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INSIGHTS

• The Psychology of Fundraising for Entrepreneurs

  -Ron Lewis / OCA Ventures

• VC Explained: Diligence Process

  -Allison Weil Lechnir / Hyde Park Venture Partners

• Are Venture Returns About to Cycle?

  -Andrea Auerbach / Cambridge Associates

• A beginner’s guide to Diversity and Inclusion for European Startups

  -Laura Roguet / Korelya Capital

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

MEST Express is an acceleration program focused on providing investment-readiness support to early and growth-stage startups in Ghana. All participating startups will receive upfront equity-free grant funding of US$5,000. Startups in each cohort will have the opportunity to participate in a pitching session where top-performing ventures will receive up to $20,000 in equity-free grant funding. Apply by July 10, 2022.

WimbartOfficeHours, fourth edition - a FREE PR mentorship programme for early-stage African tech startups. 20 companies will be selected. Applications due July 22, 2022.

MIPCOM Cannes Diversify TV Awards champion diversity & inclusion across the TV industry. If you have a programme with a positive impact that stands out in terms of originality & excellence, you can apply for an award. Calls for entries closes July 22, 2022.

Snapchat has officially launched ‘The Black Creator Accelerator,’ a mentorship program to help emerging talent jumpstart their careers. Apply by August 12, 2022.

UPCOMING EVENTS

How I Met My Cofounder by Entrepreneur First. Finding the right co-founder is the key to your startup success. Listen to alumni reveal how they found their perfect co-founder. In Paris, July 6, 2022.

Republic TechChicago Week: Coffee & Crowdfunding, July 15, 2022.

Scrum Ventures & SmartyCityX invite you to Demo Day at The Chase Center featuring leading smart city startups and industry executives. July 20, 2022.

REFASHIOND Ventures Quarterly LP Update. GPs, Brian Laung Aoaeh & Lisa Morales-Hellebo, will provide info on the fund's portfolio companies, shared insights, & trends on emerging supply chain innovations and technology. July 21, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

The End of the Millennial Lifestyle Subsidy.

Sequoia, Y Combinator And AZ16 Under Scrutiny In Congress Over ‘Tech Bro’ Culture.

These are the next startup investment hotspots in west Africa.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

MaC Venture Capital Announces $203M Fund II, nearly doubling the capital the majority Black-owned venture firm raised for its inaugural fund last year.

Carta acquires Vauban, making it easier for investors to back entrepreneurs globally.

Visible Hands, a Boston VC firm dedicated to helping underrepresented founders raised its first fund of $10.5 Million.

Pharrell Named Chief Brand Officer of Doodles NFT Project.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

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INSIGHTS

• Dehumanization Is a Feature of Gig Work, Not a Bug

  -Eric Anicich /Harvard Business Review

• Lots of advice, not a lot of tactics

  -Anna Khan

• Reproductive Autonomy Resource Guide

  -776

• One year after starting a VC fund, here’s what I learned

  -Janine Sickmeyer / Overlooked Ventures

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

VCs for Female Founders: Future of Work 5th edition hosted by APX, Join Capital, and Redalpine. The virtual office hours will give advice and guidance to female founders and mixed founding teams from DACH on July 6, 2022. Register by June 27, 2022.

Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 is looking for startups from anywhere around the world to be a part of its new cohort of 200 companies. Winner takes home $100K prize. Apply by July 31, 2022.

StartupBus. Stop dreaming. Start pitching. StartupBus is a tech entrepreneurship boot camp and global championship on wheels. Let StartupBus accelerate you to be the change you want to see. Application entry.

The Accelerate(HER) Fund sponsored by Tiger Global Impact Ventures with Hello Alice and the Global Entrepreneurship Network, will provide grants up to $50,000 to support women entrepreneurs building breakthrough technologies or tech-enabled companies. Apply by August 5, 2022.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Google Cloud Sustainability Summit will explore how top climate change-makers are building for the future. Discover the latest technology moonshots, discuss new business models that a sustainable transformation will demand, find out about our product roadmap, and learn how to speed up projects to create more sustainable value. June 28, 2022.

Techstars London Demo Day of the June 2022 Cohort, in-person, June 29, 2022.

SAP.iO NY Demo Day is the graduation for participants in SAP’s external accelerator’s most recent cohort. Virtual & in-person Happy Hour in NYC, July 12, 2022.

Femtech Untapped Mental Health - Beyond Anxiety and Depression by Women of Wearables, July 14, 2022.

London School of Economics-LSE Generate Accelerator Programme 2022 - Demo Day, July 15, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

When Did Perfume Stop Being About Sex?

Union Square Ventures: The Thinkers.

Half of New US Entrepreneurs Are Women, Leading a Creation Boom.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Vine Raises $140 Million for Latin America-Focused Venture Fund.

MAYA Capital, a Brazilian fund, founded by Monica Saggioro and Lara Lemann, raised a $100 million fund II.

Francia Marquez elected Colombia’s first Black Vice President.

Google For Startups Deploys $4M Of Grant Funding To 40 Black-Led Startups Across Europe.

Backstage Capital cuts majority of staff after pausing net new investments.

True Wealth Ventures raises second fund to back women-led startups.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

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INSIGHTS

• The Future of Crypto Native Consumer Products, Part 2: Messaging

  -Mercedes Bent / Lightspeed Venture Partners

• How Founders Decide What They Should Get Paid

  -New York Times

• VC Funding To Black-Founded Startups Slows Dramatically As Venture Investors Pull Back

  -Gené Teare / Crunchbase

• Post Great Resignation, Individuals are Reimagining Work

  -Brianne Kimmel / WorkLife VC

• Head of? Director? VP? How to live with title inflation

  -Allison Levitsky / Protocol

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

American-Made Solar Prize Kicks Off Round 6. The Sixth Round of Competition Offers $4.1 Million in Prizes for Those Ready To Revolutionize the Solar Industry. Submissions open.

Ulta Beauty launches The MUSE Accelerator. The accelerator will offer eight BIPOC beauty brands within its early stages the opportunity to continue their growth towards retail readiness and success. The successful applicants will receive $50,000 in financial support to propel their early-stage BIPOC beauty brands. Deadline June 30, 2022.

BIG Pre-Accelerator 2022. Apply if you are a Latina or Black woman pre-revenue founder, you have started to build your Commerce and Technology Startup or MVP and you want to take your tech-enabled business to market. Due June 26, 2022.

Ingredients for Success Grant Application awards $50,000 to three entrepreneurs. Along with the monetary award, winners will receive the necessary resources and tools provided by the NBCC to drive sustainable growth and success. Apply by June 26, 2022

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Emerging Leaders in Tech and Venture Capital by Switch at COLLISION CONFERENCE, June 21, 2022.

Investing into new & alternative asset classes: Sustainable ETFs, Crypto & web3, Venture Capital, Rare & Luxury Goods by Future Females, June 22, 2022.

Raising Money for the Metaverse, June 22, 2022.

Africa Next E-Pitch Session connects African investors’ best portfolio companies to international investors looking for co-investments from 1 to 10+ million euros. The session will showcase some of the most promising African start-ups selected by top African VCs and accelerators. June 23, 2022.

BLKtech Pitch Competition Finals hosted by 1871, June 23, 2022.

Financing Underrepresented Founders by Impact Shakers in Brussels, June 28, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

Black Gen Z VCs are here and swinging for the fences.

Sequoia has posted three more decks on leading through tough times, how to extend your runway and how to do forecasting and scenario planning.

The Viral Spiral.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

UKtech50 2022: The longlist of the UK's influential tech leaders.

Wesley Chan and Pegah Ebrahimi have raised $450 million for a debut fund that launches their venture capital firm FPV.

InspiringFifty Europe 2022 award recognises the top fifty women excelling in tech careers across Europe.

Launch Africa Ventures announced the close of its $36.3 million fund, which it has primarily used to invest in B2B and B2B2C startups across Africa.

Apis & Heritage Capital Partners (A&H), an emerging Black-led investment fund, intends to raise $50 million to build its pipeline of acquired companies to help close the nation’s racial wealth gap.

Isaac Barnes, a 39-year old founder and President of Eminent Future, a Black-owned tech firm has been awarded a $13.4 billion dollar defense contract with the U.S. Airforce and the U.S. Spaceforce.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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INSIGHTS

• Report: Decarbonising The Built World

  -a/o proptech

• Black representation in the beauty industry

  -McKinsey Quarterly

• The Pandemic Pet Boom Has Legs

  -Jinjoo Lee / The Wall Street Journal

• Founders, what’s your cockroach plan?

  -Tessa Clarke

• Female Entrepreneurs Funded By Female VCs Face Difficulties Obtaining Future Funds

  -Kim Elsesser /Forbes

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

Men’s Appreciation Grant Giveaway. The Fearless Fund will be launching a grant giveaway awarding two (2) deserving Black men grants in the amount of $10,000 each for a total of $20,000. Apply by June 14, 2022.    

Mitsubishi Decarbonize Program 2022. Ten startups in areas such as hydrogen, future energy, waste-to-value, and carbon offset will work alongside the Mitsubishi and Startupbootcamp team to create proof of concept and validate their business models. A team from Mitsubishi and Startupbootcamp will visit London to meet selected startups, and offer their perspectives as potential collaborators. Register your interest and upload a non-NDA deck. June 23-24, 2022.

Cartier Women's Initiative is an annual international entrepreneurship program open to women-run and owned businesses from every country and sector. The program will
support women with financial, social, and human capital. Closes June 30, 2022.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Afrobytes Marketplace VI. "New Frontiers of African Agriculture." "Les Nouvelles Frontières de l'Agriculture Africaine." In Paris, June 14, 2022.

Silicon Roundabout ─ The Future of Space Technology (London Tech Week 2022), June 14, 2022.

Stacks Ventures Accelerator will be hosting its Online Demo Days, featuring Cohort 2 teams building the future of Bitcoin via Stacks. June 15-16, 2022.

Showcasing Black Women in Web3: West Africa & Black America by Bridge Labs, June 18, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

To survive climate change, coffee must embrace new and resilient beans.

Whatever happened to the class of W11? — YC a decade+ later.

Do Animals Dream?

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael Langley has been nominated by President Biden for fourth star and if confirmed, he would be the first African American Marine promoted to four stars.

2022 Queer 50 List by Fast Company.

Mellody Hobson Set To Become Part Owner of the Denver Broncos.

VC firm Cathay Innovation and French fintech Ledger have partnered up to launch a new early-stage fund dedicated to Web3-the country’s first-ever dedicated fund to the sector. 

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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INSIGHTS

• Investors poured into Africa’s startup funding frenzy. Now they’re taking their time

  -Yinka Adegoke / Rest of the World

• Why It’s So Hard to Scale a Great Idea

  -John List / Harvard Business Review

• Quantum computing just might save the planet

  -Peter Cooper, Philipp Ernst, Dieter Kiewell, and Dickon Pinner / McKinsey

• Setting the Stage for Success at Seed Stage Board Meetings

  -Mary Grove / Bread & Butter Ventures

• The Future of Crypto Native Consumer Products

  -Mercedes Bent / Lightspeed Venture Partners

• Operating during a downturn (video)

  -David Sacks and Jeff Fluhr / Craft Ventures

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

Village Capital’s Sustainability Subscribed Accelerator will support 10 to 12 startups employing subscriptions or recurring revenue models to fight climate change and move the needle towards greater sustainability and net zero emissions. Applications close June 8, 2022.

FourthWave 2022 accelerator is open to technology companies with at least one female or female-identified founder. Apply now.

The Rose Acton Award for Women in Tech will provide stipend support to a woman with a background in software development/engineering/data sciences who is keen to build a business that will transform the industries that have the most impact on our environmental crisis and joins Zinc's next Venture Builder, starting in October. Apply now.

Black Ambition Prize - Apply for a chance to win $1Million and access to a network of esteemed mentors. Together, let’s build a world where Black and Latinx founders can excel uninterrupted. Applications close June 20, 2022.

TikTok Awards. Calling all European Brands and agencies. Apply in three categories: Greatest Creative, Greatest Performance and Greatest TikTok. Submissions open.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

[Ask Me Anything] Cartier Women's Initiative Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award, June 8, 2022.

How to Invest in Top Startups: Lessons Learned from Global Investors (Online) hosted by Founder Institute, June 9, 2022.

Navigate Institutional Capital Raising & Build an Enduring Venture Firm hosted by Carta, June 15, 2022.

Cellular Agriculture Showcase: Presented by Vevolution, Cult Food Science, & New Harvest, June 16, 2022.

Pitch HearstLab: Texas is HearstLab’s first ever pitch competition, looking to fund the best high-growth, women-led startups in the South. HearstLab exclusively invests in women-led companies and provides founders intensive access to support and resources to accelerate the growth of their businesses. Multiple startups may be selected for $100,000 investments. In San Antonio, Texas, June 23, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

Black Founders Matter presses VCs to pledge commitment to diversity.

Shonda Rhimes Announces New Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs at Netflix.

The Disruptive Idea Behind Prada’s New Timecapsule NFT Collection.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ascend Venture Capital announced the creation of a $25 million opportunity fund targeted at underrepresented founders.

FoodHack raises $1 million to become a new AngelList for climate tech.

Hannah Grey launches its $52 million inaugural fund.

HSBC has established the Female Entrepreneur Fund — a $1 billion debt fund aimed exclusively at women-led businesses. 

Sydney Thomas, Precursor Ventures’s first hire, is starting her own firm.

All Iron Ventures announced the launch of a new €30 million fund of funds, to invest directly into other European VCs.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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REPORTS & INSIGHTS

• Adapting to Endure

  -Sequoia

• European Women in VC: Analysing the role and importance of women as cheque writers and start-up founders

  -European Women in VC

• The bull market is over… What are the implications for venture capital? ­­­­­­

  -Samir Kaji

• The Metrics To Raise A Series B (Downturn Edition)

  -Alda Dennis

• Why the circular economy is the business opportunity of our time

  -Jan Jenisch / World Economic Forum

• CVCs need to play the “Sequoia game” in a downturn

  -James Mawson

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

New England Venture Capital Association is accepting applications for Unpitch HEALTH 2022. Unpitch HEALTH connects early-stage health entrepreneurs + seasoned investors for friendly, pressure-free conversations – no pitch decks, just curated meetings where entrepreneurs can access advice + feedback from industry experts. Due May 29, 2022.

Founder/Investor Office Hours at BlackTech Week. Endeavor Midwest and Black Tech Week have joined together to match Founders with potential Investors in-person during the conference. Apply by June 1, 2022.

5th Venture Capital Investment Challenge. The format is a one day simulation of an investment committee with aspiring Student VCs meeting B2B SaaS or Consumer startups, while being coached by seasoned VCs. Apply now.

Incubateur HEC Paris program is currently recruiting its next batch of startups to join in September. Apply by June 13, 2022.

Pitch Competition | DigitalFuture Summit. Pitch your idea in front of a large network of entrepreneurs, investors, and students. Every year, Vali Berlin hosts a Pitch Competition at DFS. Apply now in topics: Health, Mobility, Technology, and Sustainability. Open Applications.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

The Art & Science of Angel Investing, a one hour workshop with Andy Ayim, May 30, 2022.

NextGen VC Launch: Breaking into VC. Three guests will share their journey and top tips to break into VC. June 1, 2022.

Lead Today Shape Tomorrow - Europe’s leading Event for Female Entrepreneurship - Hybrid Conference on June 1-2, 2022.

Female Entrepreneurs & Startup Leaders Networking in Berlin hosted by Female Founders x Microsoft, June 3, 2022.

"Ask me anything" with Munashe Demawatema, VC at M12, Microsoft Venture Fund, June 9, 2022.

The Circle of Venture Capital: Founders turn angels turns VCs hosted by ​VAUBAN x Connectd. In-person event in London, June 9, 2022.

King's20 Accelerator 2022 Demo Day, a virtual showcase of our very best early-stage, high potential entrepreneurs from King’s College London. June 15, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

Your Brain Is an Energy-Efficient 'Prediction Machine'

The number of women running Fortune 500 companies reaches a record high.

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, debuts gender-lens investing.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

A16z raises $4.5 billion for latest crypto fund.

Joanna Invests is Amsterdam’s new women-led investment firm for female founders.

L’Oréal launched BOLD FEMALE FOUNDERS initiative designed to support female-led startups with an initial allocation of 25 million euros.

AfricInvest closes its largest African midcap-focused fund raising over US$400 million.

Zoom Ventures is Zoom’s global investment arm driving ecosystem innovation.

Time100 Most Influential People of 2022.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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REPORTS & INSIGHTS

• Introducing the 2022 State of Crypto Report

  -Daren Matsuoka, Eddy Lazzarin, Chris Dixon, and Robert Hackett / A16Z

• The future of audio in Africa is young, bold, and online

  -Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy

• A Startup’s Guide to Launching College Ambassador Programs

  Jacob Westphal / A16Z

• YC advises founders to ‘plan for the worst’ amid market teardown

  -YCombinator

• Field Study: Global Supply Chains — Part 1

  -Aubrie Pagano / Alpaca VC

• 39 Moves to Survive (& Thrive) in a Downturn: 2022 Edition

  -Pete Flint / NFX

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

Humans to Humans The H-Accelerator: Summer’22. Humans to Humans offers remote collaboration opportunities for students and entrepreneurs. Through our program, we provide university students with the opportunity to make a difference, enhance their expertise, and get a unique perspective on business and international development by working directly with CEOs and founders of high growth and sustainable ventures. Closes May 25, 2022.

Call for speakers- TechCrunch Disrupt. TechCrunch has a limited number of speaking opportunities available, so if you think you’re a great fit to speak at TC Disrupt — or want to recommend someone else — fill out and submit th application by June 10, 2022.

R42 Institute is running an AI Fellowship Program. A launchpad for deep technology and science disruptors, the Fellowship is designed to develop AI/machine learning, deep science, design thinking and entrepreneurial skills of emerging talent. Rolling deadline-cohort starts June 2022.

ShelterTech sub-Saharan Africa accelerator programme by Habitat for Humanity has opened applications. ShelterTech supports ventures with solutions in sectors related to finance, labor, materials, land, markets, as well as energy and water and sanitation. Apply by June 9, 2022.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Funding Innovative Ventures (hybrid event). Workshop, keynote, panel and networking centred on practical tips to help with funding your venture. May 25, 2022.

Funding: Friend or Foe? by Startups Magazine, in London, May 26, 2022.

Hinterland of Things Conference is the most prestigious B2B tech conference that brings together startups, corporates, SMEs and investors. Hinterland of Things brings CEOs and executives of family-owned companies together with entrepreneurs and Europe’s leading VCs in Bielefeld - the heart of Germany’s Mittelstand, June 1, 2022.

Lessons from Women-led startups: scaling product market fit, in San Francisco, June 2, 2022.

B2B Rocks, the #1 SaaS Festival in Europe, June 9 -11, 2022.

Fireside Chat: Winning and Retaining Top Talent with Guest Speaker Jorge Diaz, Chief People Officer of Katapult Group hosted by OCA Ventures, June 9, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

Welcome to Portugal, the new expat haven.

After a bruising year, SoftBank braces for more pain.

The Root of Haiti’s Misery: Reparations to Enslavers

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky are launching a $100 million scholarship fund.

BlackRock raises an $800 million impact fund to invest in communities of color.

Mario Ruiz announced the launch of Infinity Ventures, a $158 Million fund dedicated to global fintech investing.

Disney+ has arrived in South Africa.

Biniam Girmay becomes first Black African to win a Grand Tour Stage.

Al Gore’s Generation launches new $1.7bn fund.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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Get in touch if you’d like to share stories, tips, comments, or questions. Feel free to send us articles from investors, founders, influencers, and startups that you think would be helpful to our community of readers. We might be able to include it in next week's newsletter.

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INSIGHTS

• Funds of Funds: What you need to know as a gender-smart investor

  -Suzanne Biegel

• Where will venture capitalists look next?

  -Walter Frick / Quartz

• How investors are betting on Africa’s early-stage startups

  -TechCabal Insights, The Baobab Network, and Future Africa

• It’s the end of the seed as we know it

  -Finn Murphy / Frontline Ventures

• Women-Led Venture Funds Have Already Raised More Money Than Last Year

  -Mahira Dayal /The Information

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

Spotify-Tech Fellowship Program-Europe 2022! The program targets anyone who is self-taught, went to a coding boot camp, or with a degree from a vocational school not reflected in the talent pipeline. The deadline is May 30, 2022.

Through its WIA54 programme, Women In Africa is committed to supporting African women entrepreneurs through training, mentoring, communication, networking and access to finance! Get the chance to win 10,000€ in funding. Apply by May 31, 2022.

South African Breweries (SAB) in partnership with the SAB Foundation has established the SAB SHARP Awards, targeting innovators and social entrepreneurs with innovative ideas or prototypes that empower women in at-risk communities. Apply by June 1, 2022.

Green Angel Syndicate (GAS) Underrepresented Founders Workshop. We look forward to holding a workshop for founders who are typically underrepresented in angel investment. The GAS dealflow team will be on hand to answer any questions about the fundraising process and offer their guidance on all stages of the process. June 7, 2022.

Apply for the IFundWomen Fund Forward Awards today for a chance at a $100,000 equity investment from IFundWomen, cash grants, and more. The Awards rewards and celebrates extraordinary women entrepreneurs who have proven product-market fit, driven growth, and demonstrated a meaningful impact through their businesses. Apply by June 30, 2022.

Google Africa Developer Scholarship 2022. Grow with Google and Pluralsight are providing 30,000 scholarships to those passionate about technology and keen on gaining skills in Android applications development and Google Cloud. Apply for free.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Black Music Incubator Presents: VC on 7th Street, joined by Devland, Techstars (J.P. Morgan), Zoo Labs Accelerator, and others. Welcoming startup builders, VCs, innovators, creatives, and our broader community to “The Inc” to experience amazing conversations, panels and interactive technology made and developed in West Oakland (CA). May 15, 2022

Smart Cities Pitch Day meet the finalists! ​Open Innovation Call launched by Lima Expresa in partnership with Seedstars and co-financed by ProInnóvate Perú. May 19, 2022.

Meet the Managers: Hear from Managers that Built New funds in VC Lab, May 19, 2022.

Industrial Climate Tech Summit (Colorado). Connect with and hear from investors, policymakers, corporations, incubators, and entrepreneurs who are developing innovative solutions for the industrial sectors. Hosted by Nomadic Venture Partners and the Colorado School of Mines with speakers from DOE, Climateworks Foundation, UL, Newlab, MIT, Innosphere Ventures, and more. June 1, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

Why Heart Disease in Women Is So Often Missed or Dismissed.

Zara starts charging shoppers for online returns.

Spain plans menstrual leave in new law for those with severe pain.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Damien Hooper-Campbell named first-Ever Chief Impact Officer at StockX.

Pinky Cole's 4-year-old Slutty Vegan brand valued at $100M after raising $25M Series A funding round.

Ollen Douglass just helped raise $102 million for Motley Fool Ventures' second venture fund.

Greenwood, the digital banking platform for Black and Latino individuals and business owners, has announced the acquisition of The Gathering Spot, a private membership network focused on the Black community.

Lisa Cook confirmed as the first Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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Get in touch if you’d like to share stories, tips, comments, or questions. Feel free to send us articles from investors, founders, influencers, and startups that you think would be helpful to our community of readers. We might be able to include it in next week's newsletter.

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INSIGHTS & REPORTS

• The Marketplace Retention Metric Most Ignore

  -Olivia Moore / a16z

• How to handle VC inbound when you are at day one

  -Pierre Entremont

• Dirty Secret: Venture Reserves are Not Always a Good Thing

  -Laura Thompson / Sapphire

• IRR is a vanity metric

  -Seth Levine

• Migrant Founders Monitor

  -Startup Verband

• The secret world beneath our feet mind blowing key to planets future

  -George Monbiot / The Guardian

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

NFT Talents: An 18-Week Mentoring Program Empowering Talent for Leadership in the NFT Space (program is free). The application deadline is May 16, 2022.

Open call for submissions for the first edition of the AuthenticA Series Lab, an exciting and empowering programme for African episodic screenwriters. Closes May 17, 2022.

Launch A Social Startup in a Year. Applications for the Autumn 2022/23 Social Innovation Fellowship by Year Here are open. Over 10 months, you’ll learn how to build entrepreneurial solutions to society’s toughest problems. Apply by May 29, 2022.

Village Capital x Johnson and Johnson Impact Ventures announce the Innovations in Health Equity. The program will support 10-12 entrepreneurs focused on improving health equity for BIPOC, low income, or other underserved communities in the US. Apply by May 31, 2022.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Climate Leadership - The Road to COP27. Join Scientists Warning Europe and a panel of experts to hear what we need to see from leadership - at all levels - to respond to the climate crisis. May 12, 2022.

Latinas in Tech Summit 2022. Join over 2,000 Latina techies and tap into the most powerful network for landing tech jobs and growing your tech career. May 18-20, 2022.

Rise Accelerator 2022 Founder Showcase by Colorintech. A showcase bringing together supporters of underrepresented founders for an evening of networking and hearing from exciting new startups. May 19, 2022.

Business Angel Minority Association Spring Pitch Event. May 20, 2022.

Assure Structured LIVE Masterclass, a free two-day virtual conference focusing on all aspects of SPVS. May 24-25, 2022.

The Information's 2022 Creator Economy Summit. The event will feature fireside chats, panels and deep dive masterclasses hosted by The Information's Kaya Yurieff and other reporters from The Information, with plenty of time for live Q&A with attendees. May 25, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

Chicago leads the country in percentage of seed funding for Black, Latino founders.

Starbucks wants to become the gas station of the future for EVs.

Africa’s creatives are promoting sustainability to combat climate change.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Allan Jean-Baptise launched Ansa Capital with a $100 million initial raise of its debut fund dedicated to supporting under-covered markets, ideas, and people.

Stanford Gets $1.1 Billion for New Climate School From John Doerr.

Samara Hernandez, GP of Chingona Ventures lands $52M to fund overlooked founders in massive markets.

The Seed 25: The best female early-stage investors.

Sequoia, Binance and a16z back Elon Musk’s $44 billion Twitter bid.

Rali_cap, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on emerging markets fintech, has launched a $30 million fund.

SeedLegals closes over £1bn funding for UK startups.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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INSIGHTS

• The great VC pullback of 2022

  -Matt Turck/ FirstMark

• Freeze peach and the Internet

  -Antonio García Martínez

• Is it Time to Ditch Sustainability?

  -Leyla Acaroglu

• How to Help Your Employees Value Equity

  -Jax Vullinghs

• Elon Musk Is Silicon Valley’s New Hero—for Better or Worse

  -Sam Lessin / The Information

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

International Founders Office Hours - 2022 Launch. Blue Lake VC in partnership with Tech Nation's Visa team are proud to kick off our Office Hours initiative. Running between May and August 2022, it will provide incomparable access directly to partners at some of the UK's top VC firms for international founders from across the globe now based in the UK.  May 3, 2022.

Radio France x France Télévisions Challenge at Vivatech. Startups, scaleups: come and pitch your innovative solution at Vivatech and win the opportunity to experiment in an open innovation process, a visit to the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique and France Télévisions, media coverage by franceinfo, as well as a gateway to the European network Future Media Hubs! Apply by May 6, 2022.

InNYC -A new program from McKinsey designed to help NYC startups with underrepresented founders tackle their toughest challenges and achieve sustainable, inclusive growth. Apply by May 13, 2022.

WOCstar Fund Academy & Ghetto Film School Brand Storytelling Program 2022 Spring Cohort Application. If you are a Black retail or tech entrepreneur looking to scale your business, apply now! Deadline is May 20, 2022!

Roadmap to Billions Pitch Competition. Enter for a chance to win $20K. Must have a Black woman on the founding team. Apply Now.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Cleantech Scandinavia Dealflow Webseries focused on "Alternative Proteins and Plant-Based Food". This event showcases 5 highly innovative companies from the Nordics and Baltics: May 3, 2022.

What is happening with follow-on fundraising in the UK? Join Capital Enterprise for a panel discussion and networking on the state of follow-on fundraising in the UK. May 3, 2022.

European Innovation Gender and Diversity Index Workshop. The European Innovation Council (EIC) is organizing an informative workshop to discuss how the European Innovation Gender and Diversity Index call is expected to increase diversity in European tech start-ups. May 5, 2022.

EIT Food Nordic & Baltic Startup Forum. The Forum is bridging the Nordic and Baltic agri-foodtech ecosystems to enhance innovation, co-creation, and networking. It will bring together corporates, academia, investors, and startups to share what's happening in the local agri-foodtech spaces and discuss the future of food from their perspectives. In Helsinki on May 11, 2022.

Angel Academe Pitch Event (online). These sessions are for angel investors from our network and invited guests who are interested in investing in female-founded tech startups.We'll start with introductions followed by a founder pitch and Q&A. May 11, 2022.

AFROTECH EXECUTIVE Washington DC. Join us for an evening celebrating the connections and community we’ve built this year while spotlighting opportunities to cultivate Black wealth – followed by a Happy Hour networking reception. In-person event May 19, 2022.

The Seed Stage Demo Day (May '22). The Seed Stage is the first demo day without an accelerator, where the most ambitious and talented founders come to generate term sheets and competition for their rounds. 15 founders will pitch their startup to thousands of the most esteemed early-stage investors - both VC funds and angels. May 25, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

The rise in funding to female-led startups in Africa has many caveats.

Corporations Tap Women- And POC-Led VC Funds To Reach Emerging Markets.

The Black women redefining California’s cannabis market – one curated store at a time.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Shu Nyatta and Paulo Passoni two managing investment partners of SoftBank’s Latin America practice, are leaving the firm to start their own venture practice.

Maren Bannon and Jennifer Neundorfer, GPs of January Ventures have closed a $21 million fund II to invest in early stage B2B tech startups.

Tribal Ventures, a new fund led by Christine Chang will provide equity financing for early-stage Fintechs in emerging markets.

Brianne Kimmel has raised a $35 million fund II for Worklife Ventures, her second future work-focused fund.

Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud merge and get a $100 million investment by private equity firm Abry Partners.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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INSIGHTS

• The Best Leaders Have a Contagious Positive Energy

  -Emma Seppälä and Kim Cameron / Harvard Business Review

• 16 Things to Know About Raising Debt for Startups

  -Nathan Yoon and Melissa Wasser / a16z

• The Keys to Investing in Emerging Markets

  -Kauffman Fellows

• Cultivating Catalytic Communities

  -Sara Campbell

• Your Pitch Deck is Your Tinder Profile

  -Jon Butterfield / SpeedInvest

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

Atelier100 is open to anyone with an original concept or making facility within a 100km radius of central London. Backed by H&M & Ingka Group (the largest IKEA franchisee), funds of £1,000 up to £10,000 are available for Atelier100 participants to bring your concept to life. Applications close tonight, April 24, 2022.

a16zSTART program which fuels founders at the early stages of company building by equipping them with the tools and support they need to succeed -- and up to a $1M investment.

Applications for the first Biden-Harris White House internships are open — and they're PAID. Applications close May 2, 2022.

The Seed Stage is the first demo day without an accelerator, where the most ambitious and talented founders come to generate term sheets and competition for their rounds. 15 founders will pitch their startup to thousands of the most esteemed early-stage investors - both VC funds and angels. Applications open tomorrow, April 25, 2022 with Demo Day on May 25, 2022.

ARM Labs Innovation Program in partnership with GreenTec Capital Partners and Axum are running a change-making incubator programme for FinTechs in Nigeria. 7-week intensive program coupled with $50,000. Apply now.

Founder Institute Food Ecosystems Accelerator launches global virtual 2022 program to help pre-seed foodtech & agtech entrepreneurs build impactful, global companies. Early applications due May 1, 2022.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Designing Your Success! Avoiding Pitfalls as a Creative Entrepreneur, April 26, 2022.

Q1 ’22 Africa Venture Spotlight: Insights from Africa and the opportunities of cross over from MENAPT. An Africa exclusive webinar to discuss key venture capital trends from the first quarter of the year across the African continent. April 27, 2022.

Gravy Unpacked: The Blueprint: Raising a VC Fund. The blueprint for successfully raising VC funds from 3 VCs who've gotten it done and will dive into their strategies, lessons learned, and the challenges along the way: Jewel Burks Solomon, Managing Partner at Collab Capital & US Head of Google for Startups, Nasir Quadree, Founder and Managing Partner at Zeal Capital Partners, and William Crowder, Managing Partner at Aperture Venture Capital. April 28, 2022.

Project Drawdown: Earth Day Special. Hear from renowned experts in climate priorities with Dr. Foley from Project Drawdown + a panel discussion with specialised solar, water and plastic mitigation investors, along with a rapid-fire round of pitches from regional startups for real-time impact feedback. April 28, 2022.

Women in Venture Capital Night in-person event by Meetfounders in London. The event will host 8+ VCs and Industry leaders, plus 10+ startups who will showcase their businesses. May 5, 2022.

Diversity X Pitch Day, the 100 second startup pitch event. The event will feature between 5 and 8 of the best startups from the first Pitch Dojo cohort. All of the founders meet the Diversity X definition of an underestimated founder and are are from the Diversity-X Founders Community. May 17, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

What are Y Combinator’s most valuable African startups?

How VCs Can Overcome the “Winner’s Curse”

EU approves groundbreaking rules to police Big Tech platforms.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

2 Chainz May Be Starting His Own Venture Capital Fund.

Darren Dixon, Goldman Sachs’ Youngest Black Partner Leaving to Start His Own Fund.

Dayna Grayson and Rachel Holt, co-founders and general partners at Construct Capital, raised a $300 Million Fund II for critical infrastructure automation.

Actor Harry Lennix received a $26 Million grant to revitalize a Chicago performing arts center in Bronzeville.

Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton join bid to buy Chelsea Football Club.

Natasha Fernandes was promoted to the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of IMAX.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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REPORTS & INSIGHTS

• The Marketplace 100: 2022

  -Olivia Moore, Brandon Barros / a16z

• Scaling from $1 to $10 million ARR: Bessemer Growth’s early-stage playbook on how to make effective scaling decisions to become a strong Series B+ company

  -Bessemer Venture Partners

• A great disruption is coming for venture capital

  -Leslie Feinzaig / FastCompany

• Founder Insights: Setting up an SPV for angels

  -Jeremy Luzinda

• The Wisdom List: Leif Abraham

  -The Generalist

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

Virtual Acceleration Bootcamp by Seedstars and Microsoft Africa! If you are interested in scaling and growing as a startup, don’t miss this opportunity, you will get access to startup scaling workshops, mentorship, productivity, and developer tools. Applications close tonight, April 17, 2022.

Calling all LGBTQ+ tech leaders in the UK 🏳️‍🌈. Applications open for UK LGBTQ+ Tech Mission to the USA, June 20 – 24, 2022. Visiting Austin, Houston and San Francisco, the mission is a great opportunity to engage with business and community leaders, US tech companies, and venture capital.  Closes April 18, 2022.

BetaRaise programme-Ghanaian startups are invited to apply for the BetaRaise programme, designed to help first-time founders go from launching a beta product to their first pre-seed investment round in the fastest possible time. The first cohort is focused on ventures in urban food systems, mass-market distribution, green energy and e-mobility, gig economy, and fintech. Closes April 24, 2022.

Feed the Future’s EatSafe program in partnership with the SUN Business Network (SBN) and the Innovative Food System Portal is looking for entrepreneurs, students, researchers and other innovators in Nigeria and Ethiopia who are passionate about food safety to participate in the EatSafe Innovation Challenge! Apply by April 30, 2022.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Global People (Netherlands) is organizing Diversity Dinner 2022, which aims to bring students & young professionals from culturally diverse backgrounds in touch with leading employers. Sign-up by April 18, 2022.​

Westminster Media Forum "Next steps for funding in the creative industries" conference, April 19, 2022.

Launch House Reverse Demo Day. Join us as ~10 investors pitch Launch House (and other) founders on why they should take their money. Founders and Investors wanting to pitch should RSVP. April 20, 2022. `

500 LatAm: Batch 15 Demo Day. 500 Global invests in Spanish-speaking Latin American companies through 500 LATAM's investment program Somos Lucha. Get to know 10 companies of the recent Somos Lucha Batch 15 program, April 21, 2022.

Badhouse Pitch+Learn-12th edition. Featuring 4 pre-selected pre-seed startups. The founders give an in-depth 6-min pitch in front of guest investors (typically early-stage VCs). April 21, 2022.

Dream Big, Lead Boldly a free one-day virtual workshop focused on supporting the career aspirations of Black college students and young professionals, with a special emphasis on illuminating MBA career pathways. Register by April 22, 2022.

AfricArena West Africa Summit. A 2-day conference that will feature pitches from 20+ startups operating in West Africa between Seed stage and Growth stage. In Dakar, Senegal, April 26-27, 2022.

The Women’s Venture Capital Summit is a dynamic, two-day conference designed to forge valuable relationships between senior-level women in venture capital. May 5-6, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

We’ve Never Seen a Carbon-Removal Plan Like This Before.

Flutterwave: The African Unicorn Built On Quicksand.

Mushrooms communicate with each other using up to 50 ‘words’, scientist claims.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Midas List: The World’s Best Venture Capital Investors In 2022.

General Mills Invests $15 Million in Fearless Fund and Supply Change Capital.

Alison Rosenthal, Managing Partner of Leadout Capital raises $57.7M for its second fund to invest in “resilient” founders.

Elon Musk Launches $43 Billion Hostile Takeover Bid for Twitter.

Frontier Fund, a $925 million "advance market commitment" (AMC) set up by software firm Stripe to invest in carbon removal offsets — along with funding from Alphabet, Shopify, Meta and McKinsey, to start.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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REPORTS & INSIGHTS

• Metaverse and Money-Decrypting the Future

  -Citi

• The LGBTQ+ Founder Report: For Founders

  -Proud Ventures

• The Tactical Guide to Making Better Decisions When Starting and Scaling Companies

  -First Round Review

• Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change

  -IPCC Annual Report

• Why investors are snapping up virtual land in a metaverse ghost town

  -Leo Schwartz and Lucia Cholakian Herrera / Rest of World

• Stop trying to raise a debut venture fund-go for the SPV instead

  -Caterina Fake / TechCrunch

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

Apply for the Europe-wide remote Female Founder Office Hours taking place on Tuesday 26th April 2022. Reserve your spot now and apply before COB today, April 10, 2022.

Google for Startups Accelerator: Cloud Program. Open for growth stage startups in Europe and Israel who are building exciting solutions and leveraging cloud technology. Apply now.

Nominate startups with Hispanic or Latinx DNA that have built, or are building, great companies for the inaugural Angeles100 award. The deadline to apply is April 14, 2022.

Greentech Europe -Emerging Futures. The program will accept 50 additional gender-diverse startups to participate in an online, self-paced investment-readiness curriculum. The program will launch in June 2022 and run for twelve weeks. Apply through April 19, 2022.

Project W’s Women Entrepreneurs Boot Camp (WEB) aims to close the distance from Seed to Series A for female founders. WEB has a demonstrated track record of moving the needle for women entrepreneurs and has graduated seven impressive cohorts. Applications close April 11, 2022.

Black Founders Build with Alexa Program-This four-month, remote program seeks 10 Black-founded startups located in North America that are driving innovation in voice, artificial intelligence, and ambient computing. The selected startups will have an opportunity to receive a $100,000 investment from the Alexa Fund and individualized technology support from the Alexa Startups team. Apply by April 24, 2022.

All Raise applications for Principal Cohorts are now open! From cohort meetups to cross-cohort sessions, the Principal Cohorts program allows you to find a community of amazing women in venture who are dedicated to your personal and professional success. Apply now.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Black Founders Connect at TNW. Google for Startups will host an evening of networking for Black Founders at TNW in Amsterdam, April 11, 2022.

Startup Grind 2022 Female Founders Happy Hour & Dinner by Changing Tides Movement in Redwood City, April 12, 2022.

AFROTECH™ WORLD is a two day, completely digital, immersive experience for anyone interested in the future of technology. From experienced engineers, to those wanting to learn more about web 3.0 and NFTs, attendees convene in the metaverse for programming and activations centered around recruitment, networking, and financial and mental wellness. April 13-14, 2022.

7th Annual Berkeley Haas Africa Business Forum. A gathering of global VC investors, tech companies, researchers, global non-profits and scholars to discuss how innovation-based growth has reshaped and impacted Africa. April 15, 2022.

How investors can get more out of Carta, April 18, 2022.

How do investors use ESG to evaluate a company? By Techstars, April 19, 2022.

Inclusion on Purpose: Mindfulness and Belonging in the Workplace Ruchika Tulshyan, a free 45-minute workshop, April 21, 2022.

ASAP Investor's Day-The ASAP Accelerator is a partnership between Village Capital and The Lightsmith Group accelerating 16 companies across Africa and Asia. We are hosting an investor forum for these companies on April 22, 2022.

OX1 Incubator Demo Day 2022. OX1 brings together the best entrepreneurial talent in Oxford and provides the resources, training and mentorship to launch pre-seed stage startups. April 28, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

The Herd Of Female-Founded Unicorn Companies Continues To Grow in 2022.

The 10 Richest Self-Made Women In The World.

Stanford engineers invent a solar panel that generates electricity at night.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed to the Supreme Court, making her the 116th justice — and the first Black woman — to serve on the top U.S. court.

Base10 becomes first Black-led VC firm to cross $1 Billion AUM with new fund.

Chris Paul and Taraji P. Henson appointed to Biden's HBCU advisory board.

Bessie Coleman, first Black female pilot, among trailblazing women to be honored on U.S. Quarter.

Sword Health founders unveil $5 million fund for under-represented startups.

Forbes Billionaires 2022: The richest people in the world.

Sierra Peterson and Sarah Sclarsic, founders of Voyager Ventures, launches $100M Fund I to invest in Climate Tech across North America and Europe.

Timbaland makes his debut as the second NFT artist in residence for TIME's Web3 community initiative.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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Get in touch if you’d like to share stories, tips, comments, or questions. Feel free to send us articles from investors, founders, influencers, and startups that you think would be helpful to our community of readers. We might be able to include it in next week's newsletter.

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REPORTS & INSIGHTS

• The state of diversity in US private equity

  -McKinsey

• The New Creator Economy: A Guide to Web3 Creator Platforms

  -Speedinvest

• Jack Dorsey, Marc Andreessen and the Makings of a Crypto Holy War

  -Joel Stein / The Information

• The VC Guide to Mergers & Acquisitions

  -Notion Capital

• 2021 Study Of Gender Diversity On Private Company Boards

  -Crunchbase

• How to make a teaser trailer for your startup pitch

  -Andrew Gershfeld / TechCrunch

• Annual State of the European FoodTech Ecosystem

  -DigitalFoodLab

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

Visible Hands brings together its next cohort of U.S.-based entrepreneurs to support them in obtaining pre-seed funding, validating business ideas, and building transformational tech companies. Selected founders will each receive an initial investment of $25,000 + the opportunity for an additional $150,000 investment at the end of the accelerator. Apply by April 5, 2022.

Talent 4 Startups is a vocational program developed by Digital Africa and Make-IT. The program aims to meet the skills’ needs expressed by the continent’s startups by training young people, who will then be matched with startups seeking local talent. For its initial deployment, 280 scholarships will be awarded. Apply Now.

WFP Innovation Challenge 2022. Do you have a game-changing idea to improve sustainable food systems? Enter to receive up to $100,000 in equity-free funding and mentorship. Deadline April 6, 2022.

Nestlé R&D Accelerator. Partner with Nestlé for disruptive food & beverage innovations. Accelerator projects give teams six months to define and solve a problem and also test the market-solution fit. Apply by April 8, 2022.

Africa No Filter Support Competition. The latest Media grants of $10-25K are aimed exclusively at women storytellers, female-owned media organisations, and outlets. Apply by April 11, 2022.

Google for Startups Accelerator: Climate Change is a 10-week digital accelerator program for Seed to Series A technology startups based in North America. Apply now.

Shine Award will grant 4 women entrepreneurs a prize between 8 000€ and 12 0000€. This award is for women leading responsible projects (social or environmental). 2 grants of 8 000€ for solo-entrepreneurs and 2 grants of 12 000€ for CEO’s. A bonus for mompreneurs. Apply by April 13, 2022.

Moove Lab-Batch #9 BMW Group. The mobility & autotech focused startup accelerator just launched its call for projets. Apply by April 15, 2022.

The 2022 TTI Global Impact Awards are finally here! A celebration of entrepreneurs who are building a new paradigm for our planet. The 10 finalists in each TTI award category will be announced during the World Economic Forum in Davos. Learn more + apply with your startup or nominate a startup. Closes April 22, 2022.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

New Investor Voices: How Emerging Fund Managers Are Diversifying Capital, panel of the 41st Annual SEC Small Business Forum, April 6, 2022.

Nia Africa Demo Day 2. Nia is a unique investment engine powering impactful and exceptional business growth across Africa. April 6, 2022.

The Women Entrepreneurship for Africa Acceleration Programme Demo Day. Meet the most promising women-led startups that are contributing to job creation in Sub-Saharan Africa. April 7, 2022.

The Vegan Woman Summit Los Angeles, April 8, 2022.

MIT Sloan Africa Innovate Conference brings together top leaders, entrepreneurs and change agents from across Africa and the diaspora. April 9, 2022

Future Africa: Invest In the Future with Sebastian Mallaby-How to identify and invest in the best startups, April 12, 2022.

Online fireside chat: Scaling your business from $0 to $100 Million, hosted by Stripe and Bessemer Venture Partners, April 12, 2022.

Women's Health Innovation Summit Europe. Showcasing innovation, fuelling investment, and driving partnerships across Europe and Israel to improve the outcomes, access, and quality of healthcare for women. April 25-27, 2022.

Earlybird x Female Founders: Everything about how to own the conversation with potential investors, April 27, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

Switching To Plant-Based Twice A Week Equivalent To Planting 13.88 Billion Trees.  

It’s Easy to Blame Mental Health Issues on Tech. But Is It Fair?

Is a ‘recharge break’ the key to your employees’ happiness?

Tofurky Won Its Free-Speech Lawsuit to Call Its Vegan Meats “Burgers” and “Sausages”

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Suneera Madhani, CEO of Stax, has built fintech’s latest unicorn. The woman led company reached unicorn status after a $245 million funding round.

Chief, the network designed to develop the leadership skills of women, has hit a $1.1 billion valuation in a matter of three years.

Mary Meeker’s growth equity firm, Bond Capital, has raised $2.5 billion for its third fund.

Mandy Bynum Mc Laughlin was named new CEO of BLCK VC.

Black Founder Matter Fund, a Portland-based VC firm focused on investing in Black founder-led companies, closed $3 million for a planned $10 million seed-stage fund.

La sélection Challenges des 100 start-up où investir en 2022.

Womvest, a South African network of women in the investment ecosystem, launches its own investment vehicle seeking to provide funds for women-owned and women-led businesses.

Al Mada Holding Group launches a US $109.8 million pan-African venture capital fund to invest in fast-growing startups.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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Get in touch if you’d like to share stories, tips, comments, or questions. Feel free to send us articles from investors, founders, influencers, and startups that you think would be helpful to our community of readers. We might be able to include it in next week's newsletter.

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INSIGHTS

• The Latecomer’s Guide to Crypto

  -Kevin Roose / New York Times

• Can Sisterhood, Investing, and Race Co-Exist?

  -Gayle Jennings O'Byrne

• Startup founders’ ownership levels on the VC track

  -Lukas Malmberg / Medium

• African Tech: How Regulation Can Shape The Future

  -Tech Cabal and Future Africa

• False Positives of Pedigrees and “Pattern Recognition”

  -Rick Zullo / Equal Ventures

• Roadmap: Curating the internet

  -Alexandra Sukin / Bessemer Venture Partners

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

Transit Tech Lab offers growth-stage companies the opportunity to pilot solutions with public transit systems in metro NYC, including the MTA, NJ Transit, NYC DOT, and the Port Authority of NY & NJ. Proposals for investment due March 28, 2022.

Outliers wanted: Apply to Arc, a new catalyst for seed-stage companies. Over 8 weeks, you’ll learn Sequoia’s time-tested Company Design principles and meet best-in-class founders, operators, and experts. Build for the next decade, not the next quarter. 15 companies. 8 weeks. $1M up-front investment. First cohort is in Europe, with a curriculum tailored for the region. Apply by April 8, 2022.

Scholly is excited to launch the Women of Color In Tech $10,000 Scholarship, sponsored by Google! This scholarship invites high school seniors and undergraduate women who are Black, Latina, and/or Native and are currently pursuing or have completed a computing related degree to apply now!

NASA Minority Serving Institution Entrepreneurs Challenge. Find novel solutions and technologies with the potential to advance NASA’s science mission goals, with challenge winners (3-5 companies) participating in a ten week accelerator program focusing on technology roadmap development, investment readiness, leadership, and the specifics of doing business in the aerospace industry. Applications close April 6, 2022.

Techstars Anywhere Americas Accelerator. This program follows Techstars proven approach with one critical difference: It's mostly virtual, enabling companies to work from anywhere. Please note that this program is currently focused on companies in North American timezones. Final Deadline is April 6, 2022.

Black Ambition Prize seeks to fund bold ideas and reduce barriers to capital for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. The prize is a tiered opportunity for early-stage Black and Latinx founders to compete for more than $2,000,000 and learn with a network of talented founders and cross-sector business leaders. Apply by May 8, 2022.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is now accepting founders everywhere, no funding required. The platform provides founders with free resources to help solve startup challenges (Azure credits, dev tools, mentorship resources, and more). Apply now.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Sustainable Investing: Maximise your Impact by Angel Academe. Three investment experts talk about approaches to sustainable investing and the impact of current macroeconomic trends. March 28, 2022.

Y Combinator Winter 2022 Demo Day. Y Combinator’s latest batch of startups present to an invite-only audience of approximately 1,500 investors and media. March 29, 2022.

Pitch Competition Roadshow: Miami Pull Up & Pitch with Shelly "Omi" Bell by The Black Girl Ventures Foundation, March 30, 2022.

Female Founders Startup Showcase– Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of NY/The Marathon Fund (virtual), March 30, 2022.

Google for Startups networking event for Black Founders in Paris and London. The evening will include interviews with recipients of the 2021 Black Founders Fund in Europe which saw 30 Black-led startups raise $63M+ in follow-on funding in 6 months off the back of $2M funding and support they received from Google. Register for Paris Event at Station F on April 4, 2022. Register for Berlin Event at betterplace Umspannwerk GmbH on April 6, 2022.

Please join MCJ Collective and Climate Changemakers for a free inaugural MCJ Action event featuring Adam McKay — writer, director, and producer of Don’t Look Up. April 6, 2022.

Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) Power Day includes pitches of pilot projects by LACI startups. The event is by invite-only for an audience of investors and those working in corp dev/procurement/tech scouting in cleantech. Email for invite, April 7, 2022.

Paris Blockchain Week Summit, April 13-14, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

SEC Proposes Rules to Enhance and Standardise Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors.

Ketanji Brown Jackson's Hearing Felt Familiar to Black Women.

Microplastics found in human blood for first time.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Katie Haun launched HaunVentures with $1.5 billion across two funds to invest in web3.

Instacart cut its valuation from $40 billion to $24 billion.

Maria Velissaris, founding GP of SteelSky Ventures, announced the close of its $72 million first fund focused on investing in women's healthcare.

Alicin Reidy Williamson joins Yahoo as the media and tech company’s chief diversity and culture officer, leaving Endeavor after more than two years.

Steve Pamon Named President of Verzuz Livestream Platform.

Blaise Matuidi, a French soccer star, just launched Origins, his own VC fund.

Climate X, a London-based climate risk analytics provider, has raised €5M in seed funding.

New Equity Fund, a $50M fund and a project of Greater MSP’s Forge North coalition, is the nation’s first known venture capital “fund of funds” focused on race, place and gender.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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INSIGHTS

• Why Marketplaces Are Vital for Combating the Climate Crisis

  -Mathias Ockenfels/ SpeedInvest

• The Metaverse and NFT Boom Is About to Go Bust

  -Stephen Moore

• “I bought a one-way ticket”: Inside Russia’s sudden tech exodus

  -Masha Borak / Rest of the World

• Do VC Industry Specialists Outperform?

  -PitchBook Analyst Note

• A Decade of Deep Learning: How the AI Startup Experience Has Evolved

  -Richard Socher, Derrick Harris / A16z

• Women’s Healthtech Has A Policy Problem

  -Crunchbase

• The Benefits Of Venture Capital In Web3

  -Fred Wilson / Union Square Ventures

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

The new global ‘Play for All’ accelerator (from The LEGO Foundation )is granting each successful startup up to $1M - EQUITY FREE - and giving free access to world-leading Autism and ADHD specialists to build and scale concepts that will make a meaningful difference to Autistic children and/or those with ADHD. Apply by March 24, 2022.

IFundWomen of Color Women's History Month Pitch Competition. A live virtual pitch event which will include audience voting, feedback from a judges panel, and a chance at over $30,000 in grants and prizing. March 24, 2022.

The International Screenwriters’ Association’s Diversity Initiative launchpad for diverse writer. The initiative strives to elevate writers from underrepresented and marginalized communities. International applicants are welcome. Apply by March 24, 2022.

Founders’ Lab: a virtual office hour event connecting female and minority founders with venture investors. Sign up now for one-on-one meetings. April 6, 2022.

SVB x theBoardlist Board Readiness Series 2022 presented by SVB Access to Innovation. A 3-part series focused on increasing representation in the board room, March 24, March 31 and April 7, 2022.

Orange Silicon Valley launches "Deep Tech for Decarbonization Challenge," an opportunity for startups to connect with corporations and investors seeking climate solutions. Orange Silicon Valley will accelerate the matchmaking process between startups, the Orange Group, and the broader ecosystem of corporations and investors. Apply by April 7, 2022.

Academy for Women Entrepreneurs 2022. Are you a female entrepreneur seeking knowledge, network, and access to successfully run and scale your business? This opportunity is for you. Selected applicants will receive intensive training and learn practical skills needed to scale and sustain their businesses. Deadline April 7, 2022.

Elemental Excelerator 11th Cohort. Funding climate tech companies at the intersection of climate change and social equity. Supporting entrepreneurs as they tackle system-wide challenges and filling two key gaps for companies: capital for first-of-their-kind projects with the potential to change the world and investment into companies growth strategies as they’re about to hit key inflection points. Applications close April 8, 2022.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Ladies Who Launch: Pathways to Capital, a Free Virtual Summit will elevate varying pathways to public and private funding. Alongside leading funders and fellow small business owners, learn more about how to find and successfully navigate a variety of opportunities. March 24, 2022.

African Diaspora Fintech Meetup with QED Investors. Join for an evening with the African fintech diaspora in London. Founders, investors, and other players, please help us continue to cultivate this thriving community over drinks and great conversation.  March 24, 2022.

Entrepreneur First-EUR17 DEMO DAY. The unveiling of the teams who completed a 6-month program in London, Paris and Berlin, building the next generation of globally ambitious startups in various industries including Crypto, Media, Bio, Health, and many others. March 24, 2022.

Sista x Breega Inclusive Hours: Build a killer pitchdeck to secure that first VC meeting. In-person in Paris, March 24, 2022.

Playful (virtual) Meetings for Meeting Leaders. Easy to implement 5-minute activities to help your group or team connect, collaborate, and play in a virtual kind of way. March 24, 2022.

Transparent Collective Startup Showcase - Batch 8. Hear 9 early-stage, underrepresented founders with promising tech products & traction from across the country. The startups will have spent the week participating in virtual founder education workshops, receiving 1:1 mentorship, and fine-tuning their pitches — taking the knowledge they've learned to pitch to you at the startup showcase. March 25, 2022.

Gaingels NYC Fireside Chat - Powerful Women in the Venture Capital ecosystem: Investor, Marcy Simon and Venture Backed CEO, Rania Nasis, moderated by Gaingels CEO, Jennifer Jeronimo, March 29, 2022.

Own Your Raise-Demo Day for Female Founder Fellows hosted by The Capital Network. Connect to female founder fellows leading the way in MedTech, BioTech, The Future Of Work, FinTech, EdTech, FemTech & More. March 30, 2022.

Plug and Play Health: The Rise of the "Payvider" a discussion on the pressure healthcare systems and payers are under to provide cost-effective care and manage risk, and the increased use of digital solutions to access, interact with and improve outcomes for patients. April 6, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

EU gives initial agreement to board quotas for women.

Recycled plastic bottles leach more chemicals into drinks, review finds.

London’s Biggest Burger King Restaurant Is Going Fully Vegan For One Month.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon has just landed the role of Chief Executive Officer of All Raise.

Sokowatch secures $125M Series B Round, launches in West Africa, and rebrands to Wasoko.

Colin Kaepernick has joined the board of directors for Naomi Osaka's skincare line KINLÒ.

Diébédo Francis Kéré receives the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the first time architecture's top award goes to a Black architect.

Slack raised a $100 million for a third fund focused on collaboration to mental health and wellness, coaching, hardware and beyond.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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INSIGHTS

• How to calculate your startup’s TAM, SAM and SOM

  -Marjorie Radlo-Zandi / TechCrunch

• The web3 talent gap

  -Ana Andjelic

• Forging the decentralized future: Bessemer’s commitment to web3

  -Bessemer Venture Partners

• Tiger Global Partners Commit $1 Billion for Early-Stage Tech Funds

  Berber Jin / The Information

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

EVCA Fellowship Program. The Emerging Venture Capitalists Association (EVCA) Fellowship is a year-long, remote fellowship for undergraduate, university students interested in venture capital. Apply by March 14, 2022.

Zane Access™ 2022 Capital Readiness Cohort 3 applications are now open!Designed to meet the unique needs of underrepresented founders, the 8-week immersive course prepares underrepresented founding teams to successfully raise capital by providing them with networks and mentors to help them champion their story and use their own powerful, unique voice and brand. Apply by March 15, 2022.

Submit your company for Quartz’s Best Companies for Remote Workers 2022 list. Share how your company is leading the way for its remote workforce. Submit nominations by March 16, 2022.

Black Girl Fest Academy-Over 8-weeks, you’ll be able to attend CREATIVE TALKS AND WORKSHOPS, access MENTORS + financial support alongside the opportunity to work on a LIVE creative brief with Beats by Dre. Apply by March 20, 2022.

The FounderShowcase is Silicon Valley's leading international startup pitch event, helping pre-seed startups learn, launch, and connect to investors.
Anyone building a pre-seed technology company with <$250k USD in funding is welcome to apply. Deadline March 20, 2022

TotalEnergies On is the dedicated TotalEnergies acceleration program at STATION F for start-ups developing innovative digital solutions in the electricity business. The aim is to detect and support the sector's promising start-ups. Apply by March 31, 2022.

Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Lab’s 7th Season are open now. For this season, Ubisoft’s startup program will focus on two main tracks: Web3 and Positive Impact Entertainment. Startups worldwide can apply until the end of March.

2022 Founders of Color Showcase. Welcoming both founders & investors to apply & nominate! Founders should apply who have an investor champion who has soft committed or investing at $25K. Investors should nominate founders in their portfolio at $25K (soft commitments okay). Nominations close April 1, 2022.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Investing in inclusion: Women in the VC and startup ecosystems webinar hosted by Pitchbook and JP Morgan, March 16, 2022.

Food Matters Live 'Launching a plant-based brand: from niche to opportunity' masterclass on March 30, 2022.

START SUMMIT Europe’s leading student-run conference for entrepreneurship & technology, March 24-25, 2022.

Women's Health Innovation Forum (Online & in-person) in Scotland organized by Goddess Gaia Ventures. Tackling inequalities and improving health. March 24-25, 2022.

Techstars Startup Weekend Women Dublin 2022 (online). The Theme is Women & SDGs - encouraging aspiring women entrepreneurs to participate and create ideas and opportunities that drive real-world social change. March 25-27, 2022.

The Global Women’s LeadHerShip (Virtual) Summit 2022: StrongHER Together, March 26, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

Sudan has its first Y Combinator startup.

Cornel West sees a spiritual decay in the culture.

The internet’s meth underground, hidden in plain sight.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lolita Taub is launching Ganas Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm with a debut fund target of $9.99 million.
The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2022 by Fast Company.

Dash, a Ghanaian fintech raised $32.8M seed to build connected wallets for Africans.

Savage X Fenty, Rihannna’s lingerie brand, is in talks with advisers about an IPO and a deal could value the company at around $3 billion.

Bozoma “Boz” Saint John to exit Netflix after two years.

Ethiopia launches fund to lure billions of dollars in foreign investment.

Top 100: Europe’s most influential women in the startup and venture capital space.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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Get in touch if you’d like to share stories, tips, comments, or questions. Feel free to send us articles from investors, founders, influencers, and startups that you think would be helpful to our community of readers. We might be able to include it in next week's newsletter.

Share

INSIGHTS

• The power of no-code data tools

  -Aya Spencer/ Kapor Capital

• The war in Europe is a triple whammy for emerging markets

  -The Economist

• What is a “Moat” and why does it matter?

  -Rick Zullo / Equal Ventures

• How to Scale AI in Your Organization

  -Manasi Vartak / Harvard Business Review

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

Tokyo Women in VC Office Hours for diverse founders. The VC funding that goes to women and minority founders in Japan is very limited. Tokyo Women in VC is excited to empower diverse founders and have launched Diverse Founders Office Hours! Sign up now.

Cashwalk ExclusivePitch Event– for Startups and Investors Only. A safe space for startups and investors to get in touch and make prosperous connections. Apply to pitch by March 13, 2022.

Neo is a startup accelerator, diverse mentorship community, and VC. They identify America’s most promising CS students and help them become tomorrow’s tech leaders. “Neo Campus”: 4-week kickoff retreat in Oregon; Demo Day focused on hiring, not fundraising; Every founder gets a share in the whole portfolio; $625K on unparalleled terms, including $20M “Floor” valuation. Apply by March 21, 2022.

Impact Central Accelerator is looking for passionate founders leading purpose-driven businesses. Supercharge your company with this 6-month program. Apply by March 31, 2022.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Scaling your business after fundraising by SeedLegals and Airwallex, March 8, 2022.

MIT Sloan School of Management Investment Conference (virtual). Venture Capital panel: Zero to One to Web 3.0 March 11, 2022.

Women Trailblazers in Tech Leadership by Curious Cardinals. Learn about the journeys of four women trailblazers in tech. March 16, 2022.

Excelling at Talent: An evening in Barcelona with Dawn and 4Founders. A panel discussion about People & Talent at startups and scale-ups. March 23, 2022.

Female Foundry X Birchbox, 'We all deserve to feel iconic' in-person event in London. Hear stories from five inspiring female founders from the Female Foundry community and talk about physical and mental health. March 24, 2022.

The Africa Business Club at Harvard Business School 24th Annual Africa Business Conference. The theme for this year, “Reimagining the Road Ahead”, will spark productive conversations led by speakers who are doing inspiring work in Africa! In-person event in Boston, MA, March 25-26, 2022.

Powering the EU Missions with the European Business Angel Network. Hear pitches from startups working to help the world adapt to climate change, beat cancer, restore our ocean and waters and deliver 100 smart cities by 2030. March 29, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

Shell Buys Russian Oil at Bargain Price.

Global group of Black attorneys file U.N. complaint for African refugees.

The BIPOC Guide to the OUTDOORS.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Serena Williams' new venture fund raises $111 million.

Encantos and SUMA Wealth announce strategic partnership to bring NFTs to the Latinx Community.

Electric Capital Raises $1B for 2 New Crypto VC Funds.

The D’Amelio family launched a new VC fund, 444 Capital.

Everything Legendary, a Black-owned plant-based food brand closed a $6 million Series A funding round.

Founders Fund, an iconic VC firm co-founded by Peter Thiel, raises $5 Billion for Early- to Late-Stage Deals.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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Get in touch if you’d like to share stories, tips, comments, or questions. Feel free to send us articles from investors, founders, influencers, and startups that you think would be helpful to our community of readers. We might be able to include it in next week's newsletter.

Share

INSIGHTS

• Founders, be careful about who you invite to the table

  -June Angelides / Financial Times

• A financial argument for deep tech

  -Cantos Ventures

• These women are staking their claim to Web3 and the metaverse

  -Ruth Reader / Fast Company

• How to DAO Ownership 101: What Does It Mean to Be an Owner?

  -Roxine Kee

• Charting female founders' standout year for VC exits

  -Pitchbook

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

The Fundraising Bootcamp is the most comprehensive investor-readiness programme that helps companies raise funds, Seed to Series C, successfully. Apply by February 27, 2022.

The fourth edition of Catapult: Inclusion Africa 2022 - LHoFT's digital investment readiness bootcamp for inclusive Fintech companies operating in Africa and the MENA region - will be taking place at Dubai's Expo 2020. Apply by February 27, 2022.

Skateistan and Women Win are teaming up to support women and non-binary leadership in skateboarding and inspire the next generation to be empowered, active and healthy. Win a 3,000€ grant if your idea is selected. Projects must use skateboarding to improve the physical and mental well-being of girls and non-binary children (aged 5-18) and promote gender equity. Apply by March 4, 2022.

Women in Operations – Balance your mind - McKinsey & Co. Passionate women engineers in Europe: join this online event on March 31 - April 1, 2022 for Women in Operations – Balance your Mind. Apply by March 8, 2022.

Introducing SomaFellows.com, $100K uncapped will be given to brilliant technical teams (or 1 person team) to drop out, or not drop out, and start building something. Get access to +500 portfolio co's, over 20 unicorns seeded, 24/7 help from Soma team, and unlock follow on funding (500K when you launch MVP). Apply by March 15, 2022.

Applications are now open to 8 Techstars accelerator programs:
TSAustin, TSLondon, Techstars Tel Aviv Accelerator, TSToronto, Paris Techstars Accelerator, Techstars Los Angeles Accelerator, TSAlabamaEnergy, The Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator. Various deadlines.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Black Valley x Black in Data presents Career In Data, February 28, 2022.

2022 Inclusion in Tech Festival: This Works, March 1-2, 2022.

Angel Investing School April 2022 Q&A Session will provide an overview of the upcoming Angel Investing School course and provide an opportunity for you to have your questions answered. March 2, 2022.

UN Women announces the theme for International Women’s Day (IWD), 8 March 2022 as, “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.” The theme celebrates the tremendous efforts by women around the world towards a thriving and sustainable future, March 8, 2022.

International Women’s Day with Village Capital: Gender Diversity in Europe. The discussion will focus on supporting startups with gender diverse teams in sustainability, and the critical role gender-lens investing plays in the startup ecosystem. There will be three online events on March 8, 2022.

International Women's Day Event : VC and Tech shouldn't be a Boys' Club, hosted by Antler, March 9, 2022.

Inside VC: 6 Insights to build a world class VC anywhere, March 10, 2022.

Africa Next e-Pitch session. 8 African start-ups will pitch raising $2M to $20M from various sectors (FinTech, Logistics, Aeronautics, HRTech, AgriTech, FemTech) and countries (Egypt, Tunisia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Zambia) selected by top investors in the continent. March 10, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

How the tech industry is responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Here's a list of Black women who raised more than $1 million in VC funding last year.

Negotiating In The Dark No More: NYC Employers Will Soon Be Required To Disclose Salaries In Job Postings

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Marell Evans, a Solo Black GP, launched Exceptional Capital to focus on B2B software. He raised $20 million toward a goal of $30 million in just three weeks.

870 Black and Latino Startups That Have Raised $1M+ of Venture.

France-Backed Digital Africa to Fund 200 African Startups.

Pamela Culpepper Becomes First Woman On The Board Of Directors For Prada.

Chandler Malone, Founder of Bootup, raised a $2.1 million in seed-round from all Black VCs and Angel Investors. 

BACKED VC, a London-based fund has just raised a €150 million to champion European seed entrepreneurs.

MarketForce, the retail B2B and end-to-end distribution platform founded in Kenya, has raised $40 million in Series A funding for its merchant inventory financing and expansion across Africa.

RIP Jamal Edwards, a British Music Entrepreneur and YouTube Star who helped launch the careers of artists including Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Stormzy has died at 31.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

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INSIGHTS

• Report: Bridging the Black founders venture capital gap

  -Accenture

• ESG, Impact, and Greenwashing in PE and VC

  -Pitchbook Analyst Note

• 2021 Research Report: State of Latino Entrepreneurship

  -Stanford Graduate School of Business

• A normie's guide to rollups

  -Preethi Kasireddy

• What U.S. Startups Get Wrong About Expanding into Europe

  -Stephen McIntyre /Harvard Business Review

OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS

Applications are OPEN for the next cohort of Angel Squad, a community that learns with and invests alongside Hustle Fund! Apply now for the next cohort which starts in April.

O-Farms: Uganda’s first Circular Agribusiness Accelerator. O-Farms is a business accelerator initiated by Bopinc and Village Capital, in partnership with IKEA foundation, with the goal of making circularity a mainstream approach for improved livelihoods and sustainability. Apply by February 21, 2022.

LSE Entrepreneurs is organizing the 2022 Impact Investment Challenge with Dhiraj Mukherjee (Co-Founder of Shazam). UBS is participating as the official Corporate Sponsor and LSE Generate, Marshall Institute and LSE Social Innovation Lab as the Ecosystem Partners. This is your chance to showcase your talent as next-generation VCs and earn £1,000 Cash Prize. Apply by February 21, 2022.

World Funding Women Series, A "Follow the Sun" pitch event for women entrepreneurs in celebration of International Women's Day. Springboard Enterprises and the London Stock Exchange have come together to elevate, promote and celebrate women entrepreneurs from around the world. Apply to pitch by February 23, 2022.

2022 New Voices + Barefoot #WeStanForHer Grants. This year, Barefoot will invest in Black women-owned food & beverage businesses. They will provide grants of $10,000 each to five entrepreneurs to support and celebrate their unique journeys as Black women-owned businesses. Apply by February 25, 2022.

2022 Target Takeoff Pets is a five-week program for mature consumer packaged goods companies looking to enter mass retail as their next step of growth. In Takeoff, you will learn what it takes to be on Target shelves, collaborate with an incredible team of mentors, and have an opportunity to pitch to Target buyers. ​Applications close February 28, 2022.

The 2022 Caress Dreams to Reality Fund will bring 60 founders through crowdfunding accelerator programs culminating in a $5,000 grant for each business, opportunities to pitch, plus the coaching and creative services they need to execute successful fundraising campaigns. Applications due March 4, 2022.

GreenBiz 30 Under 30 List Nominations are open. They are seeking diverse nominations, in the many senses of that term, including culturally, ethnically and geographically. Nomination deadline is March 14, 2022.

Visa Everywhere Initiative 2022. Get global exposure for your startup or fintech. This year will be the biggest ever—with multiple competitions, over $500k in total prizes, and the chance to compete in the global finals in Qatar in November. Deadlines vary, depending on location.

UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS

Paris Techstars Accelerator - “Ask Me Anything” in preparation for the opening of applications for the launch of the September Program. February 22, 2022.

From an Incubator to an Investment Fund: The journey, challenges, opportunities and learnings, February 23, 2022.

Strategic Partnerships and Public Sector Opportunities by For ClimateTech. Learn how to find public funding, take advantage of R&D collaborations, & identify public sector opportunities aligned with your industry. February 24, 2022.

Trending Climate Technologies with Cody Simms, Partner at MCJ Collective, February 24, 2022.

Pitch+Learn - Episode #11: A friendly pitch competition for very early-stage software startup founders + wisdom from the trenches. February 24, 2022.

Plug and Play Health Batch 14 Selection Day. This is an exclusive, invitation-only event with ~25 of the highest rated startups by their corporate partners, pitching for one of the spots in their Spring 2022 Health program. February 24, 2022.

Fund Formation and Deployment of Capital: Top Tips for VCs in 2022-live webinar hosted by Carta, February 24, 2022.

Afro Future Summit 2022, 2nd Annual Metaverse Edition by Global Startup Ecosystem, February 28, 2022.

ON OUR RADAR

Dolls and Drinks for Likes and Clicks.

If they could turn back time: how tech billionaires are trying to reverse the ageing process.

Paystack’s CEO is building an African soccer club with a startup mentality.

More than one-third of Europe’s top VC firms are yet to hire a female partner.

PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Burnt Island Ventures Raises $30 Million For Early-Stage Water Startups.

Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures announces a $1Billion Fund VI.

Snoop Dogg Plans to Turn Death Row Records Into the First NFT Music Label.

66 Black founders and investors to watch in 2022.

Cherry Crypto I is a new $34 million fund launched by Berlin-based Cherry Ventures to focus on web3 and crypto.  

Flutterwave reaches $3 billion valuation after $250 million Series D making it the highest valued African startup.

A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!

You can follow us on Twitter @veliza9 and @4Cgirlswhotech for updates throughout the week.

If you liked this email, pay it forward. Our list of subscribers continues to grow so please keep the momentum going and share!

Share

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Get in touch if you’d like to share stories, tips, comments, or questions. Feel free to send us articles from investors, founders, influencers, and startups that you think would be helpful to our community of readers. We might be able to include it in next week's newsletter.