Equity Raise

Jun 14 2023
Equity Raise Podcast artwork

Welcome to Equity Raise: Leveling the Landscape for Diverse Founders and their VCs. Each year, less than 3% of venture capital funding is invested in startups led by founders of color and women. On this podcast from the American Underground, we’ll learn from some of these entrepreneurs who have successfully raised venture capital, despite the struggles and systemic barriers they’ve faced.

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Affordable Capital for ALL, with LoanWell's Bernard Worthy and Collab Capital's Justin Dawkins

Jun 14 2023 62 mins  
As co-founder and CEO of LoanWell, Bernard Worthy is focused on affordable capital for ALL. "Access to capital is so super important to the long term stability of a family, of a community, and ultimately wealth generation. How do we create affordable capital for all? Not just those that are most privileged or know how to run the system or know the right folks or know the right numb

LIVE from Black Founders Exchange: April Johnson (Happied), Sonja Ebron (Courtroom5), and investor Tony Wilkins

Nov 01 2022 49 mins  
Live from the roof of The Durham Hotel at the Google for Startups Black Founders Exchange, host Naya Fela Powell brings on a panel of Black CEOs (Sonja Ebron, Courtroom 5; April Johnson, Happied) along with private investor Tony Wilkins, to share their stories of building their companies and raising capital in the process.

Live from Black Founders Exchange: Why Donald Thompson Invested in Greg Hedgepeth's Substantial Magazine

Oct 12 2022 48 mins  
Live from the roof of American Underground at the Google for Startups Black Founders Exchange, Greg Hedgepeth shares his why for creating Substantial Magazine, his challenge of finding funding, and how he connected with Donald Thompson who ultimately would become his first angel investor.

Startup CEO who coded his way out: Rainway’s Andrew Sampson

Sep 19 2022 42 mins  
Today we're sharing an episode of the Founder Shares Podcast, from Hutchison PLLC.Rainway CEO Andrew Sampson doesn't have a conventional path. He's been underestimated throughout his life, has experienced overt racism, been told no more times than he can count, and his doubters continue to believe that he can't. And yet, he's been through Techstars, grown his team to 15+, successfu

From $1.42 in the Bank to a $700K+ Raise, with Malik McCray (Simpliworks) and Shila Nieves Burney (Zane Venture Fund)

Sep 07 2022 52 mins  
Raising capital is never easy, regardless of race, gender, or age. But for Simpliworks co-founder Malik McCray, as a Black man in his early 20's, he faced an uphill battle in convincing VCs to invest - until he presented to Zane Venture Fund's Shila Nieves Burney.Malik McCray is the co-founder and CEO of Simpliworks, a startup that launches winning Amazon Advertising campaigns in 1

From surviving to thriving, with Stimulus CEO Tiffanie Stanard and investor Himalaya Rao

Aug 23 2022 55 mins  
If you've ever tried fundraising, you know that prior relationships are the key to getting noticed. The connections you make today could be valuable months, years, or decades in the future. But the networking involved can be exhausting - the meetups, the happy hours, the conferences - they're a drain on your time and energy. Fortunately for Tiffanie Stanard, she's a master at busin

Fundraising while Black, with Beyu's Dorian Bolden and Resilient Ventures' Keith Daniel

Aug 08 2022 47 mins  
After running a successful coffee shop for 10 years and even expanding into a new location, Beyu Caffe's Dorian Bolden decided it was time to expand even further. He decided to raise capital, and even though he was a Duke graduate with a long history of success, he knew that he was seen differently than the white founders raising as well. Tune in to hear Dorian's journey in ultimat

Finding the right funding: Shani Dowell (Possip) and Jim Flautt (Opportunity Nashville)

Jul 26 2022 40 mins  
When raising capital, sometimes a founder is tempted to take any money because...well, they need it to move the business forward. But not all investors are the right fit. Today Shani Dowell joins us as she shares her story about how she built Possip from the ground up, then struggled (but ultimately succeeded) in finding investors who provided mentorship, expertise, and capital.

Over $9M in Funding: Denise Woodard (Partake Foods) and Karen Howland (CircleUp Growth Partners)

Jul 11 2022 33 mins  
Each year, less than 3% of venture capital funding is invested in startups led by founders of color and women. Today, we share the story of an underrepresented founder who did find investment - Denise Woodard, who has raised almost $10M for her company Partake Foods. Denise shares how she started her company and her journey to funding. And we bring on one of her investors, Karen Ho

Introducing Equity Raise: Leveling the Landscape for Diverse Founders and their VCs

Jun 29 2022 3 mins  
Welcome to Equity Raise: Leveling the Landscape for Diverse Founders and their VCs. Each year, less than 3% of venture capital funding is invested in startups led by founders of color and women. On this podcast from the American Underground, we’ll learn from some of these entrepreneurs who have successfully raised venture capital, despite the struggles and systemic barriers they�