Events

Join us for Capital Catalyst, a funding-focused startup summit for entrepreneurs looking to explore funding options and secure their business's financial future. 💰 Whether you're a first-time founder or a seasoned entrepreneur, the Capital Catalyst Summit will empower you to take your fundraising efforts to the next level. Come with questions and get excited to network with peers and hear from our speakers listed below! ⬇️

11:00am - Welcome Keynote: Miki Reynolds, Grid110 CEO

The summit will kick off with a keynote opener from Grid110 CEO 

, as she leads us into our first panel, the Million Dollar Club.

11:10am - The Million Dollar Club Panel: Grid110 Women Portfolio Founders

This panel features 4 Grid110 portfolio women founders who have raised over $1M for their business. Submit any questions you have for the panelists when you register for the event. We will hear from:

After the panel, we'll transition into a 30-minute networking break where attendees can choose breakout rooms to enter based on aligned topics of conversation. Submit topics you'd like to connect with peers on, when you register for the event.

12:30pm - Building a Financial Model That Will Help You Close Checks: The Forecastr Team

Then we'll go into a financial modeling workshop with 

 who will show how to build a financial model that you can leverage for fundraising.

Finally, we'll transition into our last networking break where attendees can choose breakout rooms to enter based on aligned funding goals. When you register for the event, submit goals you're currently working towards and would like to connect with peers working towards the same.

The summit will conclude around 2pm when everyone is invited back into the main meeting room for closing remarks and final reflections.

Capital Catalyst: Conversations on Funding and Financial Health

​​At this informational session, you will get to meet some members of the Grid110 team and learn more about the Idea To Launch Bootcamp and application process. You will also have the chance to ask any questions you may have about the bootcamp.

➡️ Learn more about the Idea To Launch Bootcamp

This information session will also be recorded so that you may view it later if needed. We hope to see you there!

Grid110 Idea to Launch Bootcamp Info Session

​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! 🚀

Read more about this month's speakers below. ⬇️

; speaking to founders is her favorite thing to do. At Republic Zehra also kickstarted Rise: Republic's founder community, works on Republic's diverse founder initiatives, and strategic partnerships with accelerators and VCs. She's a 2x founder, a Columbia alum with a B.A. in Financial Economics & Art History, angel investor,  and an experienced operator having worked at over 14 different startups. Ask Zehra all about how to fundraise efficiently or her art historian perspectives published at Yale and UChicago. 

, a venture capital fund investing in diverse founders, particularly Latino/a founders. Valeria started her career with Deloitte Consulting, where she focused on the intersection of human capital and technology. After almost half a dozen years in consulting, she made the pivot to the investing world, gaining experience at funds like Harlem Capital, PayPal Ventures, Avivar Capital, and Stanford’s Impact Fund. Valeria holds a BS from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. As the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents who started their own small business in the U.S., Valeria is proud to be investing in and empowering the communities she comes from.

As the Senior Manager of Larta Venture Fellows, 

 manages the urban sustainability program at 

. Previously, she built female entrepreneurship and social impact programs at 

 in over 12 countries. She was on the launch team of the New York Fashion Tech Lab, expanding innovation in the creative and retail industries. She loves working with passionate visionaries around innovation gaps.

. Before to joining Homeboy Industries, Todd served as the Program Manager at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), where he managed a portfolio of 40 startups in the Cleantech Incubation Program and developed entrepreneurship programming and business acceleration through the Founders Business Acceleration program. He is driven by the belief that work rooted in purpose creates more enduring change and a sustainable society. Todd attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he received his bachelor’s degree in the interdisciplinary studies of Socioeconomics of Technology and Architectural Design.

February Funding Pathways: Republic, Vamos Ventures, Larta Ventures, Homeboy Capital 💸

​Join us for this workshop and gain expert advice on your 2-minute pitch! 🎤 8 companies will have the chance to pitch to our panel of experts and receive constructive feedback. Even if you are not pitching, sitting in on this session will be valuable to hear pitching tips and best practices. The first 8 companies who submit will get to pitch, so register now! 🙌

submit your name, company name, company website, and the link to your LinkedIn profile when you register for the event here on Luma. Those who do not submit these materials will not be considered to pitch, however are welcome to join the session and learn by watching others pitch and receive feedback. Prepare to give a 2-minute pitch about your company (

 a pitch deck), and you will receive 3 minutes of practical and thoughtful feedback from our panel.

: Registering and submitting to pitch does not guarantee you a spot to pitch. If you are selected to pitch, we will notify you by January 25 via email. Please reach out to 

Meet Our Judge Panel: Grid110's Entrepreneurs in Residence + Grid110 Portfolio Founder ⬇️

 has helped create multiple companies from content, consumer to B2B. Along with starting companies, he's also been fortunate to buy one and sell one. Most recently he's been angel investing and advising companies while he starts his next venture.

 is a proud Chicagoan, taco enthusiast and startup operator at heart. His passion for the startup world began his Junior year in college when he developed a platform that rewarded students for academic achievements with a group of friends. Before his current position, Trevor helped Quake Capital open their Los Angeles office, and he now works as ScaleHealth’s head of growth. In addition, he runs a patient monitoring platform and mentors companies from LA to NYC.

As the Colombian-American founder of El Camino Travel, 

 has been on a mission to change the way we travel, making it more accessible and inclusive, while empowering women travelers and the local operators who are critical to the experience. As a veteran of the travel industry, building a seven figure business, her vision for El Camino is to be a modern tech enabled travel company making a positive impact by delivering on the unique needs of half the world’s population - women, while supporting the small business owners, who lack the support to grow and scale. Katalina has been featured in the New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Washington Post, among several other prominent media outlets and is often tapped for her expertise in emerging trends within the travel industry.

🎤 Pitch Practice: Grid110 Pitching Workshop

Join us for this workshop and gain expert advice on your 2-minute pitch! 🎤 10 companies will have the chance to pitch to our panel of Entrepreneurs in Residence and receive constructive feedback. Even if you are not pitching, sitting in on this session will be valuable to hear pitching tips and best practices. The first 10 companies who submit will get to pitch, so register now! 🙌

submit your name, company name, company website, and the link to your LinkedIn profile when you register for the event here on Luma. Those who do not submit these materials will not be considered to pitch, however are welcome to join the session and learn by watching others pitch and receive feedback. Prepare to give a 2-minute pitch about your company (without a pitch deck), and you will receive 3 minutes of practical and thoughtful feedback from our EIRs. 

: Registering and submitting to pitch does not guarantee you a spot to pitch. If you are selected to pitch, we will notify you by December 7th via email. Please reach out to 

Meet Our Pitch Judges: Grid110's Entrepreneurs in Residence ⬇️

 is a product and operations expert who, after launching new products for Google/Nike/Adidas/Aflac chose to pivot out of corporate innovation to the startup world. Driven by various opportunities working with womxn entrepreneurs in particular, she founded a consultancy to focus on their needs - embedding herself in startups to support building teams, maturing business strategy, roadmap prioritization, and propelling growth.

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 panel is comprised of 5 trailblazing women across various industries! Read more about each speaker below. ⬇️

’s primary focus is on strengthening and showcasing the early-stage startup ecosystem in her hometown of Los Angeles. Ever passionate about the positive global impact that new technologies can have, Sophie leverages her enthusiasm, dedication and experience to support founders as they achieve their visions. She’s committed to fostering inclusivity and diversity in the startup industry. Before joining SVB, Sophie gained experience working in a variety of sectors, including tech entrepreneurship, academia, government, and corporate innovation. Her previous roles include serving as an Engagement Manager at Techstars and as a member of the community founding team at Project FoundED. 

, an organization connecting women and BIPOC entrepreneurs with the capital, resources and networks they need to launch and scale companies. Since its launch, StitchCrew has partnered with brands like the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Google, BASF, and others to create programming for traditionally overlooked founders. Erika also founded 

, an organization investing in women-led companies and connecting women professionals to expedite the pipeline of more women in positions of power. She is Managing Partner of 

, an early stage Venture Capital Firm investing in women-led companies in the Future of Work and Care Economy and the host of the VEST Her Podcast, a show about the barriers women face in the workplace and stories of women building power collectively. Erika is a member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association and LatinxVC.

 is a Partner and Chief Experience Officer at 

. She is a technologist, entrepreneur, mother, and visionary builder with a broad background in IT, corporate events, and business development. For the last seven years, Myneco has served as Founder and CEO of MBR Concepts, a corporate event and conference planning company producing domestic and international events for tech companies. During this work, Myneco created investor networking events for pre-seed startups who have gone on to raise institutional capital and acquisitions. In addition, she has built several lifestyle businesses from the ground up, which catalyzed her passion for helping entrepreneurs. In addition to her work at Chloe Capital, Myneco is a real estate and angel investor. She’s also always on the cutting edge of technology, currently as a NFT collector and DeFi enthusiast.

, the leading crowdfunding education and technical assistance organization in the U.S. Since 2012 she has been helping entrepreneurs use crowdfunding to unlock the financial and nonfinancial support of their networks to fund projects not supported by traditional finance. Kathleen is the creator of The Crowdfund Better Process™ and has coached successful donation, rewards and investment crowdfunding campaigns. She is particularly focused on bringing the crowdfunding opportunity to women, minority and rural entrepreneurs. Kathleen has been featured in 

, and has presented at the Director’s Guild of America, SBDC & WBC National Conferences, and Crowdfunding Deep Impact UK.

 is a relationships-oriented professional specializing in grassroots communications efforts, external relations, and program management. In her current role as Senior Manager, Development and Education for 

, Rachel manages the day-to-day functions of the Enthuse Foundation, a nonprofit organization serving women entrepreneurs with a focus on the food, beverage, and CPG industry. Rachel has extensive experience in the nonprofit, community relations, and entrepreneurship fields working at such prestigious organizations as WWE, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and the Harvard Business School Club of NY. However, she got her start working for the NYC Department of Education connecting high school students with professional work opportunities.

December Funding Pathways: Silicon Valley Bank, Stitchcrew, Chloe Capital, Crowdfund Better, Enthuse Foundation 💸

 has 20 years of banking experience advising and lending to business clientele of various types: private equity/VC firms, technology firms, non-profits, law firms, medical practices, and real estate investors, as well as other professional services providers. In addition, he provides financing for clients with commercial real estate needs for both owner-occupied and investment purposes. Todd received his Bachelor of Science in Commerce at the McIntire School of Commerce in Charlottesville, Virginia, with a concentration in Finance and Marketing. He also completed his MBA at University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

 based in Los Angeles. A University of Michigan alum, she began her career in community building at Summit. Mara then Co-founded and sold her first company, ZenStop, where she shared Mindfulness practices at companies like Snapchat, YouTube, Disney, and more. Finally and maybe most importantly, Mara is a cancer survivor and volunteers at Imerman Angels, a one-on-one cancer support network.

 is a ventures analyst and business development representative at 

. Plug and Play is a leading VC firm and innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Prior to Plug and Play, Kayvon studied at UCLA where he majored in economics and minored in cognitive science. While at UCLA, he worked with startups through internships (K1 Investment Management, LeagueSide, Pitch Genius, and Spiralyze) and as the director of Startup Labs, a student-run startup accelerator. He also served as a project manager and director at Bruin Ventures, the premier VC organization on campus. At Bruin Ventures, Kayvon led several 10-week consulting projects with startups and VCs, teaching him the ins-and-outs of both sides of the tech industry

October Funding Pathways: First Republic Bank, Hawke Ventures, Plug & Play 💸

​At this informational session, you will get an unique opportunity to get to know the team behind Slauson & Grid110 and ask any questions about the Friends & Family program and application process. You will also hear from some alumni founders of the program, who will talk about their experience in the Friends & Family program and advice they have for applicants.

Friends & Family Info Session II

​Join us for an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) with 

, a Los Angeles based early-stage venture capital firm rooted in economic inclusion! 🎤 In this hour-long session, Austin will share about his years of experience in the startup and investment ecosystem and all the knowledge he's gained along the way.

You'll have the chance to pick his brain and ask your most curious questions. 💭 Please submit any questions you may have as you register for the event.

Austin Clements is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Slauson & Co., a Los Angeles based early-stage venture capital firm rooted in economic inclusion. At Slauson, Austin focuses on investing in technologies that empower small business owners.

Prior to this role, Austin was a Principal at TenOneTen Ventures, a data-focused seed fund based in LA. He has also worked in investment management and founded a mobile app development firm to serve small businesses.

Austin is the founding Chair of PledgeLA, the nation’s largest city-wide initiative to promote diversity in the local tech community. He currently serves on the board of Knight Foundation and HBCUvc. Austin received his MBA from NYU Stern and his BA from Morehouse College.

🎤 AMA: Austin Clements, Slauson & Co.

​​​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! 🚀

, the family office of Laurene Powell Jobs that invests in companies positively impacting the world and helping people to live to their full potential. Prior to Emerson, Joanna was an investor at Founder Collective, a seed-stage VC fund based in New York. Before that, Joanna worked at Via Transportation, a global mobility and transit startup. Joanna received her MBA from MIT Sloan and her B.A. in International Comparative Studies and Spanish from Duke University.

 is Head of Community and Managing Partner for 

, the leading university-focused venture fund spun out of First Round Capital. In her role, Melissa leads strategy and partnerships for founder support, platform offerings and university engagement. To date, DRF-backed companies have raised $2.5B+ in follow-on capital and captured $8.3B+ in value. Outside of Dorm Room Fund, Melissa is passionate about helping founders build highly engaged communities, previously advising on community and growth across the Metaverse, retail and media spaces. In her spare time, Melissa serves as a mentor to early-stage founder cohorts including Founder Institute and the DayOne Fellowship, where she focuses on startup storytelling and customer love. 

's efforts at building alternative financing products for founders. He has nearly a decade of experience at firms like Silicon Valley Bank, 

, KPMG, and Goldman Sachs. He’s also spent time at startups, once as a senior member at Divvy and twice as a SaaS CFO, and has spent his career advising and connecting startups to the right types of debt for their needs.  

July Funding Pathways: Dorm Room Fund, Emerson Collective, Mercury Bank 💸

 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.

, 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.

, 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.

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

What does a Chief of Staff do? Who is fit for this role? What can a Chief of Staff help your business achieve? 🤔 Join us for a panel of industry professionals who are experienced Chief of Staff, here to answer all your questions about this newly emerging role! ✨

, where she works on venture diligence, portfolio support, and everything else. Prior to joining Cowboy Ventures, Allegra was a Program Associate at Pivotal Ventures working to expand women's power and influence in the U.S., and a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. 

 was brought on as a second to the CEO and Founder of 

, an HR startup with an initiative to disrupt traditional recruiting methods. Elle grew this role into a Chief of Staff position maintaining daily operations, creating and implementing systems and processes, and helping build the foundation of Inkwell 2.0 in post pandemic times. With an emphasis on community building for women in the workplace,  Inkwell’s values align with Elle’s goals in the entertainment world as she is, in her spare time,  producing a Sci-Fi short film surrounding themes of workplace oppression with an entirely female identifying production team. 

Hot Trends: What is A Chief of Staff? Featuring Cowboy Ventures & Inkwell 🔥

California-based small businesses of 5 or more employees--did you know that if you do not have an employee retirement plan after June 30, you could be fined up to $750? 😯 Even if you do not fall under this mandate, setting up your employee retirement plan is important to think about, and Penelope makes it easy. 💸

Join us for this informational session with Jean Smart, the Founder and CEO of 

. She will provide a tactical plan for what you can do if you fall under one of the upcoming mandates, as well as comprehensive information on retirement plans for small businesses in general. You will also have the chance to ask any and all questions you my have to Jean, as she is a small business retirement plan expert! 🙌

 watched her immigrant parents work tirelessly to provide for their family and employees. While her parents took care of everyone around them, they didn’t formally invest in their own retirement, leaving them vulnerable in their later years. Jean’s parents were an all too familiar story in the US; equal parts inspiration and cautionary tale. Inspired by her parents and after a career in financial services, Jean decided to start Penelope - a 401(k) platform focused on micro and small businesses.

**By signing up for the event you consent to giving your contact info to Penelope for any future resources and followups, with the option of opting out later on**

California Small Business Retirement Plan Mandate: Are You Compliant? 🏦

Join us for an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) with our very own Miki Reynolds, the CEO of Grid110! 🎤 In this hour-long session, Miki will share about her years of experience in the startup ecosystem and all the knowledge she's gained along the way. 

You'll have the chance to pick her brain and ask your most curious questions. 💭 Please submit any questions you may have as you register for the event.

, an LA-based early stage startup accelerator and community development non-profit. Since 2014, Miki has focused on activating the startup ecosystem in Los Angeles through her work with Grid110, building community, and connecting the dots for entrepreneurs through access to mentoring and critical resources. 

She’s also a scout for Bonfire Ventures and a Venture Partner at Republic.  Prior to co-founding Grid110, Miki spent 10 years building digital products for clients like MGM Studios, 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, Angry Birds, SpaceX and LiveNation before transitioning to community focused work by launching the Downtown LA campus for tech education company General Assembly.

AMA: Miki Reynolds, CEO of Grid110 🎤 

​​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! 🚀

 is the Global Startup Pipeline Coordinator at 

 where she supports founders applying to the 45+ Techstars accelerator programs. She is passionate about helping founders find the right accelerator and funding fit. Previously, she worked on building SpaceTech companies at a startup studio. She also spent time at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, SVB Capital, and a Techstars startup in the media analytics space.

. She started her VC journey with an internship at Battery Ventures, where she sourced and led deal due diligence for potential minority investments in early-stage and growth-stage B2B SaaS. She has also received a certificate from Cornell’s Women and Entrepreneurship program where she focused on the start-up ecosystem for minority groups. Feven then joined KingsCrowd as an investment analyst, where she focused on building a ratings algorithm platform for companies raising through the online private markets. Currently, she is on the investing team at M13, where her team invests in the future of consumer behavior.

’s outreach and education efforts in Southern California. She develops relationships with small business owners, business organizations and policymakers throughout Southern California. This involves collaborating with partners to create and distribute resources for business owners, such as grants, curriculum, and training. Additionally, she serves as Small Business Majority's National Latino Outreach Manager, where she focuses on connecting monolingual and bilingual business owners to their small business ecosystem, and expands Small Business Majority’s outreach within the Latino business community.

 is a a Managing Partner at student-run early stage VC firm 

. Atland Ventures invests in seed stage companies that are solving problems felt by Generation Z. Her further involvement with Gen Z includes  

 as Head of Platform. Gen Z VCs is the largest and fastest growing community for Gen Zers in Tech and VC with over 14,000 Gen Z investors, founders, angels, students, and aspiring VCs. Her passions also shine with her Korean roots as Founder of Hanaro.VC, a community for Korean and Korean-American VCs and Startups.  

May Funding Pathway Event: Techstars, M13, SBM & Atland Ventures 💸

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. 

. 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.

 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.

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

Let’s Talk Money: How to Level Up Your Financial Pitch

Join the PledgeLA, Grid110 and Plug In South LA teams to learn more about what investors are looking for when it comes to early-stage business finances, and how to pitch your company when you’re pre-revenue or building traction. We’re excited to invite 

, who will lead a discussion on how to level up your business’ financial pitch. This workshop is intended for applicants interested in applying to the 

Join us live and come with your questions! This will be a virtual group session via Zoom.

Funding Pathways: Hello Alice, Clearco, OpenGrants, Caravanserai Project

Join the PledgeLA & Grid110 teams to learn more about the 

 program and application. We'll share best practices when preparing your application, plus you’ll hear from an alum of the program, 

Be sure to come with your questions and we'll answer them live! This will be a virtual group sessions via Zoom.

PledgeLA Founders Fund - Info Session II

Join the PledgeLA, Grid110 and Plug In South LA teams to learn more about how founders can better understand their customers when it comes to markets, customer profiles, how to connect with them and more! We’re excited to invite 

, who will lead a discussion on customer engagement best practices for early stage companies with limited financial resources, plus share tips on how to find, grow and retain your customers.This workshop is intended for applicants interested in applying to the 

Finding Your Customers: Tips for Success 

PledgeLA Founders Fund - Info Session I

 is a start-up veteran turned investor who launched 

to provide debt capital to under-represented founders.  Daintree provides working capital loans to companies with at least $100K in revenue that have strong core unit economics, but perhaps not enough cash-flow to properly fund growth.  Alisha is looking for companies where a $10K - $50K loan might help fuel growth.  As an ex-operator herself, Alisha is passionate about getting investment capital into the hands of women and other under-represented founders who have growing businesses, but may not be a good fit for equity investment.  

, one of the world’s leading digital health ecosystem focused on accelerating pediatric innovation. She builds, designs, and manages the programming for the KidsX Accelerator, AWS Healthcare Accelerator, VaxUp Innovation Challenge, and other prominent entrepreneurial programs. She has a Master of Health Administration from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin. Le was recently selected as a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare.

 investing team in 2021. Evan is a recent MBA graduate from MIT’s Sloan School of Management where he focused on Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship. While in school, Evan was also the Fund Manager for Homeboy Capital, the impact investing arm of Homeboy Industries, and a VC Summer Associate at MiLA Capital, an LA-based firm focusing on early-stage hardware and supply chain startups.

Funding Pathways: Daintree Capital, KidsX, Upfront Ventures

Join us for our final workshop of 2021! 👋🏼 LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network, has transformed into a valuable tool for every entrepreneur. See how you can use LinkedIn to boost your personal brand, find future employees, increase your customer base and generate more sales. 🌎

 is a Senior digital media executive, content creator, executive producer, and writer. She has several years of digital media and television experience, including BuzzFeed/Tasty, Yahoo! Shine, Maker Studios, E! Entertainment/Live Events, CNN-Entertainment News, and #OwnShow for Oprah.com. Trish is currently a Senior Creator Manager at LinkedIn. She works exclusively with women of color entrepreneurs to empower, nurture, support, and develop their professional and personal brand on LinkedIn. 

 is a marketer, a creator, a mental health advocate, and an admitted geek. Having a background in media from print to online, from local newspapers to small agencies, and now in the Tech industry. He has spent nearly 10 years at LinkedIn, where he supported their most extensive search and staffing clients with their hiring needs. He now works as an Associate Creator Manager, assisting those in the Tech and Healthcare industries in amplifying their content on LinkedIn.  

LinkedIn Workshop For Entrepreneurs

How do you build and scale a community as an entrepreneur? 

We’re hosting a 1-hour communal Q&A with three community leaders who know ✨ During this event, we'll feature industry leaders who will discuss best practices, tips and tricks, and provide you with an overview of their community-building efforts. Attendees will gain valuable insight into what it takes to create, cultivate, and maintain a successful community following. 

, working on the Education team & building products designed to accelerate the careers of ambitious professionals. Previously he worked at Marquette University, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, Ballot Ready, and AmeriCorps. 

 brings together the bright minds of the founder community to share their knowledge and learn from each other. She facilitates meaningful conversations to help benefit the founders and operators of First Round’s ecosystem. Whether she is helping to promote the online community through a virtual event or the offline community through the mentorship program, she loves getting the opportunity to meet amazing individuals and help them succeed in their roles. Julia graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a concentration in Accounting.

 is an investment partner at student-run early stage VC firm 

. Gen Z VCs is the largest and fastest growing community for Gen Zers in Tech and VC with over 11,000 Gen Z investors, founders, angels, students, and aspiring VCs.

All About Community with Morning Brew, Gen Z VCs + First Round 

With Hispanic Heritage Month coming to a close, Grid110 is hosting a public event open to all who would like to listen and share in the experiences of Hispanic Entrepreneurs. Whether you are a LatinX founder or an ally to the LatinX community, we would like to create a safe space for LatinX voices to be heard and allys to listen and understand. 

You will have the opportunity to listen to our speaker’s stories and share your own experiences or any comments or reflections on what resonates with you. We will also encourage an open and interactive group conversation about any resources and circles that have helped empower you. 

Fireside Fiesta: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month 

At this session, you will get an unique opportunity to get to know the team behind Slauson & Grid110 and ask any questions about the Friends & Family program and application process. 

This information session will also be recorded so that you may view it later if needed. 

If you have already attended our first info session, no need to attend this one (we will cover the exact same material), but feel free to share out with friends!

 Friends & Family - Information Session II (Virtual)

 Friends & Family - Information Session (Virtual)

Are you curious to learn more about how to build out your company culture? 🤔 Is onboarding a new hire on your list of priorities? ⚠️ 

Then join us for this special workshop geared for entrepreneurs on building an early stage company culture. 👇

In this session, we will chat about the do's and don'ts when you are bringing on new employees, whether it's your first full-time employee or you are looking to scale your team. Bonnie will answer your burning questions about the best ways to hire, onboard, create processes to scale your business, manage office operations, and make work-life balance easier to navigate. 🧘

Bonnie Oliva-Porter is the CEO & Founder of Amplify11 Consulting & Coaching. She is a human capital strategist dedicated to building high-performing organizations that serve, advocate for, and build equity for the marginalized. A native New Yorker and the daughter of Honduran immigrants, Bonnie is focused on catalyzing economic equity for communities of color. Bonnie holds over 15 years of experience in entrepreneurial innovation, organizational transformation, and international operations and education advisory. 

Previously, she held people and operations leadership roles as a founding team member at Tala. There, she established much of the company's back-office infrastructure across three continents as Global Operations Director. She then launched a global diversity, equity, and workplace roadmap and strategy to ensure that safe, supportive spaces and policies were in place to support the company's 600+ team members.  🌍

How To Build Out Your Company Culture & Onboard New Employees 🛠️

Our mission at Grid110 is to connect you with the resources and connections you need to succeed. Join us for Funding Pathways, a monthly event series that connects startups with industry leaders who share their knowledge on various financing methods. Whether you are self-funding your business or looking to chase down investment funding from angel investors or venture capitalists, join us to explore various avenues for how founders and startups can find the financial resources required to grow their businesses.

 is currently Head of Product + Marketing at Calm Company Fund, where she's leading the charge on building, launching, and iterating products that align with the mission of supporting sustainable, profitable tech-enabled founders. At Calm Fund, her work includes overseeing Founder Summit, an invite-only community of 300+ founders, and developing Trailhead, a new way to apply for funding at your own pace.

 is a serial entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in small businesses, education and tech. Elianne believes entrepreneurship and technology are great disruptors to build accessible and equitable ecosystems. Elianne fosters community and designs culturally competent programming to connect diverse talent to opportunities that reflect the intersectionality of Los Angeles across racial, socioeconomic, gender, education, sexuality, and immigration status. Elianne is currently LEEAF's Technical Assistance Director at CalStateLA, a Managing Partner at LIST Ventures and a Strategic Advisor for the LA SBDC Network where she supports tech startups, small businesses and community projects at large. 

 is an early-stage venture investor at AIN Ventures a seed-stage focused venture fund. His investment areas include dual-use technology and veteran-led startups. Sherman is also the VC-in-Residence at Techstars LA. Prior to becoming an early-stage investor, Sherman gathered six years of financial transaction experience as a Healthcare Technology M&A Investment Banker. Sherman started his career as a Naval Intelligence Officer. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy.

Funding Pathways: Calm Company Fund, Techstars & SBDC

Whether it’s to get press attention, attract investors, open new distribution channels, or all of the above, public relations are one of the most effective tactics for growing your brand and startup.

The objective of this workshop is to empower you with an understanding of how to work with various media (traditional print and broadcast, bloggers and online media, and social networks) and help you develop a familiarity with the appropriate tools and tactics and learn how to use them.

Rebellious PR is a full service public relations agency headquartered in PDX and LA.

PR Workshop with Rebellious PR 

The financial aspect of running a business can be complex and time-consuming, particularly for founders and business owners without a finance background. Join CEO of Pilot Waseem Daher to discuss how to tackle bookkeeping for your startup and the best ways to set yourself up for financial success.

Waseem Daher is CEO and co-founder of Pilot, which specializes in bookkeeping, tax, and CFO services for high-growth technology startups. He is a three-time entrepreneur with two successful exits: his first company, Ksplice, was acquired by Oracle in 2011 and his second, Zulip, was acquired by Dropbox in 2014. He has a degree in computer science from MIT.

By signing up for this event, your email will be shared with Pilot for any additional resources.

How To Be Your Startup CFO 

 and hear first-hand from these leading industry experts about their journey into Venture Capital, the types of investments that they are looking to make and also hear about some resources available to startups and entrepreneurs who are seeking funding. 💸

 is an investor and advisor at Expa, where she works to identify and support talented founders. Expa is an early-stage venture fund started by Garrett Camp (founder of Uber). Before joining Expa, Kristin amassed over ten years of operational experience at venture-backed startups, most recently at Modsy. She has also held growth and product marketing roles for Calm, Foursquare, Bloom Energy, and Rocket Fuel.

 serves as a Programs Manager for Black Girl Ventures. She works with founders to grow and scale their businesses through BGV’s six-week accelerator program, JetPack, that founders enter following BGV’s signature style crowdfunded pitch competition. Maria is passionate about women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship and is honored to work in a role supporting courageous female-identifying founders. Previously, Maria worked at Mission City Renewal, supporting social entrepreneurs in San Antonio, Texas.

 is passionate about creating equal access to economic opportunity, especially for underrepresented minorities, women, first-gen students, and underdogs. She manages the venture program at All Raise to advance women in the venture ecosystem into check-writing roles. Sruti also founded and runs a nonprofit called FutureMap, which helps first-generation college grads navigate their transition to the workforce.

Investor Roundtable - Expa, Black Girl Ventures & All Raise

We are so happy to announce our small business social media summit on June 30, National Social Media Marketing Day! You will learn about all things social media: how to grow your followers, schedule successful Instagram Reels and utilize HubSpot for marketing! 📲 

Building an effective social media strategy with HubSpot

Join HubSpot’s Head of Startup Partnerships, Magdaline Small, as we cover how to build an effective social media strategy, set up social listening and moderation, create social content, and build a social media strategy that delights your customers and grows your bottom line.

Community Networking - Social Media Marketing Asks

REEL TALK: How to use Instagram to Grow Your Business with Homemade Social

 change to Homemade Social’s social media strategy allowed their agency to see a 91% growth rate in their Instagram following during 2020’s Q4 alone? Join CEO and social media expert, Becca Booker, as she dives into the Instagram algorithm and lets you in on her latest secret weapon for nearly doubling her following and business in only a few months time. 

This workshop is designed for business owners who are ready to step outside the ordinary and level up their following, engagement, and reach with Reels and Instagram overall.

Community Networking II - Social Media Marketing Tips

Grid110 Small Business Social Media Summit 

 an early stage venture capital firm committed to closing gaps of access, opportunity, and/or outcomes for low-income communities and communities of color. She works on special projects, such as community building across the tech and entrepreneurial ecosystem, and all aspects of direct investing – sourcing deals, evaluating potential investments, and closing – with a particular interest in economic mobility for historically excluded groups. 

 founder program, Humans in the Wild, as Program Director. In this capacity, she works with our entrepreneurs in residence to launch their companies and, on an operational level, helps design the founder journey through the program. Prior to Human, she spent 5 years at Oxeon Partners both in its healthcare tech and services venture studio and in its executive search arm. 

. She is a former founder, operator and fintech strategist with a passion for emerging technologies. Neetu grew up in Northern California and graduated with her Bachelor’s from UC Berkeley and her MBA from the University of Oxford. She was previously on the operations team at YouTube and in 2019, served as the Chief of Staff at a fintech startup in London where she worked directly with the C-Suite. 

Investor Roundtable

. 👩🏻‍⚕️To celebrate, we're hosting a panel, featuring trailblazing women who are spearheading new methods and products that are making a difference on health issues. ✨

Join us to hear from the leaders shaking up women’s healthcare in the US. Hear how they got started, what the industry is lacking and how women can best take charge of their health. 💪

The Future of Women's Health 

Taxes are boring, but necessary—and we’re making them less so! Join us for a mini-workshop on tips for small business owners. Shiloh Johnson, CEO of Complyant will discuss how to save money by setting up the right strategies and staying compliant! 💰

Shiloh will shed light on topics such as: 

Business Tax Workshop with Complyant

Join us for an alumni mixer to connect with fellow founders in the community, and celebrate your wins—past, present & future. 📅 It’s a great chance to share your advice for success in the startup world, experience real-life networking opportunities and socialize. 

This mixer is an opportunity for you to get to know other members of the community and for us to hear about everything you’ve been cooking up since graduation! 🎉

Grid110 Alumni Social Hour 

Grid110 is hosting an investor roundtable 🗣️ This is a great way to meet and engage with a wider group of investors and start building relationships! You will get the opportunity to speak with a group of investors and ask questions about their firm and their thinking around investing in startups.

VC Roundtable 

Join us for an info session to see if our program is the right fit for you. Our application process will help determine your fit so we encourage anyone interested in business to apply. 🖊

This program is for entrepreneurs in Los Angeles, so if you’re passionate about your business, we want to hear from you!

Grid110 Summer 2021 Info Session (2)

In this talk you will learn why you should build a financial model for your company, how you can get one built without banging your head against a wall, and how you can leverage it as a secret weapon in the fundraising process to impress investors and convince them to give you large amounts of money. 🤪💸💸💸

Maya

Events