👋 Making friends, the LATAM VC ecosystem, finding investors who add value, $1.2M in funding opportunities, and more
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🤩 Join Sahil Lavingia & me at our LaaS Fireside Chat on 11/15!
Ablorde Ashigbi (4Degrees, port co), Brittany Chavez (SLX Marketplace), Derek ‘MixedByAli’ Ali (EngineEars, port co), Elise Smith (Praxis Labs)
About a week and a half ago a VC said to me, “It's cool you're moving to Mexico City. Do you know anyone there?” I said, “My Twitter friends!” She looked at me and said, “But can you really make friends on social media?”
Uhmmm. Yes. Online REAL friend-making has been a thing for some time. In 2015, the Pew Research Center found that 57% of teens had made at least one friend online. And in today's world, yes, people are using social media and other apps to make real friends.
Personally, I believe Twitter is one of the best places to make friends because we get to know each other (through the content we consistently post), there's no pressure, and it's easy to reach out. For example, last Saturday, I invited the Twitter fam to a happy hour two days later in Mexico City, and this gathering of incredible Mexican founders, funders, and friends happened:
So, if you want to make friends or you’re feeling lonely (45% of us do) consider using Twitter. There’s 206M of us on there! If you're new to Twitter, here’s how to sign-up and below are my tips on how to start making friends:
Be you, authentically. “Don’t really care what the stereotypical way of being you is,” Zaya Wade.
Base your follows and unfollows, on whether tweets from accounts spark joy (a la Marie Kondo).
Retweet, reply to, tag people, and eventually reach out with whom you want to build a relationship.
Alright, I’m signing off for now. It’s our first week in Mexico City and Josh and I are going out for some yummy tacos al pastor — with friends we met online.
✨ Lolita Taub
twitter | lu.ma | PS Our survey winner is Alesha Adamson and I was recently made the Forbes Culture 50 List and was featured in Business Insider Mexico.
Congrats
Elise Smith and Heather Shen raised $15.5M for Praxis Lab. Abdul Hassan raised $15M for Mono. Wilfrid Obeng and Christian Facey raised $14M for AudioMob. Gerome Sapp raised $4M for Rares. Nyakio Grieco raised $3M for Thirteen Lune. Brittany Chavez raised $1M for SLX Marketplace. Oscar Pedroso of Thimble (port co) raised $104k towards their $1M goal on Republic. Ablorde Ashigbi of 4Degrees (port co) joined Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures’ accelerator. Derek Ali of Engine Ears (port co) signed a partnership with Dolby.
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Funders
Suad Fakih | LATAM funders: learn about how the LATAM VC ecosystem has grown
Carlos Moreira Jr | Fund managers: read about why LATAM is the next hot spot for mediatech companies
Startup-Investor Matching Tool | VCs: meet thesis-aligned underrepresented founders
GP-LP Matching Tool | LPs: get thesis-aligned intros to underrepresented GPs
SPONSORED: Turn your customers into data onboarding experts with Embeds, a 1-click importer experience from Flatfile.
Founders
LatinxVC | LATM Founders, funders, & friends: register and attend a LATAM perspective and opportunities panel
Matt Cohen | Fundraising founders: read an article about finding VCs and investors who add value to your business
Asking for a founder | Founders: discover a list of platforms and communities for finding business partnerships
LaaS | Underrepresented founders: get resources made for you
SPONSORED: Introducing JR Launch, an initiative of Justice Reskill! Building Twilio API integrations and custom software development solutions for early-stage startups, accelerators, VC firms, and more.
Money
Prudential Center | HBCU student/alumni founders: apply for a startup pitch competition with a $1M grand prize
Mariano Vasconcelos | Crypto emerging fund managers: send a pitch deck for a potential $100K LP check
Genius Guild | Black women founders: apply for a $50K in grant
Hello Alice x NAACP | New England Black founders: apply for $25k in small business grants
DivInc x Ascension Seton | POC & women founders: apply for co-working space in Austin and Houston and a $10K grant
SoGal Foundation | Black female founders: apply for $5-$10K in grants
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
Startup-Investor Matching Tool | Founders: get intros to investors
SPONSORED: Founders, save time with the fastest scheduling on earth. Undock allows you to instantly schedule, host, and document all your meetings. Never think about your availability again and connect with those who matter most!
Jobs
SureStart | Business Development Manager (New York City, NY; Boston, MA; Remote, US)
WeSolv | Sr. Content and Digital Marketing Leader (Chicago, IL; Remote, US)
ViveFácil | VP, Engineering (Mexico City, Mexico; Remote, Global)
💥 See all open roles and post yours here.
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