIPOC
iFundWomen | Female entertainment founders: apply for $10K grants
Lightship Capital | Founders: apply to Twitch Pitch for $5K and Amazon credits
1863 Ventures | Black founders: apply to get a 3Rs $5K grant
Non-dilutive capital | Create a profile to find non-dilutive capital
Equity Crowdfunding | Raise up to $5 million
👋🏽 Want investor intros? Sign-up for The Startup-Investor Matching Tool and, if you founded a community-driven co, submit to The Community Fund.
Jobs
Foundry Group | Analyst > Boulder, CO
American Express | Investment Manager > Palo Alto, CA & New York City, NY
VamosVentures | Senior Associate > Los Angeles, CA
💥 See all open roles here. 💥
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