After rebranding from The Nest Founders to FoundersTribe, Supreme Factory & Startup Grind teams up again with the black community to support another serious of the virtual events to celebrate the Black History Month.
Register here: https://foundertribes.com/events/black-history-month/#signup
PANEL 1:
Where is the $35 billion going?
US corporates have pledged $35 billion to support black businesses and black founders, but as The Wall Street Journal recently asked: Where is the money going?
On Monday, 1 February from 12-1PM ET (5-6PM GMT), we speak with senior leaders from the banks and tech giants that have committed the bulk of that money to get their answers.
PANEL 2:
Building “Diverse” Start-up Nations
The Economist recently published an article entitled: “Serious help may be on the way for America’s black entrepreneurs.” It highlighted that, in addition to the $35 billion promised by corporates, President-Elect Joe Biden “is promising a big revamp…. After the pandemic, he wants to expand training, small-business incubators and innovation hubs for ‘black and brown entrepreneurs’. He also promises to create a $30bn Small Business Opportunity Fund and to direct additional billions to minority firms.”
America is not alone in recognizing the urgent need to level the playing field for entrepreneurs, though what exactly this might mean differs by context and country. On Monday, 1 February from 1-2PM ET (6 to 7PM GMT), we speak with leaders from New York City, London, Nigeria, India, Jamaica and Antigua and Barbuda about what “levelling the playing field” means in their cities/countries and what they are doing to build “diverse” entrepreneurial cities and nations.
PANEL 3:
Beyond Virtue Signalling: Are Investors Really Feeling the Heat to Diversify?
In a recent article entitled “Yale’s David Swensen Puts Money Managers on Notice About Diversity“, The Wall Street Journal highlighted an excerpt of Swensen’s letter to money managers: “Our goal is a level of diversity in investment-management firms that reflects the diversity in the world in which we live. Genuine diversity remains elusive, giving investors like Yale and your firm an opportunity to drive change.” The Journal also noted that Yale plans to ask managers for relevant data on diversity annually and that it expected other large investors increasingly to follow suit.
In fact, there are only 7 black decision-makers at the top 102 VC firms in the US, and there are probably even fewer in Europe. Women and minorities make up 70+% of the US population, but women and black people only get 3% of VC funding.
On Thursday, 4 February from 1-2PM ET (6-7PM GMT), we bring together investors with access to over $100 billion to see how they are trying to bring about racial equity, create intergenerational wealth for minority communities and diversify their portfolios and teams.
PANEL 4:
How to Raise $1m
Black founders receive less than 1% of VC funding in the US, and less than 0.25% in the UK.
On Thursday, 11 February from 1-2PM ET (6- 7PM GMT), we speak to the real unicorns – black founders that have gotten funded — and find out how they did it and their tips to any founder who wants to follow in their footsteps. We even convinced a dragon to join us!
PANEL 5:
Investing in Diverse Student Entrepreneurs
Some of the most successful VCs firm in the world have set up scouting programs at top US universities, but most universities still struggle to create meaningful opportunities for student entrepreneurs, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds.
On Wednesday, 17 February from 1-2PM ET (6-7PM GMT), we speak to entrepreneurial students from Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, the University of Chicago and Howard University to get their takes on what universities could do better to empower student entrepreneurs.
Register here: https://foundertribes.com/events/black-history-month/#signup
