Investors prefer being pitched by attractive men; Lab-grown meat for pets; The Complete Guide to SAFEs; VC for the Masses.
A weekly newsletter for Black and Brown women highlighting entrepreneurship and venture capital in the tech ecosystem.
Happy Sunday Everyone,
I’m excited to share with you that I’ve been selected to join the Atomico Angel Programme 2021. This means that over the next 12 months I’ll be investing up to 100k in startups across Europe alongside an impressive cohort of angels. I look forward to using this opportunity to get to know more diverse and underrepresented founders in Europe. Please reach out if you know of any startups I should be following!
23andMe is set to go public via a Richard Branson backed SPAC merger. “Netflix for wine” Vivino raises $155 million. Amazon is going to use AI cameras to monitor delivery drivers. Jeff Bezos steps down from Amazon. Uber buys alcohol delivery service Drizly for $1.1 billion.
INSIGHTS
Investors prefer entrepreneurial ventures pitched by attractive men
-Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
A new fund aims to provide diverse investors the opportunity to build wealth
-Emma Hinchliffe / Forbes
Can VCs turn new focus on race and inequality into long-term impact
-Morgan Stanley
The Future of Community is Virtual
-Aubrie Pagano and Lauren Wisniewski / Alpaca VC
The Complete Guide to SAFEs
-Josh Ephraim / Gunderson Dettmer
Looking behind the curtain: How VCs raise their early funds
-DocSend
Invest in Black women to drive the economy forward
-Alexis Herman and Heather Murren
OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS
Ally Accelerator is a 10-week virtual startup accelerator, specifically designed for women of color founders hosted by Playbook Capital & Women 2.0. Apply by February 5, 2021.
Google for Startups Founders Academy-A virtual immersive six-month program for promising Black, Latinx, and veteran-led tech startups based in the USA. Apply by February 9, 2021.
Springboard’s Health Innovation Hub: Life Science accelerator program. A program for women-led life science and healthcare companies seeking growth funding and connections to strategic partners. Apply by February 15, 2021.
BLCK VC-Breaking into Venture Cohort 2. Apply to join the Spring cohort by February 16, 2021.
Founders Factory-Power to Black Founders 2.0. 1:1 Office Hours sessions with top VCs, Masterclasses, and Networking. Apply by February 23, 2021.
UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS
Demystifying VC Recruiting for Latinx, hosted by VCFamilia, Latinx MBA, and Latina Venture Students, February 8, 2021.
Africa 3.0, Digital Health Eco-systems: a pathway to scaling health insurance in Africa. February 9, 2021.
MeetFounders + Situ Live-February VC Conference "Future of Retail and E-commerce.’’ February 9, 2021.
Femtech in Europe: opportunities & challenges, hosted by SISTA, February 10, 2021.
Investor Roundtable Series: The Future of Fashion & Luxury Retail, hosted by NYU Stern. February 11, 2021.
Beam Founders-Fundraising Essentials Module 2: Pitching-perfect your pitching skills in a non-judgemental and collaborative environment. February 16-23, 2021.
Barclays Black Founder Accelerator - Demo Day by Foundervine, February 25, 2021.
ON OUR RADAR
Only 1% of UK university professors are black.
Pets may soon be fed laboratory-grown meat.
There are no Black execs at the top of Britain's biggest companies.
Golden Globes: Female Directors Make History With Most Noms in One Year.
The GameStop saga is becoming a movie.
PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS
Halogen Ventures has closed a second fund at $21 Million focused on early-stage consumer technology startups with a female in the founding team.
Tracee Ellis Ross is the new Diversity and Inclusion Advisor at Ulta Beauty.
Kindred Ventures closed its second fund with $100 million in commitments.
Stacey Abrams has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!
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