Events

“The world will see you the way you see you, and treat you the way you treat yourself.” –Beyoncé

The way we take care of ourselves — or don’t! — affects so many things that matter. How long we live. How well we live. Our ability to connect with and help others.

You would think that we’d prioritize something so important. But many of us forget to. We get caught up in the daily whirlwind of life. So today, let’s pause and check in on our environment, health, and level of joy and connectedness — the building blocks of a fulfilling life.

During this hour, you will connect with fellow Grid110 founders in 1:1 virtual networking sessions and get a chance to share your own self-care practice and tips with the community.

Grid110 Community Hour: Self-Care Check-in

Eugene Kim is a tactical, result-driven, corporate attorney, and partner at Nano Law Group. Prior to joining Nano Law Group, he practiced at Quinn Emanuel, ESK Legal Consulting, Russakow, Ryan & Johnson Associate and Gutierrez, Preciado & House, LLP. He holds a B.A., in Asian American Studies and a J.D., Law from George Washington University Law School.

Eugene is well versed in commercial and intellectual property, business formations, corporate transactions and commercial agreements. His experience includes labor and employment, wage and hour, civil litigation on behalf of businesses, matters of corporate disputes, and representing small business owners in commercial transactions. Additionally, Eugene has defended the County of Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles, and related public municipalities in civil litigation disputes.

Ask me Anything with Startup Lawyer Eugene Kim 

Meet our new South LA cohort and welcome them to the Grid110 family! You'll be split into small groups and get the chance to meet other founders and share your experience with the program so far.

Virtual Happy Hour: Meet the South LA Cohort

How much equity should you give to early team members? What are the best tips for bootstrapping your business? What happens after you raise in terms of hiring and your responsibility to investors?

We will cover these questions and more during this hour!

Brad Feld has been an early-stage investor and entrepreneur for over 30 years. He lives in Boulder, Colorado, and Homer, Alaska, with his wife and is on a quest to run a marathon in every state in the US. Brad has been an early-stage investor and entrepreneur since 1987. Before co-founding Foundry Group, he co-founded Mobius Venture Capital and founded Intensity Ventures before that.

Brad is also a co-founder of Techstars. Brad is a writer and speaker on the topics of venture capital investing and entrepreneurship. He’s written several books as part of the Startup Revolution series and writes the blogs Feld Thoughts and Venture Deals. Brad holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Fundraising Q&A with Techstars Co-founder Brad Feld 

Goldie Chan is a global speaker and strategist. She’s known as the “Oprah of LinkedIn” by Huffington Post, and her video channel won LinkedIn Top Voice. Goldie has worked with a diverse set of household name clients, including Fiverr, LEGO, Adobe, and Gillette.

She writes for Forbes on “Personal Branding and Storytelling in the Digital Age,” where her articles on personal branding are consistently page 1 ranked and used in educational institutions and business development.

She is a proud member of the Producer’s Guild of America, New Media Council, Stanford University graduate, and has been featured as a fresh voice in CNN, Inc. Magazine, Fast Company, and more.

Building your Personal Brand with Goldie Chan

Self-reflection can enhance focus, decrease stress, and improve your health. So why do so few of us take the time to pause and uncover the deeper meaning behind our everyday experiences, thoughts, and interactions?

The most common answer is “I’m too busy.” But here’s a secret: The most productive people are those who don’t just do things, but think about how and why they do them.

By reflecting on the past month in today’s session, you’ll be better equipped to get more out of the month ahead.

Grid110 Community Hour: Your Month in Review

Grid110 Booth 

Shiloh Johnson, CPA, MsT works with small business owners and early entrepreneurs to make sure they understand relevant tax rules and requirements.

She founded ComplYant in 2019 as a call to action for changing the way we think about tax. Her motto “We all have to do it, why not do it better.” Shiloh holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting and a Masters of Taxation and is also a member of several professional organizations, including the Institute for Professionals in Taxation, American Institute of CPAs, Institute for Professionals in Taxation, and the National Association of Black Accountants.

The best budgeting automation tools with Shiloh Johnson

Hear directly from three female founders and Griddies who have fundraised for their business. Learn about different funding pathways, tips they have for you, and advice on what they would have done differently!

Christine Outram and the team at Everydae raised over $1.29M on the equity crowdfunding platform Wefunder, including $600k during the last 7 days of their campaign!

Frances Tang is the founder/CEO/Captain Awkward of Awkward Essentials, a company that focuses on products that address the unspoken parts of hygiene. She is also the inventor of come&gone - the first after sex cleanup sponge. She recently closed her seed round of 800k with family office, Unorthodox Ventures.

Women of Grid110: Fundraising Panel

Grid110 Happy Hour - Welcome Fall 2020

Workshop: Mastering the 2 Minute Pitch

Stephanie knows the problem of work stress all too well. She spent seven years as a Producer for one of the largest media companies in the world. However, after a terrifying panic attack at work, she decided to follow her true passion for health and wellness, which led to her starting her own company focused on bringing wellness into the workplace.

For this virtual Yoga session, you'll need a mat!

Mental Wellness: Yoga with Stephanie from Prana Wellness

Want to know what it takes to get accepted into Techstars? Join us for a special virtual chat with the Techstars LA Team, which we are exclusively hosting for the Grid110 community. Ask your application questions and make a first impression with the admissions team.

Grid110 to Techstars: Info Session and Q&A 

How to find, evaluate and incorporate influencers into your marketing campaign. 

Social media is about people, not brands. That’s part of what makes influencer marketing so popular. Influencers have built peer relationships, trust and credibility with their followers.

In fact, 63% of people surveyed trust what an influencer says about a brand more than what the brand says about itself in advertising. In this session, we’ll review how to tap into this powerful marketing tool that can drive brand awareness, qualified leads, and even sales. 

Lia Haberman is an adjunct professor of Social Media Marketing and Influencer Marketing at UCLAx. She’s also a digital media consultant and advocate for female founders and creators and has worked with companies including Yahoo, E!, Riot Games and Beachbody and on apps including Fit Body, DiveThru and Kik. 

Influencer Marketing with UCLA Professor Lia Haberman

This will be a virtual event where alumni founders and members of the Winter 2021 SLA cohort will connect. We'll be matching alumni founders with the new cohort members so everyone will be able to find their community members and make new connections through our alumni mentors.

Our alumni community is a diverse group of founder-mentors that are experienced, smart and ready to help you succeed. Together we can achieve goals and grow stronger as we navigate the ever changing business landscape of Los Angeles. ❤️

PledgeLA Winter Cohort + Alumni Happy Hour 💫

Grid110 is teaming up with Google to bring you a Google Analytics workshop. This workshop will dive into how to set up an account and view the essential metrics that you need as an entrepreneur. You’ll learn how to track your website, mobile apps, and much more. Register now to save your spot! 🚀

Make Better Business Decisions with Google Analytics 

StartOut and Grid110 are partnering for an extraordinary networking event! Get matched up with brilliant StartOut or Grid110 members in speed networking rounds. This is a unique opportunity to get exposed to a completely new community of founders when you need it most. This is a virtual event where you will meet members of the network and learn about their organization. 

StartOut is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering and developing entrepreneurship in the LGBTQ+ community. With over 60 annual events and a network of 15,000 strong nationwide, StartOut connects the entrepreneurial ecosystem, educates entrepreneurs on issues surrounding the business lifecycle and inspires the LGBTQ+ community by profiling out and successful founders. StartOut currently has chapters in San Francisco, New York, Austin, Boston, Chicago, LA, with Denver, Seattle, and many more on in development.

By signing up for this event you are agreeing to receive an occasional email from Grid110 + StartOut with details about events and startup resources.

Grid110 + StartOut Mixer

 currently manages brand partnerships at TikTok. Prior to this, she ran an influencer marketing agency with a focus in the food, bev, CPG & finance space.

 is a global platform with over 100 million active users every month. From marketing to branding, discover the secrets behind how Tik Tok can work for your brand and business.

Come learn about how startups can use TikTok for growth and insights, best practices for creating content and working with creators, and to get your burning TikTok questions answered!

How to Best Utilize TikTok for Your Business

Join us for this fireside chat with Aishwarya Iyer, founder of Brightland! Aishwarya started her business in 2018. Since then she has partnered up with local farmers in California to create small batch extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

During our fireside chat, she will be speaking about what led her to start her business, dealing with your inner critic and how to tell if you are on the right path. 🌿

Founder Fireside: Aishwarya Iyer, Brightland 

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.

Public Relations 101 with Rebellious PR

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 (1)

Join us for a live fireside chat with Eli Weiss, OLIPOP’s Director of Customer Experience, as we discuss the importance of customer service.

Eli will be speaking about how his #1 priority has been his customers and how it has led to tens of thousands of dollars in sales. 💸💸💸

He’ll be discussing the ins and outs of good customer support and tips and tricks on how to leverage your customers as a marketing channel. Plus, he'll answer any questions you may have. ✨

Build a Brand and Retain Your Customer: Eli Weiss, OLIPOP

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. 🤪💸💸💸

How to Build a Financial Model for Your Startup with Forecastr

Grid110 Summer 2021 Info Session (2)

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 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 

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

. 👩🏻‍⚕️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 

 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

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 

 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

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 

PR Workshop with Rebellious PR 

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

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 🛠️

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. We hope to see you there!

 Friends & Family - Information Session (Virtual)

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)

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 

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 

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

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 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 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 I

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 

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

Finding Your Customers: Tips for Success 

PledgeLA Founders Fund - Info Session II

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

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 

​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 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

​​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 💸

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 🎤 

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? 🏦

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 🔥

​​​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! 🚀

 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 💸

, 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 💸

Web3 has been a growing topic, especially in the entrepreneurship space, which is the inspiration behind this panel! 🙌 We think it's important for more people—especially women and people of color—not to be afraid to educate themselves on web3 and ask questions. 🙋‍♀️ This panel is geared towards web3 beginners and founders. Please submit questions about the basics of Web3, how to get into Web3, and where the future of Web3 is headed—no question is too small! 🤩