VISIBLE NEWS
July 15, 2022
Visible Hands is a VC fund with verticalized programming
that supports overlooked talent in building technology startups.
Dear VH Community,
Last week, the VH team took time off for a planned “summer break” to give our team time to rest and recharge. Our break provided us with much-needed time for reflection–especially following the recent news of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe V. Wade.
At Visible Hands, we are deeply disappointed by this news. We primarily serve women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups–many of who will be disproportionately affected by this policy decision. The reversal of Roe V Wade will affect folks differently based on their state's legislation–from just banning abortions to also restricting access to contraception.
Visible Hands will always stand with and for women, birthing people, and their reproductive rights. Although we are not experts in industries surround reproductive health, we recognize that this policy decision has reverberating consequences for birthing peoples’ wellbeing and family planning options. Notably, there are real health and economic effects of this policy decision that directly affect our community.
Here are just some of the reasons why this reversal matters:
Black and American Indian or Alaskan Native (AIAN) women have pregnancy-related mortality rates that are over 2-3x higher compared to the rate for white women. Reversing Roe V. Wade puts women and families of color at risk.
Women continue to shoulder the majority of caregiving duties which may be a contributing factor prompting 43% of highly-qualified working mothers to leave their careers at some point. Reversing Roe V. Wade eliminates the choice our founders have of when to start their families, and how to balance caregiving with their startup responsibilities.
Abortion had a bigger impact on women’s labor force participation than birth control, leading to increased wages, especially for Black women. Reversing Roe V. Wade widens the wage gap and sets back progress towards closing it for women.
We have growing families, both among the Visible Hands team and our portfolio companies, and we can't ignore the fact that the overturning of Roe V. Wade may also negatively impact them as well.
We'll be highlighting our different teams and initiatives that aid in maternal/paternal health and overall health experiences for women and BIPOC individuals. Additionally, we’ll be sharing resources and the narratives of our founders and teammates connected to Roe V Wade and how they take care of themselves during these distressing times.🖤
In solidarity,
The VH Team
ANNOUNCEMENTS 🗞
Visible Hands Associate Darrel Frater featured in Nasdaq's Spiffy Blog.
We're back in the office and recharged after our major news of closing our first fund at the end of June! Tune in here to learn more about our close from VH GP and Co-Founder Yasmin Cruz Ferrine's chat on the Baystate Business Hour Podcast by Bloomberg.
VH Associate Darrel Frater was recently interviewed to chat about what the VC ecosystem can do to close the racial wealth gap, how Visible Hands is playing a part in that mission, and his own journey in venture capital. Click here to read his interview on Nasdaq!
VISIONARIES
💡
VH Alumni Evelyn Hartz of Meru and Tamika Francis of DutchPot recently started their residency as two of the five founders selected for the 2022 Roux Institute Founder Residency July Cohort!
[left to right Hartz, Francis, and DutchPot Co-Founder Will Turnage]
Major congratulations to Visionaries Noelle Acosta of Noula Health and Luis Suarez of Sanarai for being recipients of the Google For Startups Latino Founders Fund! Learn more about their startups, as well as the other recipients of the fund, here!
Visionary Mei Lin Ng officially launched preorders for Hearth Display this week on Indiegogo! Here's a #HearthFam discount if you'd like to support the campaign and snag a Hearth for yourself.
Visionary Brooke Hill just announced that Braid Cafe is joining together with startup Unravel to create Swella, the first braid franchise predominantly owned and operated by Black Women. Learn more about the new startup here!
Visionary Kelsey Willock was recently featured on the Humans of FinTech podcast with Nicole Casperson. Tune in here to listen as Nicole and Kelsey get into why Kelsey is using her startup Aura Finance to help users gain wealth wellness, what it felt like to leave education in heavy debt, and the truth about rising together as women in leadership.
WHAT WE HAVE OUR EYES ON 👀
➕ Founder Resources and Events:
Looking to freshen up on your startup knowledge and networking skills? Square One Startup School is giving away full-tuition scholarships to eligible tech startup founders who apply by 7/18 at 11:59pm PST. Apply here!
Create and Cultivate recently held its annual LA Conference for entrepreneurs, however it's bringing the event online for a limited-time viewing! Tune in to watch inspiring conversations from best-in-class entrepreneurs on what it takes to start and scale your business. You can stream all of the programming online here, now through 7/18!
StartOut actively seeks to empower and connect the LGBTQ+ investor community. Its holding a panel on 7/19 to showcase experiences from top Emerging VC programs and to prove that folks from underrepresented communities should not be dissuaded from VC simply for being considered an "outsider." Register here to attend!
Mock term sheet negotiations are here! Sign up now to attend the latest segment of this popular series on 7/26 — NYU Data Future Lab and Goodwin pull back the curtain on startup acquisition negotiations.
There's room at the table, and Think In Color has saved you a seat! Register for Think In Color 2022, a virtual conference to learn how to start and scale your business from a lineup of women who are experts in course creation, community building, digital product strategy, and more. The conference is happening on 7/27!
🌎 Ecosystem Spotlights:
Bullseye! Retail-based founders can now apply for Target's new Accelerators team, whose mission is to engage founders looking to grow into mass retail through unmatched mentorship, comprehensive coursework, and collaborative cohorts. Learn more here.
Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 is looking for startups to be a part of its new cohort of 200 companies. There’s a $100K prize! Learn more and apply by 7/31!
Fearless Fund invests in high growth, scalable, women of color-led ventures across the United states. Apply now for $10K-$20K in grants!
🧑🏽💻 Reading + Listening + Watching List:
VH Visionary Team Aura Finance used their platform to talk about the recent reversal of Roe V. Wade. Read their piece here to learn more about the implications of the decision and what that means from a finance perspective.
Remote work burnout is very real, especially during times of heavy political decisions that can affect our daily lives. Create and Cultivate has just the reading we've been looking for - read on for five tips to overcome remote burnout before it's too late.
"This is the only secret I've carried." Read here to take in the powerful stories of the business leaders coming forward to share their own personal experiences with abortion.
Dr. Jennifer Lincoln has us scrolling for more on TikTok - tune in here to watch her educational and insightful short form videos on women's health, bodily autonomy, and more.
Rhia Ventures just published a guide on how reproductive health can affect business. Read up on the stats and implications here.
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
"We believe that we must first acknowledge that the playing field was built to be unequal in order to change it. We know that we must change it."
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