VISIBLE NEWS
Visible Hands is a VC firm that provides exceptional founders from underrepresented backgrounds with the funds, hands-on support, and community they need to thrive at the earliest stages of company building.
Happy Friday, VH Community,This past week, we reflected on the current legal battles against the fight toward equity and opportunity, from the recent anti-affirmative action case to the lawsuit filed toward our friends at Fearless Fund. Although situations like these can be daunting, the work that folks like Fearless Fund are doing is necessary. We stand with them, fearlessly. Click here to sign the letter and/or donate to their cause. #FearlessFreedomNowVisible Hands Co-Founder and General Partner Yasmin Cruz Ferrine shared her thoughts on this current environment earlier this week, stating:"Initiatives that aim to improve access and financial outcomes for historically marginalized communities face a coordinated and expanding crowd of opposition, including Attorney Generals, advocacy groups, and politicians. Now is not the time to retreat, but rather our peers are needed more than ever to continue working towards a more inclusive startup ecosystem."To read her full thoughts and reflections on the recent legal cases, click here.To read Yasmin's comments featured in today's Fortune Term Sheet newsletter, click here.We at Visible Hands are dedicated to the fight toward a world where talent and execution—not race or gender—are the key predictors of success, by bringing access to capital, resources, and connections to underrepresented founders. We thank you for continuing to stand alongside us as we push forward, despite the obstacles that may continue to greet us.Here's to creating a space for underrepresented founders and folks to feel seen, surrounded, and supported in venture capital and beyond.Be well,The Visible Hands Team
VH ANNOUNCEMENTS
SXSW is currently accepting votes for panels and we need your help! Click here to vote for Yasmin's panel on "Creating Profitable Demographic-Based Investment Funds" and here to vote for VH Product Manager Yulkendy Valdez' panel on "The Art of Rejection for Founders and Funders!"
ICYMI: Visible Hands Co-Founder & General Partner Daniel Acheampong was recently a guest on the "Ask JBH" podcast - listen to him speak on venture capital and it's need for change here!
Check out VH Investor Associate, Darrel Frater's Office Hours on Twitter Spaces every Friday from 1 pm - 3 pm EST where he creates a space for founders to pitch VCs and discuss challenges they are facing in the business.
VISIONARY UPDATES
Founder Updates, Asks, and Wins:
Congratulations to Visionaries I Founder Kimberly Jolasun of Villie on being chosen to speak at the third annual VC Summit hosted by Fearless Fund on August 18th-19th! Learn more and register to attend here.
Congratulations to BK-XL I Founder Tai Adaya of Habit on her recent feature by Glamour & The Today Show!
Congratulations to VHBOS I Fellow Samantha Johnson of Tatum Robotics on her recent feature in Forbes!
WHAT WE HAVE OUR EYES ON
➕ Founder funding, community resources, and events:
Applications are open and rolling for the Forum Ventures B2B SaaS Accelerator, a high-touch program for early-stage founders designed to get you to the next stage. Learn more and apply here.
Applications are open for the Gener8tor Accelerator, a nationally ranked accelerator that invests in high-growth startups. Gener8tor supports the growth of startups through its network of experienced mentors, technologists, corporate partners, angel investors and venture capitalists. Learn more and apply here.
Applications are open for the 2023 Startup Collective by Aveeno Pitch Competition! Are you a Black female-identifying entrepreneur with a product, brand or technology that addresses the skin or hair care needs of Black consumers? Aveeno is looking for up-and-coming innovators of beauty product(s) that blend science and nature to deliver results. Learn more and apply here by August 13th.
Apply now for AccelerateHER's Virtual Bootcamp! Designed to accelerate the business growth plans of ambitious female founders, their aim is to inspire, energize and connect female founders and provide the confidence, skills and tools to help founders be immediately more effective in business. Learn more and apply here by August 14th.
Have you registered for next week's Power Conversations event with All Raise yet?! Join All Raise on August 15th at 1 PM EST/10 AM PST for the next edition of Power Conversations: Community in the Digital Age. Learn more and register here.
Applications are now open for f6s' inaugural Environmental Tech Lab, a public-private initiative formed with the mission of making New York the global leader in water by tapping the global tech sector to solve challenges facing New York’s water and wastewater utility. Learn more and apply here by August 23rd.
Applications are open for Black Girl Venture's NextGen program! Black Girl Venture’s mission is to provide Black/Brown woman-identifying founders with access to community, capital, and capacity building in order to meet business milestones that lead to economic advancement through entrepreneurship. Learn more and apply here by August 24th.
Applications are open for Eighteen150, a residence program for solo immigrant founders. Eighteen150 is the most reliable way for solo immigrant founders to explore their ideas while on a visa in the U.S. They provide $150K, full immigration support, and employment. Learn more and apply here by August 27th.
Publish Her is dedicated to providing resources to female-identifying business owners and authors. Applications are now being accepted for the Publish Her Business Impact Grant (BIG) program for women of color business owners. With support from community partner BankCherokee, Publish Her will award a $5K grant to a woman of color whose business is making a difference in the lives of others and the world. Learn more and apply here by August 31st.
Applications are open for Forum VC's $100K Pitch Competition for BIPOC founders! 5 finalists will be chosen to pitch in front of a panel of esteemed judges, where ONE lucky winner will walk away with a $100K investment and acceptance into Forum VC's Accelerator program! Learn more and apply here by August 31st.
Applications for the next Graham & Walker Catalyst are now OPEN! G&W's Catalyst is a two-week fundraising readiness program that is free, industry agnostic, and designed to support early-stage companies led by women and nonbinary founders. Learn more and apply here by September 7th.
🌎 Ecosystem Spotlights:
The Latino Business Action Network (LBAN) is currently collecting responses for its 2023 Startup Survey. LBAN is a Silicon Valley based nonprofit that collaborates with Stanford University to empower Latino entrepreneurship. Through its research, it explores the journey of entrepreneurs so that we can better build and strengthen ecosystems and capital networks. Your experience as a founder is significant, and they want it represented in their findings - fill out the survey here.
Find your go-to workspace with this special offer from WeWork: We’ve teamed up with WeWork to bring you a special discount. Whether you need a nearby spot to focus on or an inspiring place to collaborate, their WeWork All Access plan is a monthly membership to beautifully designed co-working spaces near home or around the world. Get 30% off for 6 months of monthly membership fees with code VHAA30. Learn more and sign up here.
TechCrunch Include Founders save 75% on Disrupt 2023 passes now through August 18th - learn more and apply here!
Scroobious is increasing diversity in the startup ecosystem by teaching diverse founders how to create investable pitch material through a scalable online platform and making it easy for investors to discover them through data-driven curation. Mitchell Sandler, a women-managed, majority women-owned law firm, has partnered with them to support 15 FinTech or InsureTech entrepreneurs in their fundraising efforts with free 1-year Scroobious memberships. Early-stage, US-based founders in these sectors who are working on a fundraising pitch are encouraged to learn more and apply here.
💼 Featured Jobs
BBG Ventures is currently hiring a Platform Associate for their firm - learn more and apply here.
BK-XL I Team re/tell is currently hiring Brand Ambassador Interns to join its growing Partnerships & Business Development Team. This position offers a fantastic opportunity to learn about our marketplace which provides an easy experience for brands to book space with us and for spaces who are looking to activate with our brand partners. Learn more and apply here.
FirstMark Capital is hiring for Partnerships / Corporate Development. Learn more and apply here.
Wentworth Institute of Technology is hiring a Program Manager for Accelerate, Wentworth's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. Learn more and apply here,
Lerer Hippeau is an early-stage VC fund based in New York, and is seeking a full-time Analyst to join its investment team. This Analyst role will play a central role at Lerer Hippeau, where they source and research new opportunities, diligence companies, and help support our current portfolio companies. Learn more and apply here.
Primary VC is on the lookout for a talented Market Development Manager to join its Impact team and scale its expanding network of healthcare, financial services, and general industry executives. Learn more and apply here.
Our friends over at Liberty Mutual are hiring for multiple innovation-related positions - learn more about the available roles and apply here!
🧑🏽💻 What we are watching, reading, or listening to:
Listening: Side Hustle Pro Podcast
If you'd like your founder resource or event/conference to be featured in our weekly newsletter, shoot us a message at kerry@visiblehands.vc
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