Marshall Smith’s Post

We're so excited to begin spotlighting the latest cohort of Chicago Venture Fellows & we're so excited! For those who may not know, Chicago Venture Fellows is an initiative that began in our Tech Equity Working Group and spun off into Chicago:Blend. This is 1 of 5 initiatives that received a portion of 1 million dollars of scaling funds. We’re delighted to announce that the latest 2023 cohort fellowship has been chosen, and we are eager to introduce some of the incredible members to you! We’re delighted to announce that the latest 2023 cohort fellowship has been chosen, and we are eager to introduce some of the incredible members to you! We're kicking things off, with one of the latest cohort members, Danielle Gore! Danielle is an aspiring VC who currently serves as Director of Health Tech Innovation at Epicenter Memphis. Her interests lie in CleanTech and Sustainability, AgTech, MedTech/Healthtech, FemTech (Technologies Geared Toward Women). We can't wait to see the value Danielle brings and takes away from the fellowship in her time there. We’re honored that our Tech Equity Working Group has been able to support and fund incredible initiatives like this, which equip aspiring investors with the tools they need to advance and thrive in the ecosystem. Learn more and stay up to date with our TEWG here: https://lnkd.in/gqZB8Fdr #genderequalityintech #techleaders #womenintechnology #genderequality #inclusivetech #inclusivity #computerscience #womeninstem #equityintech #entrepreneurship #womenintech #genderequity #GETcommunity #innovation #technology #leadership #investment #startups #community #accelerator #blackintech #racialequity #womenintech #indigenoustech #latinasintech #blackwomenintech #latinosintech #latinx #getcities #getcitieshubs

Did you hear?! Our Tech Equity Working Group recently deployed 1 million dollars to scaling 5 impactful initiatives. One of those initiatives was Chicago Venture Fellows hosted by Chicago:Blend! The Chicago Venture Fellowship, which started with our TEWG, is a four-month cohort program for hostorically excluded, aspiring VCs to gain valuable experience sourcing and evaluating deal flow while expanding their networks and knowledge of VC. We’re excited to say the latest cohort of 2023 tech professionals have been chosen! Over the coming weeks, we’re going to be spotlighting the incredible cohort of tech professionals that have been selected to participate in the fellowship. The cohort will receive one-on-one mentorship, finance education at VC University, access to coworking spaces, access to Chicago:Blend’s network of VC’s and more during their fellowship. It's important to work on BOTH sides of the checkbook when moving toward equity in tech. Fellowships like this function to create more historically excluded investors, venture capitalists and founders, which leads to more funding TO historically excluded groups. We’re so honored to see the incredible initiatives that are coming to life as a result of the support of our Tech Equity Working Group. Chicago:Blend was one of the five initiatives we deployed part of 1 million dollars to who is now hosting this incredible fellowship. We can’t wait to see the value this year’s cohort brings and takes away from the experience! Stay tuned for the founder spotlights in the coming weeks! #genderequalityintech #techleaders #womenintechnology #genderequality #inclusivetech #inclusivity #computerscience #womeninstem #equityintech #entrepreneurship #womenintech #genderequity #GETcommunity #innovation #technology #leadership #investment #startups #community #accelerator #blackintech #racialequity #womenintech #indigenoustech #latinasintech #blackwomenintech #latinosintech #latinx #getcities #getcitieshubs

The 2024 MFF Emerging Talent Program is now accepting applications! If you're an underrepresented University undergrad or training program student that wants to learn more about - and intern with - Michigan startups, this is for you! Come seize the opportunity to elevate your professional skills, expand your network, and dive into Michigan's dynamic startup ecosystem. Applications are open until February 11th.  You can learn more and apply at the link in the comments. #DiversityInTech #michigan #startups

📣 Calling all Boston College student / alumni entrepreneurs who have founded something amazing or are dreaming about bringing a startup idea to life! Applications for this summer's SSC Venture Partners's summer accelerator are live! (Application in the comments) As an accelerator participant, you'll get $10k in equity funding, 1:1 coaching from SSC GPs and Venture Partners (+ our network of talented mentors), fireside chats + workshops, and become part of a community of fellow BC-bred founders who have lived similar experiences as they've built their own companies. Post accelerator, we have a strong history of making follow on investments in the most promising graduates. Thanks to Christina Quinn for compiling the stats below! 🦅💰 Since 2017, SSC Venture Partners has invested just over $1.08M into 27 companies that have gone through our summer accelerator. (Note: we've put more money to work for BC-bred companies than that in total, but in this post, we're focused on accelerator alums only!) 🌱 A little more than 1/3 of our accelerator companies grow to become a part of SSC's broader portfolio. 📈 Since SSC doesn't lead, each of our checks is part of a larger round of capital raised by these companies. 🎓 Our mission has always been to give more BC students and graduates the chance to explore entrepreneurship as their first career path. The majority (60%) of the founding teams we've backed post-accelerator launched their companies immediately after graduating BC (or started while they were undergrads). Several of them turned down job offers to build their business full-time after completing the summer accelerator! If you're a current BC student or an alum who is building something new we'd love to meet you! 🦅 Duncan Walker Peter Bell

As some of you may know, our Tech Equity Working Group deployed 1 million dollars to scale 5 impactful initiatives who are creating a shift in tech. One of those initiatives was Chicago Venture Fellows which is an initiative that began in our TEWG and spun out into Chicago:Blend. In case you missed it, The Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship is a four-month cohort program for historically excluded, aspiring VCs to gain valuable experience sourcing and evaluating deal flow while expanding their networks and their knowledge of VC. We’re excited to continue spotlighting some of the incredible 2023 cohort members participating in this year's fellowship! Today, we’d like to spotlight Shai Basys (Shai B.)! Shai is the Senior Sustainability Specialist at GuideHouse, aspiring VC and one of the latest Chicago Venture Fellows! “I'm committed to investing in ventures that intersect with climate tech, fintech, and regtech, and industries that have significant environmental footprints and thus ample room for sustainable innovations—such as beauty tech, fashion/apparel, green building tech, and food tech.” said Shai. We’re so excited to see the value Shai brings and takes away from the fellowship this year, and we’re honored that our TEWG can support such incredible initiatives. Learn more about our Tech Equity Working Group here: https://lnkd.in/gqZB8Fdr #genderequalityintech #techleaders #womenintechnology #genderequality #inclusivetech #inclusivity #computerscience #womeninstem #equityintech #entrepreneurship #womenintech #genderequity #GETcommunity #innovation #technology #leadership #investment #startups #community #accelerator #blackintech #racialequity #womenintech

Who’s ready for another Chicago:Blend, Chicago Venture Fellows spotlight?! We are! We’re so excited to continue highlighting the incredible professionals chosen to participate in the latest fellowship! Today, we’d like to spotlight Beatriz de Souza Kauffmann! Beatriz is the Venue Events Manager at World Business Chicago and former ThinkChicago Program Manager. She is also a volunteer on the Chicago Chapter Board for Gen Z VC’s. Her interests lie in Health and Wellbeing, Future of Education and Work, Climate Friendly Products, and Platforms Overlooked and Emerging Consumers. We can’t wait to see the value Beatriz brings and takes away from the fellowship this year! Learn more about her and connect here: https://lnkd.in/gFZb8cmS You can also learn more about Chicago:Blend Venture Fellows here: https://lnkd.in/e4Firgy3 #genderequalityintech #techleaders #womenintechnology #genderequality #inclusivetech #inclusivity #computerscience #womeninstem #equityintech #entrepreneurship #womenintech #genderequity #GETcommunity #innovation #technology #leadership #investment #startups #community #accelerator #blackintech #racialequity #womenintech #indigenoustech #latinasintech #blackwomenintech #latinosintech #latinx #getcities #getcitieshubs

Lighthouse Labs is recruiting our next group of founders for our Spring 2024 program - APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN! Want to be a part of the nationally-known Lighthouse accelerator program? Get $20K in zero-equity investment? Learn from the best mentors, speakers, and subject matter experts? Have 11 weeks of programming designed to help you take your business to the next level? Then apply for Batch 16 (March 4 - May 17, 2024) today! Our ideal accelerator participant is a high-tech, high-growth, early-stage, post-MVP company looking to raise a pre-seed or seed investment round in the next 6-12 months (or currently raising), with a proven market need and desire for their product/service evidenced by early sales revenue or beta partnerships. But, all we require is that you have a validated business model that has the ability to scale. We are an industry-agnostic accelerator, so we take applicants from all industries. Sometimes we have certain spots reserved for specific industries, but mostly, it doesn't matter to us! We do have a special place in our hearts for Virginia-based and/or healthcare-related companies (you must be based in the US). We think we're the most founder-focused accelerator on the East Coast, and we think you'll agree. Our goal is to Invest in the Lives of Founders, and we do this by selecting underrepresented entrepreneurs for a significant portion of each cohort, offering funding without taking equity, giving you crazy support both in the program and afterward, and including education, networking, and mentoring opportunities. Learn more about us, watch a pre-recorded info session, or apply at https://buff.ly/3J0LYe8! The deadline to apply is December 14 at noon. #lighthouselabsrva #lighthouselabs #lighthouselabsbatch16 #lighthouselabscohort16 #lighthouselabsspring2024 #fundafounder #startups #startupsvirginia #startupaccelerator #startupacceleration

We received numerous applications, totaling over 140 in number!🎉 📩 It's amazing to see the diversity - over 40% are international students representing 22 universities across 12 cities! 🌍 Our applicants went through a selection process, including a 15-minute aptitude test focusing on critical thinking and problem-solving, along with a 1-minute "why choose me?” video about themselves. 🤔 After careful consideration, we've selected the top 50 candidates based on their motivation, entrepreneurial spirit, and critical thinking skills. 🚀  Stay tuned as we embark on this exciting journey with our chosen few! #futurefounders #startup #startupincubator

We are running a pilot with Catalyst AIC (Supported by AIM, NITI Aayog) 🥳 This morning we onboarded the founders from AIC's Summer Cohort 2024 for a 100-day pilot program with PredictGrowth. 🚀 Complimenting AIC's great mentorship program, these founders will leverage our Business Planning software to apply their incubation learnings and save significant time by utilizing our well-defined frameworks. ✅ Instead of navigating scattered resources, they'll have everything in one place, helping them accelerate their journey from idea to execution. Over the past quarter, we've been busy scouting close collaborations with industry leaders and top incubation centers across India and refining our business planning tool to unlock its full potential. This is not just about nurturing startups; it's a golden opportunity for all of us at PredictGrowth to gather invaluable feedback on our platform directly from our core ICPs. Their hands-on experience will provide us with deep insights, helping us fine-tune our offering to meet the evolving needs of early-stage founders. Special shoutout to Dilnawaz Khan for making this happen! Excited to share more of what's been happening at Predict Growth in the coming days! PredictGrowth Catalyst AIC (Supported by AIM, NITI Aayog) Deepanshu Khandelwal Saaniya Afreen ⚡Moses J⚡ Vamshi Magam Harsh Baid

Who's ready for another Chicago Venture Fellows spotlight?! We’re so excited to continue this series! Chicago:Blend Venture Fellows is a four-month intervention by Chicago:Blend to help historically excluded, aspiring VCs break into the venture industry. Chicago Venture Fellows began in our Tech Equity Working Group and spun off into Chicago:Blend. This incredible intervention is 1 of 5 pilots that received a portion of 1 million dollars of scaling funds to grow! We’re excited to continue spotlighting the amazing professionals chosen this year, and today we'd like to highlight Zimri Rodriguez! Zimri is the Community Engagement Manager at United Us! Her interests lie in the intersection of technology and innovation to bring communities closer to achieving equity. She strongly believes that diverse perspectives drive innovation and actively works to ensure the communities that she’s apart of are inclusive and supportive! We’re so excited to see what Zimri achieves and learns during her fellowship and what value she brings and takes away. We’re honored to be a part of this incredibly important intervention in the ecosystem and eager to watch it continue to unfold! Learn more and stay up to date with our TEWG here: https://bit.ly/3VNBh26 #genderequalityintech #techleaders #womenintechnology #genderequality #inclusivetech #inclusivity #computerscience #womeninstem #equityintech #entrepreneurship #womenintech #genderequity #GETcommunity #innovation #technology #leadership #investment #startups #community #accelerator #blackintech #racialequity #womenintech #indigenoustech #latinasintech #blackwomenintech #latinosintech #latinx #getcities #getcitieshubs