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!We hope you all have had productive (without being busy or stressful!) week.Since launching Visible Hands, we have seen an influx of interest from exceptional, yet historically disenfranchised founders from the Boston entrepreneurial ecosystem.This week, we were pleased to share the inaugural cohort of our new Founder Fellowship, VHBOS, in partnership with the Barr Foundation! VHBOS is our newest, hybrid fellowship program that targets overlooked founders who are working on scalable tech or tech-enabled solutions reshaping leading industries in the Greater-Boston area.We selected 20 Boston-based founders for the initial 2023 cohort, and kicked things off with their orientation this past week. Read here to learn more about the 20 founders making up our inaugural VHBOS cohort.Speaking of programs, this is your friendly reminder that our applications are still currently open for our Visionaries III Accelerator! You can learn more about the program here and we encourage you to share with a founder you think should be a part of our next cohort - applications close May 29th!Be well,The Visible Hands Team
VH ANNOUNCEMENTS
ICYMI: major congratulations to VH Co-Founder and General Partner Yasmin Cruz Ferrine on being chosen as a Top Tech Player in Boston by the Boston Globe!
Come join The Foley Hoag Foundation for a fireside chat with VH Co-Founder and General Partner Justin Kang about Justin's journey, career, and how his culture and AAPI identity has influenced his trajectory and the mission and vision behind his work. Moderated by Foley Hoag Foundation Trustee and Partner Co-Advisor of the Firm’s AAPI Affinity Group, Samita Ali-Khan, this event will be hosted from 4-6pm ET in person in the New York office - Learn more and register to attend 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.
This week, our team held a virtual cooking class in honor of AAPI month, where we learned how to make Spam Musubi and Onigiri with VH Head of Business Operations Tia Thomson! Check out our final creations above (some may look extra perfect...almost too perfect... XD)
VISIONARY UPDATES
Founder Updates, Asks, and Wins:
Congratulations to VHNYC l Fellow Laura Moreno of Homeflow on recently being accepted into VentureCrushFG!
Congratulations to Visionaries I Founder Sandy Lin of Creobase on her recent feature in the Spark Accel Newsletter as part of their 2023 Spring Cohort!
Congratulations to VHLX l Fellowship team Modi on their recent partnership with Baobab to disrupt digital barriers for their international market! Additionally, congrats to Modi on their recent feature by El Espanol!
Congratulations to Visionaries ll Founder Melanie Okuneye of Akoma Health on being featured in the Alumni Voices spotlight for the University of York!
Congratulations to Visionaries II Founder Michelle Dalzon of TheBOM for recently announcing the launch of her newest venture, Katapulte!
Congratulations to BK-XL I Founder Tai Adaya of Habit on reaching over 5M views on her social posts for Habit!
Visionaries ll Founder Shannon Morales of Tribaja will be in NYC now through the 20th for the Roadmap to Billions event hosted by Black Women Talk Tech - register to join and support here! Additionally, congratulations to Shannon for her recent feature by digital undivided!
BK-XL l Founder Joy Fan of re/tell is cohosting a Founders, Funders & Friends event on May 23rd in celebration of AAPI month. Learn more and register here.
Congratulations to BK-XLl Founder Sergio Villansenor of Drooler on being invited to be on "The Pitch Show" on June 9th !
WHAT WE HAVE OUR EYES ON
➕ Founder funding, community resources, and events:
Applications are open now for The Idea Accelerator by Builders + Backers! Learn more and apply here by May 22nd.
Have innovative solutions around environmental sustainability or data for market access? Apply for the Strive Community Innovation Fund by Mastercard for up to $150K in funding. To learn more and apply by May 26th, click here!
The Be Nimble Pitch Competition gives pre-seed and seed-stage tech or tech-enabled companies the platform, resources, and capital to grow. Learn more and apply here by May 26th.
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 7.
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.
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.
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:
Our friends over at Underscore VC created a fantastic Startup Secrets video series on raising your Series Seed! Check it out here!
Immerse is a virtual residency program for historically underrepresented communities where founders learn to build the apps of their user’s dreams in just 8 weeks. Learn more and apply here by May 22nd.
As the founding partner of IFundWomen of Color, Caress invested $1M to fund, support, and elevate Women of Color founders. This year, Caress is continuing their commitment to diverse entrepreneurs by awarding $5K grants plus a seat in the award-winning IFundWomen Method Crowdfunding Accelerator to 12 deserving applicants. Learn more and apply here by May 24th.
digitalundivided and Cosmopolitan have partnered to recognize and celebrate women in the startup space! Become a New C-Suite Honoree - the annual initiative spotlighting a top 10 list of game-changing businesses with women of color entrepreneurs. Learn more and apply here by May 28th!
Scroobious is increasing diversity in the startup ecosystem by teaching founders how to create investable pitch material and making it easy for investors to discover them. AAA Northeast has partnered with them to support 20 BIPOC and/or female/non-binary identifying entrepreneurs in their fundraising efforts with free 1-year Scroobious memberships. Learn more and apply here.
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 (and use our community discount code FRIENDSOFPORTE2023 by May 23rd!)
HubSpot for Startups and Hubspot Ventures have joined forces to launch the "Million Dollar Pitch" competition. Six lucky startups will be selected to fly out on an all-expenses-paid trip to INBOUND, where they'll have the opportunity to pitch to an all-star panel of judges - learn more and apply here by June 9th!
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 investments and support on sales and go-to-maket. Learn more and apply here by July 14th.
💼 Featured Jobs:
Our friends over at Liberty Mutual are hiring for multiple innovation-related positions - learn more about the available roles and apply here!
'21 Visionary 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 same video content here.
Slauson & Co. is growing and looking to add an Investment Associate to their team. Learn more and apply.
If you're a community engagement specialist and you love working to close the racial funding gap, BLCK VC is currently hiring for our Head of Community position! Apply here and share with your network!
🧑🏽💻 What we are watching, reading, or listening to:
Watching: Startup Secrets, Underscore VC
Jamming: This AAPI playlist on Spotify
Listening: In It Podcast Ep. 55 feat. Visionaries II Founder Karen Wilson of ChildNEXUS
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."
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