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 Pride, VH Community!
This June, we are excited to celebrate Pride in collaboration with our friends over at StartOut as we continue to honor and uplift underrepresented founders.
At Visible Hands, we firmly believe that diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords, but fundamental values that drive innovation, creativity, and success. We are proud to stand alongside the LGBTQIA+ community and recognize the invaluable contributions they have made in shaping the landscape of entrepreneurship and venture capital.
In celebrating Pride, we also acknowledge the challenges that many LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs, investors, and community members still face. Discrimination and bias persist, making it essential for us to continue advocating for equal opportunities and fostering an environment that embraces diversity in all forms. By actively supporting LGBTQIA+ founders and investors, we can help bridge the gap and empower more voices to be heard and amplified.
As a community, we have a responsibility to ensure that everyone feels welcome, valued, and supported within our ecosystem. It is only by harnessing the power of diverse perspectives and experiences that we can drive true innovation and create lasting change.
Throughout this month, we'll be sharing different events, resources, and initiatives to support LGBTQIA+ founders. We invite you all to share any further resources, raise awareness, and strengthen our commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable future. Together, let's celebrate Pride and foster an ecosystem that thrives on equality, acceptance, and respect in June and beyond.Be well,The Visible Hands Team
VH ANNOUNCEMENTS
Applications are NOW CLOSED for our Visionaries III Accelerator! Stay tuned for updates on who will be a part of our 2023 cohort!
VH Co-Founder & General Partner Daniel Acheampong will be a virtual panelist on June 13th from 6-7pm ET for ADL's Equity in Equities Webinar on improving diversity and inclusion on Wall Street - learn more and register 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 safe space for founders to pitch VCs and discuss challenges they are facing in the business.
Join us and the
at the first-ever BK-XL Demo Day where you’ll get a chance to watch the BK-XL cohort companies pitch their startups! There will also be a fireside chat with Clara Wu Tsai and Andy Weissman (GP at Union Square Ventures) you won't want to miss. Click on the photo above to RSVP!
VISIONARY UPDATES
Founder Updates, Asks, and Wins:
Congratulations to Visionaries II Founder Sharon Obuobi of Oarbt on winning the general pitch competition at the Culture Shifting Summit in Silicon Valley!
Congratulations to Visionaries I Founder Irene Li of Prepshift on her upcoming cookbook launch! Learn more and get access to an early copy by signing up for her book tour here.
Congratulations to VHBOS I Fellow Jashin Lin of Growbie on recently being accepted into MassChallenge's 2023 Early Stage Growth Cohort and for graduating from Harvard Business School with a Master in Business Administration last week!
Visionaries I Founder Alyse Dunn is looking to speak with individuals who are actively taking care of an adult loved one (e.g. a spouse, parent, grandparent) as part of research for her startup CareCopilot. If you or someone you know is interested in connecting with Alyse, reach out here!
Congratulations to BK-XL l Founder Sergio Villansenor of Drooler on being invited to be on "The Pitch Show" on June 9th!
Congratulations to Visionaries II Founder Sarah Spear of Empowered Together on being selected for Well4Tech's Bootcamp! Join Sarah for the Demo Day in Connecticut on June 15th by RSVP-ing here!
WHAT WE HAVE OUR EYES ON
➕ Founder funding, community resources, and events:
Lighthouse Labs is a nationally recognized accelerator based in Richmond, VA looking for high-tech, high-growth, early-stage, post-MVP companies raising a pre-seed or seed investment rounds. Learn more and apply here by June 5th.
Join the Black & Brown VCs and Founders brunch on June 5th in gathering brilliant Black & Brown funders and founders in beautiful West Hollywood. Socialize with investors and builders across all industries and startup stages from AI, Consumer, Fintech, Spacetech, CPG, Climate Tech and more. Learn more and RSVP here.
Applications have opened for the NYFW: The Shows HBCU Small Business Grant, supported by UPS, for fashion entrepreneurs. The winner will be invited to show their collection during NYFW. Learn more and apply here by June 5th.
Are you looking for capital to grow your business? If so, join Mogul Millennial and Accion Opportunity Fund on June 6th to learn how working capital loans can help you scale. Learn more and RSVP here.
Join Techstars for an exclusive 3-part Fundraising Series, designed to give you the knowledge and tools you need to successfully raise capital for your early-stage startup. Led by industry experts, this series will provide you with insider tips on how to prepare for your next investor meeting, from crafting the perfect pitch to what to include in your investor pitch deck. The first session is on June 6th at 2 pm MT - learn more and register here.
Applications are now open for a new 13-week accelerator starting this September in New York: Techstars Economic Mobility Powered by Samvid Ventures. Learn more and apply here by June 7th.
Applications are now open for Bank of America's Breakthrough Lab, a fintech accelerator program designed for founders. Participants receive expert advice, mentorship, and access to potential investors and providers of capital. Learn more and apply here by June 8th.
Are you ready to showcase your unicorn potential? Join HubSpot for Startups and INBOUND for the new pitch competition, “Million Dollar Pitch,” where six exceptional startup leaders will be flown out to INBOUND ‘23 to present their startups to a panel of top-tier judges and receive feedback and a chance for an investment of up to $1 million. Learn more and apply here by June 9th.
Looking ahead to Pride Month, StartOut's 4th Annual StartOut Equity Summit is taking place virtually on June 15th, where you can listen, learn, and engage with diverse industry leaders in a day-long conversation focused on equity. Learn more and register here.
Applications are open for Pitch HearstLabU, a startup pitch competition exclusively for university-enrolled & recently-graduated women. The winner of Pitch HearstLabU will become an automatic finalist in our $100K pitch event in the fall. Learn more and apply here by June 17th.
43North is a startup accelerator sponsored by Empire State Development that invests $5M annually into seed-stage startups. Their 2023 application is now open - learn more and apply here by June 23rd.
StartOut Growth Lab is a startup accelerator that offers top-quality mentoring, education, and networking opportunities for companies that are founded or co-founded by LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. Applications are open now - learn more and apply here by June 30th.
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.
🌎 Ecosystem Spotlights:
Porte, NYC's Modern Retail Conference, is set to take place on June 3rd in New York City. Porte 2023 is a one-of-a-kind conference that brings together over 300+ brands, buyers, thought leaders, and retailers to forge new relationships and discuss the latest trends in the retail industry. Learn more and register here.
Calling all Black and LatinX founders across Los Angeles County! Applications are now live for the third year of the PledgeLA Founders Fund in partnership with Grid110. The 20 selected companies will each receive $25K in non-dilutive capital from PledgeLA and go through Grid110's 3-month accelerator program. Learn more and apply here by June 11th.
Venture Lane has opened applications for its next startup accelerator that kicks off in September - offering up to $100K in investments and support on sales and go-to-market. Learn more and apply here by July 14th.
💼 Featured Jobs:
Visionaries I Team Candoor has a crowdsourced job board where folks hiring can share roles with Candoor advisees - check out the board here!
VHNYC I Fellowship Team ConConnect is looking for a Head of Engineering. Learn more and apply for the role here.
VHNYC I Fellow Catherine Huang is currently hiring a marketing intern! Learn more and apply for the role here.
Visionaries II Team WestXEast is hiring a design consultant! Learn more about the role 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!
Visionaries I Team Hearth Display is currently hiring for a Marketing Manager! Learn more and apply for the role here.
BK-XL l Team HABIT is looking to hire a creative video and strategy intern for the summer! To apply, send your resume and some video content here.
🧑🏽💻 What we are watching, reading, or listening to:
Watching: Love, no matter what, TEDTalk
Reading: Life Isn't Binary, Meg-John Barker and Alex Iantaffi
Listening: One in a Billion: Felt So Foreign podcast featuring Visionaries I Founder Irene Li of Prepshift
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 celebrate the bold, the curious, and the irrational. We applaud those with big dreams, and who choose the harder, riskier path in relentless pursuit of pushing forward what is possible."
Follow us on our social media channels!
