June Funding Pathway Event: Alpha Impact 8, Visible Hands, XRC Labs 💸

​​​​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:

​Darrel Frater is an Investment Associate at Visible Hands VC where he assists the VH team in managing a portfolio of 45 companies. Prior to Visible Hands, Darrel was a Venture Fellow at Score 3 Ventures where he assisted underrepresented founders in raising their first rounds of funding. Through Score 3 Darrel was able to help founders raise over $1M in startup capital and mentored over 60 founders since joining in 2019. Darrel is a 3-time founder with his latest company being a community based live streaming platform called TheClub which he founded in 2020. He is a recent MBA graduate from The College of New Jersey where he studied strategy, innovation, and leadership.

​Ximena Flores De La Tijera works as a junior Partner at AI8 Ventures, a VC fund that invests in minority led founders at a post seed stage. She is a self-taught software developer with an analytical mind, a Tae kwon-do blackbelt and holds a BS in Finance from the ITESM, Monterrey, Mexico. She also has several certifications from prestigious universities such as the London School of Economics and Columbia University.

​Sofia Haq is currently a Program Manager at XRC Labs, the #1 retail accelerator and fund, where she manages the day-to-day operations of the accelerator program, supports founders in the XRC ecosystem, and spearheads community engagement. She is also the Founder & CEO of Muslim Women Professionals (MWP), the fastest growing professional organization for Muslim women. Sofia was a part of the Republic Venture Associate Program and served as a Mentor at Grid110 and Startup Labs UCLA. Haq received her BA in Gender Studies from UCLA and studied International Business abroad at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She is a fellow Griddie and was part of the Fall 2020 Idea to Product Program.