Pooja Mehta

Many people are watching for venture fundraising to rebound, and PitchBook predicts it could be 2028 before we see a real recovery. This article explores what this could mean for the innovation ecosystem. #VentureFundraising #PitchBook #Innovation

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Fundraising decks are important but only within the context of a well-orchestrated fundraising process. A deck itself is unlikely to directly lead to a term sheet. Rather, it is important to understand how you want to use the deck (or any collateral for that matter) as part of your fundraise process. For example: - Is it to secure the first meeting with a VC? A teaser deck is important. But so is the email snippet and warm referral! - Is it part of a deeper-dive session about your business? Excellent. Is it a deeper dive on product or GTM? And, is the next step a track to a partnership meeting? - Is it a diligence deck? Excellent. Is it more about showcasing the financial plan and key levers? ... what is the ONE thing you want this deck to help you achieve? More tips on fundraising your early-stage round here: https://lnkd.in/gvWYaCwk #startups #venture #fundraising

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In our series about building narratives that drive your venture-backed business forward, we dive into fundraising. Chris Laughlin, co-founder of 4th & King — is a pitching pro—an especially critical skill when it comes to fundraising. He knows exactly how to successfully communicate what you do and why it's important. In this clip, Chris shares how to open a pitch by ensuring you frame the story through the audience's lens. How do you do this? Lead them to water. 👇 🌟 Open with “this thing that happened” 🌟 This presents an opportunity 💡 🌟 If you get it right, it’s huge 🤯 🌟 Show them how you got it right 🙌

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Amplifying this effort from the folks at Engine | Advocacy & Foundation: Startup founders of color continue to face profound obstacles to securing the capital they need across all funding streams. Congress can act by passing legislation to ensure that founders of color are better able to access loans and equity capital. We’re asking founders and ecosystem partners of color to sign on to our letter asking policymakers to pass two pieces of legislation that will encourage investment in Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), and raise the permitted size of, and the number of permitted accredited investors in, 3(c)(1) investment funds so that more diverse founders are funded.  https://lnkd.in/g_kAqHcb

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All across the country, people are searching for ways to positively impact democracy at the local level. I'm always surprised and delighted when people stumble onto us at CivicLex and reach out to learn more about what we're up to. For our first few years, we had a hard time articulating exactly what CivicLex was. We don't quite fit the mold for most of the other types of civic infrastructure out there. A year or so ago, through our LION: Local Independent Online News Publishers Sustainability Audit, the wonderful Bene Cipolla encouraged us lean in to our uniqueness. For us to be confident in our uniqueness, we decided that we needed to clearly articulate our model. LION's Sustainability Audit program (one of the best things going in the broader democracy field, in my opinion) then supported a series of staff retreats and personal reflections at the tail end of last year where we set aside our daily tasks and thought critically about our work, operations, and sustainability. What came out of this introspection was a new model for CivicLex -- one that strengthens civic health at the local level by improving three sets of conditions: civic literacy, social cohesion, and how our institutions engage the public in decision-making. We clearly defined the five strategies we use to do that, and the activities, metrics, outcomes, and impacts we're tracking to understand if it's working. Now, I'm happy to share the first of a series of posts that I'm writing about our model, how we evaluate it, and the lessons we've learned. I hope you find it helpful and/or interesting! https://lnkd.in/ew4i-uct

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Health x Climate: I have spent a lot of time thinking about the intersection of climate and health, so I appreciated the City Futures: HealthTech and ClimateTech Intersections panel discussion during NY Tech Week, with Ben Furnas, Sara Holoubek, and Joel Cesare as panelists. They highlighted the work happening in NYC; even though subway use helps our GHG emissions, there is still opportunity to prepare the city and electrify our buildings for the changes to come. Some key takeaways 🔄 Health + Climate: The effects of climate change impact our health and our health decisions impact climate change. We often think about climate and health in silos but they are very connected.  🔥 Heat waves: Hotter temperatures are the biggest risk to health from climate change, so we must prepare now. I learned about NYC's AC giveaway to support vulnerable communities.  🤓 New ideas: There is much opportunity to engage in mental cross training and leverage learnings from analogous spaces and industries at this intersection. What do you think about the intersection of health and climate? A big thanks to Climate Health Innovation & Learning Lab, Women in Healthtech and Fenwick for hosting this event and showcasing how government, innovators, and investors can work together to address these challenges. Thanks Oriana Fuentes and Chethan Sarabu, MD, FAMIA, FAAP for your thoughtful curation too! #climate #healthtech #innovation #NYtechweek

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What does reparations look like in American industries?  What does investing deeply in a community that embodies change mean? The Harriet Tubman Effect answers this question. It’s an honor to be part of this community as a founder in residence, to dive deep into these questions and work, and to be a part of it happening.    Nicole Johnson (She/Her) and the Harriet Tubman Effect Crew just spent an intensive six-month journey focused on reparations, which has been transformative not just for our community but also for me personally. We've dedicated this season to increasing our focus on reparations , reallocation, and pooling our social, financial, and time wealth to support systemic changes.   Here are just two things I've learned this season: Community Strength: Deep bonds aren't just formed but intentionally built through shared goals and mutual support. Purposeful Investment: Allocating resources is just the start. The real work is in continuous engagement and advocacy beyond the monetary. It needs storytelling, sponsorship,p and the ability to build coalitions within and across industries. You can reallocate your wealth to the Harriet Tubman Effect through The Lantern Fund, a transformative initiative empowering community members to redistribute their resources toward advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in American industries. This fund supports mental health resources for BIPOC workers, provides workplace wellness tools, and organizes events for sustainable social change. https://lnkd.in/e-bEt5rj

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𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐚𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝: 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞'𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐨 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 🌟 Salesforce's collaboration with the East Oakland Collective (EOC) through a pro bono project at Venture2Impact has yielded impressive outcomes in community development and resilience. The partnership aimed to launch a business and entrepreneurship curriculum to empower the local community, particularly its most vulnerable members through Skills-Based Volunteering. The impact of this initiative is profound: 100% of EOC staff who participated in the training now report enhanced capabilities and confidence in delivering business education to their community 📈. The initiative has instilled a strong sense of empowerment among EOC staff, with 100% feeling equipped to implement the training effectively 💪. This project not only boosted the community but also enhanced job satisfaction among Salesforce volunteers, with 100% expressing a positive shift in their view of the company ❤️. This successful engagement highlights the transformative power of corporate-community partnerships in fostering local economic and social resilience. Read the case study in detail: https://lnkd.in/e5bPHfdS #CommunityDevelopment #SocialImpact #CorporateResponsibility #ProBono

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The Hive Fund under the leadership of Erin Rogers, Melanie Allen, and their incredible team is the best of philanthropy. Other funders should take note: ✅ Make multi-year, general operating grants; ✅ Be bold, take risks (philanthropy is society’s risk capital); ✅ Trust the leaders and communities on the ground doing the work; ✅ Use your unique position in the ecosystem to foster coalitions and networks, utilizing grants to incentivize and reward collaboration. Not rocket science, and yet, in so many places it seems philanthropy does not embrace these approaches. #philanthropy #leadership

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BLOWN AWAY to have been interviewed alongside such trailblazers for this Fortune piece by Allie Garfinkle that details the state of Venture Capital as it relates to DEI. The piece highlights Primary Venture Partners recent launch of Factor Fellowship, a new nonprofit connecting untapped, exceptional talent in New York City to careers in venture-backed startups, spearheaded by Lisa Lewin, Tom Ogletree and Benjamin Sun. In the piece, I chat about the impact we hope to make for underrepresented founders with Peerless - our $1M pitch competition. TOP QUOTES from the piece... When asked about the growing conservative backlash against DEI, as some states ban DEI initiatives - “We’re not going to let you shut us up,” said Almodovar. “We’re not going to let you say this isn’t important, and we’re going to double down on saying this is really important.” When asked, "Why $1M for Peerless?" - “We wanted to really empower these founders to say, ‘take this risk,’” said Desiree Almodovar, AlleyCorp operator-in-residence and who is leading Peerless, which will hold its first competition on June 20. And most importantly, Allie writes, "We don’t talk about DEI as much as we used to. But if something was important on principle before, isn’t it always important? Yes, but it’s only possible to do something about it if people keep talking about it, and acting." JUST ONE MORE WEEK LEFT TO APPLY FOR PEERLESS!

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So honored to have been published in the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy Journal with Betsy Chapin Taylor, FAHP in our joint article titled, "Beyond Ethical AI: Revolutionizing Precision Philanthropy with Responsible and Beneficial AI". Betsy and I have spent many years working for, in, and with healthcare philanthropy organizations. Due to the outsized role that trust plays within this space, raising money within healthcare requires the highest level of transparency and trust. In fact, my fascination with machine learning started in 2016 while I was working in the healthcare space with a focused desire to quantify the characteristics of donors and prospects. Almost immediately, it became immediately clear that AI was tailor-made for this environment for several nuanced reasons: 1️�� TOO MUCH DATA: The average hospital has about 2M clinical appointments per year with ~100 datapoints for each patient. That's a lot of data! 2️⃣ NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK: Only 2-3% of patients ever make a gift to a healthcare org on average. AI is a laser-guided microscope to fine the needle. 3️⃣ TEARS OF GRATITUDE DRY QUICKLY: Speed to understand your most connected AND altruistic individuals in real time is literally the name of the game. (According to Advisory Board there is a 21% loss in proportion of patients “very likely” to give as time since treatment passes from 1 to 3 months) Fast forward 7 years, our work at DonorSearch AI has proven to be a game changer to compile LOTS of data (enriched 1st party data with external data), in REALTIME, with accurate PREDICTIONS on who might give for the first time, and which donors are most likely to give again, on an ONGOING basis. It's for these reasons why Betsy collaborated on this article to highlight not only the need for AI, but also for AI to be presented in a way that goes well beyond traditional ethics and responsibility. In our article, we discuss the importance of moving beyond ethical AI to embrace Responsible and Beneficial AI to preserve and protect trust with stakeholders. This approach not only adheres to ethical standards but also maximizes AI's potential to foster meaningful human interactions, reduce burnout among professionals, and create efficiencies that transform charitable giving. This piece also addresses the critical steps organizations must take to integrate AI responsibly, ensuring that technology enhances rather than detracts from our mission to connect deeply with donors and maximize every contribution towards transformative healthcare work. ✨ Check out the full article below to discover how AI can be a catalyst for genuine human connections and a more efficient future in precision philanthropy. #HealthcarePhilanthropy #ArtificialIntelligence #AI4Good #PrecisionPhilanthropy #Ai https://lnkd.in/epKjJGb7

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Funding down dramatically to Black founders in 2023 across early stages - Sign the Community Development Investment Tax Credit Act and Expanding American Entrepreneurship Act before 5 PM TODAY. Peter Walker of Carta shared this on the state of funding to Black Founders -"2023 was the lowest share of fundraising for Black founders in our Carta dataset since 2020. The declines were consistent across pre-priced, Seed, and Series A rounds. One underreported thesis is that as VCs sought to reduce risk in the venture downturn of the last year or two, they funded repeat founders to an even larger degree than in prior timeframes. And Black founders are less represented among repeat founders (who would have had to found their companies in a less diverse VC ecosystem) than they are among founders as a whole." This is critical and all hands are required to advocate for Black Founders and reverse the anemic numbers around funding. The Center for American Entrepreneurship & Engine | Advocacy & Foundation are asking founders and ecosystem builders of color to sign a letter urging US Congress to pass: Community Development Investment Tax Credit Act: Boosts investment in Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). "The legislation would create a new tax credit for private sector investors that make hashtag equity or equity equivalent investments in, or that provide long-term patient capital (i.e., loans with a minimum term of at least 10 years) to CDFIs." Expanding American Entrepreneurship Act: "The legislation would raise the cap on funds organized under a 2018 sub-category of section 3(c)(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 from $10 million to $50 million, and double the number of permitted investors from 250 to 500. Together, these changes will enable emerging fundmanagers to raise larger funds." Thanks to John Dearie for your tireless efforts and advocacy. Please add your your name to this letter before 5pm ET Today 🔗https://lnkd.in/grrzAeWG Samantha Katz Dominic-Madori Davis

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My amazing cousin, Cleven Ticeson (https://lnkd.in/gWis4xX6) , a 14 time Emmy award winning producer for KCTS9 in Seattle, is a hero of mine. I grew up watching the educational shows like Bill Nye and the performing arts they would showcase. He was following the work I have been doing de-siloing the Black professional class working in venture scale entrepreneurship in the Pacific Northwest and composed a news reel covering Dreamward Group that moved me not only because he is my hyper-talented and dear cousin but because it voiced and gave me the perspective of the decades that what we’re building has been missing from the mass culture and my culture. Lewis Rudd once told me that the hardest target to hit is an invisible one and my dear cousin hit me right in the heart by speaking in his video about the unseen, but nonetheless felt, absence of inclusive capitalization of startups. Felt by the generation of Black people that watched the tech industry grow not only painting Black technologists and Black founders out of the heroic saga of tech, but Black funders as well. I am so glad that Dreamward Group is able to paint the target and make it visible through our work. Venture Capital, the financial backing of the tech industry, just like tech itself, had an evolution with foundational moments in the 70s on Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley yet it’s mechanics, drama, and operation are largely unknown to the public that isn’t working in tech entrepreneurship. It’s trajectory and heights of accomplishment with Andreessen Horowitz and Madrona Ventures are parallel and analogous to Google and Amazon…But only the later two brands are household names to people outside of the industry. The world knows the story of Black people being excluded from Tech, It knows the story of Black people being excluded from executive leadership. It experienced the Obama administration and the depravity of the Trump backlash and had to ask itself why it had actively or passively participated in writing off Black professionals. Some of the world hears of Black founders getting less than 2% of invested capital, but even on hearing that, they don’t know the story of Black people being excluded from the role of deciding which startups get funded using a yet third party’s (often their own government’s) money…That is the story of Venture Capital today, and that’s what Dreamward is changing for the future.

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Big news - Georgetown is partnering with Crunchbase to build a directory showcasing our entrepreneurial ecosystem of founders, funders, and companies! Launching this fall, you will be able to view the Georgetown alumni entrepreneurship community through this collaboration. Georgetown University wants to make sure that all of their alumni founders and funders are represented so… 1) If you already have Crunchbase profile, make sure to indicate Georgetown in your education profile. 2) if you a founder or funder and do not have a Crunchbase profile, make sure to add and update your company as soon as you’re able (click below!)

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Hi friends! My latest blog dives deep into Payfare (PAY:TSX), a company transforming instant payment solutions and mobile banking tailored for gig workers: Here are some highlights: 📈 Explosive Growth: From Q1/24 results, Payfare saw a 26% increase in active users, now totaling 1,423,502. 📊 Strong Financial Performance: Set revenue to a record $51.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, representing a $9.6 million (+23%) increase compared to the same period in 2023. 🔮 Future Potential: With projections estimating a 34% CAGR over the next three years, Payfare is set to capture more of the gig economy market and beyond. 🤝 Strategic Partnerships: Partnered with giants like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash. Who else can they get on board? Maybe I’ve convinced myself a little too much, but I believe this small-cap stock is a winner with a promising future. #GigEconomy #Fintech #Investment #StockAnalysis #Payfare #FinancialFreedom #GrowthOpportunities https://lnkd.in/ghn4Q4fz

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“Beginning in 2022, we adopted a new grantmaking approach that refocuses our support on grantees that restructure systems standing in the way of social, racial, and economic justice for our priority communities—Native Americans, communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and people in rural areas. One way that shift of approach appears in our grantmaking is through a significant increase in general operations grants, funds that aren’t tied to a specific program or initiative. Instead, grantees can use funding for activities they perceive will best advance their short- or long-term goals—it’s a more just and equitable way to provide funding.” Q4 and 2022 Grants: Native Voices Rising and General-Op Grants Fuel Justice

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