Visible News
September 6, 2024
Happy Friday, Visionaries!This week's letter is from VH Director of Program Strategy & Operations Hannah Zinn, on the most asked questions we get from founders in our community:___
Recently I was asked, “What are the top questions you hear from early stage founders?” Well.. there’s a lot. Starting a company comes with A TON of questions. By the time founders get to our programs, we notice the following questions often bubble up:❓ How do I attract new partnerships and create fair terms that benefit both parties?❓How do I get my current users to pay for my product or service?❓How can I effectively pitch to investors?While there are several tactical answers to these questions that we work to embed into our fellowship programming, one key answer stood out to me after listening to one of our Go-To-Market Coaches, Amirah Raveneau-Bey, facilitate a recent session around Strategic Partnerships.She emphasized the importance of remembering your value . This has stuck with me the past few days. A good lesson as a builder and as a person.When creating partnership agreements, think through:🔑 What value do I bring to this partner? And, what value do they add to me? 🔑How do I develop parameters that leverage the value offered from both sides?When working on customer acquisition strategies:📍 What value do I bring to this customer?📍 How can I prove to them that this value is worth paying for?When pitching to investors:💡 What value(s) do I want them to see?💡 What are their interests and how does my value align with those?Remembering your value can be hard, especially when you’re chasing partnerships, customers, and investors. But, you are the expert in what you are building and you have a whole lot of value to bring to the table.Be well,Hannah Zinn
VISIONARY UPDATES
Featured Founder:
Kelsey Willock Jones,Aura Finance
Kelsey Willock Jones is the Co-Founder & CEO of Aura Finance, a platform that uniquely combines psychology and financial expertise to offer a holistic approach to users' financial journeys. Kelsey recently launched a new website - learn more about Kelsey and Aura Finance here!
Recent VH Visionary Features:
Portfolio Founders
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Struggling with the challenges of entrepreneurship?
In honor of National Black Business Month, Mogul Millennial has partnered with BetterHelp to offer Black founders a month of free therapy. Limited spots available. Apply here by September 9th to claim your offer and prioritize your mental health.
WHAT WE HAVE OUR EYES ON
➕ Founder Funding, Community Resources, and Events
💸 Funding Opportunities
LegalZoom small business grantsFor: both established and budding business ventures$$$: $10K grants and/or up to $500 in LegalZoom products and servicesDeadline: September 13Pepsico Juntos Crecemos Grant ProgramFor: Hispanic-owned small food, beverage and restaurant businesses$$$: $10KDeadline: September 27Hustler's MicrograntFor: small business owners$$$: $1KDeadline: September 30Galaxy of Stars Galaxy GrantsFor: women and historically marginalized-owned small businesses$$$: $4,250 grantsDeadline: September 30High Five Grants for MomsFor: mom founders$$$: $10KDeadline: September 30Gucci Changemakers Impact FundFor: community-based organizations$$$: $25KDeadline: September 30Walmart Spark Good Local GrantsFor: local organizations$$$: $5KDeadline: October 15Her Culture Micro GrantFor: African and Caribbean women $$$: $500Deadline:
rolling deadline
⚡️ Accelerators, Programs & Competitions
For: Latinx professionals looking to break into VC
Deadline: September 9
For: LGBTQIA+ founders
Deadline: September 20Paddle AI Launchpad
For: founders with AI-powered business ideas
$$$: $20K
Deadline: September 22
For: women founders in the food, beverage or CPG sectors
$$$: $10K-$15K
Deadline: September 23
For: veteran founders$$$: $50K
Deadline: October 6
For: Black businesses
$$$: $25K
Deadline: October 11
For: climate and health founders
Deadline: October 11
For: Black women and non-binary founders
Deadline: October 13
For: Black and Brown women founders$$$: $15K
Deadline: November 6
For: healthcare startups in Baltimore$$$: $120K
Deadline: November 20
🎪 Events
For: founders & investors in life sciences
Date & Time: September 12 at 9:30am, Cambridge, MA
For: Boston founders
Date & Time: September 12 at 6pm, Boston, MA
GHC 24 Me + WeFor: women and non-binary technologistsDate & Time: October 8-11, Philadelphia, PA/Virtual
💼 Featured Jobs
VH Portfolio Company Plot is hiring a Marketing Intern.
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 loving lately
Plus our fave posts of the week...
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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