Josh Wand’s Post

I just wanted to give a shout out to Chris Berry, Carmen Savarino and the OhioX community for pulling off such a great event at this year's OhioX CEO Retreat! I really appreciate the opportunity to connect with other founders, CEOs, investors and thought leaders here in Ohio. A few things I heard (and, in some cases, continue to hear); * Fundraising is never easy and it's harder today than it has ever been. (This too shall pass.) * The skills needed to raise funds are no different than the skills you need to hone in selling solutions. (Work on building that "muscle memory"!) * Lean into why you're different. (Cheaper or better is not enough!) * Push to find the real "risk tolerance" when talking to investors in the Midwest. (Ask more - and better - questions.) * There's a need for "stage appropriate" process when building your business, don't over engineer what needs to be done. (What gets you from Point A to Point B, will be different than Point C - solve your first problem, first!) Thanks to all the sponsors, including Bank of America, Rev1 Ventures, OSA Technology Partners, Rootstrap, High Bridge Consulting, Gamma Force, Alpine Solutions Group, AgileBlue, T-Mobile, Pease Bell CPAs, Echelle Resources, Inc. and my friends at Boler College of Business at John Carroll University! #BeDifferent #BeImpactful #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork #DoTheWork #O-H #I-O #StayAwesome

Here are some of the questions we've received for Pollinate Impact's Donor Ask Me Anything session: 1. How can I build good relationships with funders? 2. What are some of the worst that you’ve seen from organizations asking for funding? Tell us what not to do! 3. How can I build visibility for my organization, so that donors know we're out there and doing good work? Join us now to get answers to these questions, and to pose some of your own questions that you want answered! https://lnkd.in/deJ7gaaQ #impactincubation #sustianability #fundraising #donorrelations The Lemelson Foundation Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures

Switching gears to serve YOU better! 🔄 I decided to switch the tone of my posts here and create a simple guide for founders who are looking to start their fundraising journey. Over the next 365 days, I'm going to be posting a common VC question and all the tips and tricks on how to address it. The aim? 🎯 By year-end, we'll have a comprehensive one-stop guide for founders. From the straightforward to the complex, we'll tackle it all. But this isn't a one-way street. Your participation matters. As we unravel each question, share your thoughts, experiences, and learnings. Stay tuned for tomorrow's question. Let the fundraising journey begin! 🚀

Did you know that "workplace" and "citizenship" are two of the seven dimensions of #reputation. However, so often, we keep the work we do in the community a "well-kept secret." Often because we don't want to be self-promoting of something that just feels like the right thing to do or is in our company's core DNA. By elevating your reputation, you make a significant impact on how people make decisions about your company, including whether they will work for you, buy from you, and refer you. Here is a perfect example of how a company has changed their stance on telling the story of their community impact. And it is making a difference for the #brand and #reputation. Well done vcfo. #architectingreputation #culture #communityimpact

Working with Ernie and his team for their $17M fundraise taught me one thing.... Professionals prefer working with fellow professionals. There's a reason why some founders raise and some don't.. It's the willingness to work with professionals! As we step into 2023 and beyond, the fundraising landscape is evolving into a new era. Investors now place immense value on specific attributes: ->Stories: Your ability to tell a compelling narrative that resonates emotionally. ->Homework: Thorough research and preparation that demonstrates your commitment. ->Resilience: The capacity to weather challenges and stay the course, no matter what. ->Relationships: Building and nurturing meaningful connections with investors and partners. These are the cornerstones of success in the modern fundraising landscape. Ernie and his team understood this. It's a simple truth: those willing to embrace these principles and collaborate with professionals are the ones who will thrive in the ever-evolving world of fundraising.

Have you checked out our 2023 Impact Report yet? In 2023, the Capital in the Community Fund distributed nearly $2 Million in capital, with 100% of that funding going to Black, Brown, and female founders. The map below reveals a bit more about those companies, showcasing that almost all of the businesses we funded are located in the Bay Area, with 55% of them being in ESO's founding location, Oakland. That's a huge capital injection to the local small business ecosystem. To learn more about the work we did in 2023, check out our full community report here: https://hubs.ly/Q02q2nPV0

First-Time Founders | Understanding Your Fundraising Journey we discuss why first-time founders should avoid comparing their fundraising experiences to those of veteran founders. We highlight the importance of credibility and track record in attracting investors.

This particular press release has me tearing up tbh. When Marissa Rodriguez and I dreamed up Nimble we knew we wanted to build a company that made a difference in our community. Transparency and disclosure about our giving has allowed our community to celebrate our impact wins along the way. Candidly, It's not an easy pitch to investors that you want to give away money before the company achieves profit, but the right investors have showed up along the way and embraced our model. That said, the right investors often do not show up for minority founded businesses. In fact, black women owned businesses receive less than 1% of VC money. Which is why we immediately aligned with NuProject to fund and support minority owned businesses. One of the companies NuProject has funded on behalf of KITES is Calyxeum (based in Detroit), and we've watched them grow into a major vertical company over the last 2 years. Investors take note that Black Women Owned businesses are a solid investment. Prioritize black women in your vetting process. Nimble Distro is our solution to the soul crushing aspect of capitalistic structures. And the Oregon retail and consumer community has been so supportive of our company mission - to heal the damage done by the war on drugs. Bravo Rebecca A. Colett, MBA - watching you grow with excellence has inspired us along the way. #femalefounders #oregon #detroit #cannabis #socialequity #blackwomenfounders

I'm lucky to work with some amazing people on a day-to-day basis. From my Roda Co-Founder Matt Spry, the leadership team at Simpact Janet Chandler, Rikki Garcia, Liton Ullah and all our partners and customers, I’m surrounded by passionate, smart, driven people, who I have the opportunity to learn from every day. But one role I’ve really enjoyed over the last 3 years is working with the incredible Claudine Adeyemi-Adams & Boris Bambo as an Advisor to Earlybird, as they build their business into one helping hundreds of thousands of people to thrive in employment. Yesterday we held our second full Advisory Board meeting, and it struck me again just how much I am learning and developing through working with people who are operating at the top of their game. Helps me to (try) stay on top of mine! I’ve had several Trustee roles before and advised public sector, social enterprise and charity Boards in a consultancy capacity, but this is the first Advisory Board role in a high growth, funded, fast paced start-up. Fair to say, I love it. It’s probably a better fit for my temperament actually than what I’ve done before... If you’re starting out on your first Board position, here are a few pro-tips from a relative amateur. 1.     If you don’t understand something, say. If the numbers aren’t clear, if you need more information to form an opinion, say so. To advise you need to understand. It took me some time to build up the confidence to do this. 2.     Think about what you say, and say what you think. Sounds easy, really isn’t consistently (emotions, lazy thinking get in the way). 3.     Always try and put yourself in the position of the person you are trying to support and advise.

Make sure to register for this upcoming webinar!