We have some good news: US Medicare will now cover telemedicine; doctors can now treat patients across state lines, and Nurx and Everly Well launched COVID-19 home testing kits. Also, we’ve grown our community by 33.9%! We’re at 1,443 subscribers (up from 1,077 2-weeks ago)! Oh, and bidets or this toilet paper co can take care of your TP needs.

I also have something personal to celebrate. I’m now interim sales exec for Catalyte’s remote senior tech talent brand, Surge, and will be heads down working with my awesome team of 8 (on Zoom)! This means we’ll be pausing work on the First-Time Founders School, for now, but continuing to review companies for investment on Saturdays.

Sending you an air hug and hoping you and your family are staying safe, practicing social distancing, and washing your hands.

✨Lolita Taub
lolitataub.co | twitter
Reach out with requests here.

ICYMI: Check-out Notion's work-from-home resource depot, my real-talk interview with Crunchbase and Q&A on TheBridge.

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Shoutouts

Congrats! Kristen for raising a $16M Series A round for B.well (portfolio company). Julia for raising $2.7M Seed round for Planet Fwd. Ryan for Techstars Anywhere’s new look. Roshawna for making TAG’s top 10 fintech companies list. Trish for Portfolia’s feature on FastCompany’s 10 Most Innovative Companies list. Congrats to Sam and Jasmine for winning SoGal Global Pitch Competition! Amy, Molly, Anne, and Ankiti for being recognized as trailblazers by Fortune.

Work

Funders

COVID-19 is stressing people out and some VCs are taking note and providing group therapy to their founders.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

💆🏽‍♀️Wonderful to hear that @PrimaryVC @CoriginVentures @sogalventures @SperoVentures @LererHippeau and @CrosscutVC will offer group therapy for founders via @AtlasQ_ ! techcrunch.com/2020/03/18/vc-…VC firms offer group therapy for founders due to the COVID-19 outbreak – TechCrunchFounders face many trials and tribulations when building their companies, from fundraising woes to visa challenges to product failures to company failures. And according to Kari Sulenes, “almost everybody who has built a company has a burnout story.” Her startup, Atlas, connects venture firms and …techcrunch.com

March 21st 2020

5 Retweets16 Likes

Founders

Some things to keep in mind if you’re a founder raising.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

On raising during a financial crisis: focus on what you can learn from what’s happening, adapt, keep moving forward. If you want to raise 💰, focus on: 🔼revenue 🙇🏽‍♀️closing deals 🤝only do deals with long-term partners ⛈weather the storm marker.medium.com/5-lessons-on-c…

March 21st 2020

3 Retweets20 Likes

Should you be looking for capital from VCs or VC alternatives? Below is rough criteria that can help you answer that question.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

VC fundable startup: 🚀 The founder wants to blitzscale + build a billion-dollar business in 5-7 years 💥 Team goals: large 🤑 TAM: large 📈 Scalability capability: high 🕴🏼 Capital source: VCs 🏰ARR could be: ≥$100M 🦄 Valuation goal: ≥$1B 🙌🏽 Exit desirability: yes

March 8th 2020

20 Retweets99 Likes

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

Non-VC fundable startup: 🌱The founder wants to grow organically 🙋🏽‍♀️Team goals: small 💰 TAM: small 🚗 Scalability capability: low 👨‍👩‍👧Capital source: family/friends, personal debt, customers, etc 🏡ARR potential: $50K-$100M w/o VC $ 🙅🏽‍♀️ Exit desirability: None

March 8th 2020

15 Retweets83 Likes

If VC is not for you, or you want to complement VC money, take a look at the list below.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

🤑Founders: below is a list of alternatives to VC funding. 💵Grants @sbirgov @StreetShares @iFundWomen @AmberGrants @Visa @USMBDA 👩🏽‍💻Crowdinvesting @joinrepublic @Wefunder @SeedInvest @startupscom

March 17th 2020

59 Retweets206 Likes

Operators

Surviving and thriving in uncertain times can be tough. Luckily, we can preempt some things.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

Cos are starting to face challenges bc of COVID-19. Suggestions to preempt: 🛣$ Runway: extend, if possible 💸Fundraising: expect constraints 🏷Sales: plan for 🔽 ⚡️Marketing: 🔼the bar on ROI spend 👩🏽‍💼Headcount: do more w/less 👛Capital: spend sensibly medium.com/sequoia-capita…Coronavirus: The Black Swan of 2020Here is a note that we sent to Sequoia founders and CEOs today to provide guidance on how to ensure the health of their business while…medium.com

March 10th 2020

10 Retweets33 Likes

Friends

Funny friends are must-haves.

aileenlee @aileenlee

Husband just sent this to our kids, haha

March 11th 2020

28 Retweets250 Likes

Reads

Addressing dysfunctions in a team is crucial to succeeding more than ever.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

Ate waffles 🤤 for breakfast and now I’m reading my second book by Patrick Lencioni this week. First book, I 100% recommend: Death by Meeting. 🤓Aom

October 19th 2019

6 Retweets93 Likes

Opportunities

These posts are for those of you who want to raise capital, engage in the startup-ecosystem, or just explore the world of startups-VC.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

✨Black, Latinx, Native American, female/non-binary, veteran, refugee, LGBTQ+ founders leading seed-series A tech cos: @MoniqueWoodard just announced that @SoftBank + @WeWork is launching an equity-free 8-wk program for you. Learn more + apply by 3/27. Softbank Emerge - WeWork LabsGlobal community of early-stage startups to access membership benefits including workspace, mentorship and education.wework.com

March 14th 2020

22 Retweets67 Likes

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

💰Women founders: extra excited to invite you to check-out the Women Startup Challenge Program w/@WomenWhoTech bc I'll be a judge! 10 startups will be chosen to pitch for up to $75K. Learn more + apply by March 29th. womenwhotech.com

March 7th 2020

53 Retweets171 Likes

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

💸Founders: @sydneypaige10 @PrecursorVC and @peterrojas @betamore have an open call for pitches! Learn more and apply to pitch them both. Deadline 4/6 8PM PST. airtable.com/shrMT5PBksE6pi…Open Call for Pitches! - AirtableFill out the “Open Call for Pitches!” form quickly and securely on Airtable.airtable.com

March 17th 2020

11 Retweets23 Likes

Resources

What’s making quarantining tolerable? Below are cos that help.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

What’s on your 🦠 quarantine tech list? Mine includes: 👩🏽‍💻Working @zoom_us @SlackHQ @Google 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧Connecting @Facebook WhatsApp @Twitter 🛒Consuming @amazon @Costco @Instacart @netflix @amazonprimenow @disneyplus 🧘🏽‍♀️Staying sane @useMotion @ShineText @Headspace

March 18th 2020

20 Retweets98 Likes

Ever wonder how startups track their fundraising process? Here’s an airtable that can help you with that and also provides a list of 1,000 funds.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

⚡️Founders: I found an airtable that lists 1,000 funds and doubles up as a CRM/database template to help you track your fundraising process. 👇🏽 airtable.com/universe/expdy…Fundraising CRM & Database - Airtable UniverseThis base is a redacted version of an actual base I used to successfully raise a seed/pre-seed round for my previous startup, uQuote. It will provide you...airtable.com

February 16th 2020

28 Retweets112 Likes

Subscribe to Lolita's Newsletter

Hi all! Welcome to all new subscribers of our newsletter. We are now +1,000 members! Grateful for all of you. And because many of you are curious and asked for it, I’ll share bi-weekly helpful life and work updates/resources for founders, funders, family, and friends.

On that note, about a month ago, I asked Twitter if a first-time founders course (FTFC) was needed and I got +300 people saying yes. So, I’m giving the course a go with Josh! We have full-time day jobs so this side-hustle will take a bit to 100% materialize. That said, we’re devoting our weekends to FTFC and working on module one. We expect to launch a beta with 10 volunteers soon.

Stay safe, coronavirus prepared, and share your ideas on how to keep making this newsletter better!

✨Lolita Taub
lolitataub.co | twitter 
Reach out with requests here.

ICYMI: check out my interview with Gravity Speakers on creating paths to success and my feature in FinTech Female Fridays on - you guessed it - fintech.

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Shoutouts

Congrats! ⭐️Geri made Partner at Laconia. 🏎Mercedes, Cheryl, Megan, Aia, and Jill made HBCUvc’s 31U31: The Future of Venture Capital. 🚀Gagan raised $50M at a $2B valuation for Udemy.

Work

Funders

Whether you’re raising or not. It’s awesome to know that there is a rising number of women investing!

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

💰Founders: I pooled together an airtable of +500 women angel investors in the US for you. Enjoy! Get it here: airtable.com/shrzWIHSoK0gvE… Add yourself here: airtable.com/shr4eFdg38mWfC…US Women Angels Form - AirtableFill out the “US Women Angels Form” form quickly and securely on Airtable.airtable.com

March 6th 2020

208 Retweets753 Likes

Founders

There’s a lot of talk about whether the people launching businesses are the right ones to do it. This helps put things in perspective.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

For founder-market fit, you need industry 1. experience 2. network, key player knowledge 4. pain points clarity 5. lingo 6. competitive landscape know-how 7. customer understanding 8. and problem obsession The Importance Of Founder-Market Fit & How To Highlight It While FundraisingOne of the most important assets to have in an early-stage startup is founder-market fit. Founder-market fit is an innate, unfair advantage that sets founders apart from their competitors. Accelerators and Early Stage VCs often look for it when evaluating founders for potential investments.forbes.com

January 19th 2020

32 Retweets130 Likes

Operators

Whether you have a full-time job, a side-hustle, or any kind of business, it’s important to focus on the metrics that matter.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

📏Founders: here's a handy chart of metrics VCs care about.b

February 2nd 2020

164 Retweets765 Likes

Friends

Yeah. I make friends on twitter and show my appreciation by sharing their projects, articles, and quotes. Twitter a powerful tool for relationship building with awesome people.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

Love👇🏽 "For women, for female friendship [...] making money together has never really been on the agenda. I want to change that, I want to think of the women I know and have relationships together and think 'how can I make money together.'" @annawbarber dot-la.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/dot.la/amp…VC Culture Has a Long Way To Go To Create a Fair Deal for Female Foundersdot-la.cdn.ampproject.org

March 5th 2020

8 Retweets70 Likes

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

💜 My kind of people. "Parity is upon us, ladies. I’m with you, cheering for you (without the jumps) and happy to take your call in the dark (since 5 a.m. is the best time to reach me)." @cwyskiel ventures.jhu.edu/news/christy-w…T

Christy Wyskiel @cwyskiel

https://t.co/1N4c4NuHQv I wrote something else this week. Hope my sisters in entrepreneurship take some light and joy from it. 🌠🌟💫

March 6th 2020

1 Retweet7 Likes

Reads

This is a good book for those who are looking to identify and create their differentiation moat.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

Sunday read. 📚 A mentor recommended it. Has anyone else read it?a

March 1st 2020

3 Retweets28 Likes

Opportunities

These posts are for those of you who want to raise capital, engage in the startup-ecosystem, or just explore the world of startups-VC.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

💰Women founders: extra excited to invite you to check-out the Women Startup Challenge Program w/@WomenWhoTech bc I'll be a judge! 10 startups will be chosen to pitch for up to $75K. Learn more + apply by March 29th. womenwhotech.com

March 7th 2020

46 Retweets132 Likes

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

💰Latinx founders in Portland: 6 Latino founders will be chosen to pitch and 3 will win cash at the Pitch Latino event on April 2, 2020. Learn more and apply here: latinofounder.comN

Latino Founders @Latino_Founders

Pitch Latino is back for a third year!!! If you are Latinx Founder working on your startup, follow the link to apply 👉🏽 https://t.co/CUmbnGawmX https://t.co/MTHJlDD5aU

March 6th 2020

1 Retweet12 Likes

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

💰B2B SaaS Founders (who have taken <$500k in funding that are willing to spend 4 months in SF, NYC or Toronto): check/o @Acceleprise's accelerator and apply to get in + get a potential $100K check: share.hsforms.com/1ZqeejfpmTOegU…

March 7th 2020

9 Retweets26 Likes

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

💰🎙Founders: apply to @HarlemCapital's pitch competition for $40K! 👇🏽 👩🏽‍💻☀️Aspiring VCs: apply for a part-time summer internship with Harlem CapitjBZAbqAyt

Harlem Capital @HarlemCapital

Application Alerts (Apply or Share): We have two applications due on March 18th 👇 Summer 2020 part-time internship 👉 https://t.co/AN9wLJargy Pitch competition ($40k) 👉 https://t.co/0KQjHctSVH

March 7th 2020

6 Retweets32 Likes

Resources

If you have a startup or have ever been curious about starting one, I think you’ll like this post.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

✨Alright. Here is v1 of the First-Time Founders Resource Guide! 🎉 Enjoy it, leave comments, and let me know if there are more resources I should add. Relaxing the rest of today. 💆🏽‍♀️ medium.com/@lolitataub/fi…First-Time Founders Resource GuideIn this post, you’ll find first-time founder basics, a note for underestimated founders, and a (live) list of resources.medium.com

February 23rd 2020

81 Retweets282 Likes

Subscribe to Lolita's Newsletter

Hello family and friends, 

We don’t know much about coronavirus and we have a mixed bag of projections on what will happen next. What we do know is that cases are popping up in the US and around the world, and things are likely to get worse before they get better. To mitigate risk, Josh and I put together a precautionary tip list for ourselves, and we want to share it with you. 

General tips:

🧼Wash your hands (regularly) for 30 seconds

🤦🏽‍♀️Don’t touch your face

🧻Wipe down surfaces regularly

🤧If you’re sick, stay home

😷Avoid people who are sick/coughing

🤝Avoid handshakes and hugs

🙅🏽‍♀️Curtail visitors from other countries

⛔️Limit large social gatherings/events

👩🏽‍💻Plan for remote work

Travel tips:

✈️Limit travel

🎟Buy refundable travel tickets, if you need to travel

🏨Book refundable hotel rooms, if you need to stay in a hotel

Sustenance tips:

🍽Keep 2-weeks worth of food, supplies, and medicine at home

Here’s a recommended list of what to buy

Health tips:

🧘🏽‍♀️Be mindful of and address anxiety/stress levels

💕Be compassionate with yourself and others

Finance tips:

📊Know that financial markets/businesses will be affected 

💰Consider creating contingency financial plans (e.g., emergency fund)

Pet tips:

🐶Be aware that pets can potentially contract the Coronavirus

Lastly, Google your local public health authority and follow them to be kept up-to-date on how to deal with the situation as things evolve. Below we list a few links:

• Baltimore

• Los Angeles

• San Diego

• Santa Cruz

• Pattaya

🤗Sending virtual hugs and wishing you good health,
Lolita + Josh

lolitataub

Matching and hanging out with Tedi 🐻!

January 15, 2020

Hi all, I’m trying new things this year, starting with a new newsletter name/format and showing up as more of me (includes life-size bears and matching outfits). And so much of it has come from Eric, my exec coach, challenging me to move away from “doing” to ‘being” to uplevel, and Monica’s, my sister, #realtalk Sunday Calls.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

This is tough exec coach feedback bc I've gotten to where I am by working hard. How do I "be?" Your life [...] has been about doing more [...] + that has been incredibly successful for you (double 🦄!). [...] The next level for you will be moving away from “doing” to “being."

January 19th 2020

2 Retweets43 Likes

“Being” is in-progress but definitely not linear. I am standing up for what I believe in more often — calling people out and asking the tough questions people want to ask but don’t — and putting my dreams out there. It’s been hard, exhausting, and, at times, sending me into autopilot mode. But I’m pushing through by reflecting and listening to my community (a lot of whom is my Twitter family, Josh and you).

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

1/Last week, I was on autopilot. So, today, I stepped back + rewrote my vision, mission, values & magic sauce. I then added recurring slots on my calendar to assure my ⏰ is spent doing what I need/want to do. I share my notes below, for accountability + in case it helps you.

February 1st 2020

4 Retweets60 Likes

Shoutouts

Congrats! 🍼Cody (Trust and Will) had his first baby. 🧶Ayinde (nēdl) made the list for BuiltinLA’s 50 Startups to Watch in 2020. 💰Samara for launching Chingona Ventures! 🚀Sahil (Gumroad)’s customers crossed $250M in revenue. 📕Henri (Harlem Capital) was featured in a Harvard Case study. 🌟Darren (Workfrom) made the Techstars Anywhere 2020 cohort. 🤩Katherine made partner at General Catalyst. 💥Leslie (Female Founders Alliance) and Irene (Monarq Incubator) are integrating forces. 🥳Jewel became head of Google Startups. 💸Bryan was promoted to General Partner at Backstage Capitals. 👟Payal (Classpass) became this decade’s first unicorn.

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Work + Life

Dec 

Invested in Operators Collective Fund (they have a 90% women and 40% women of color LP base! 🙌🏽); was featured in Decoding Bias in AI 🤖; traveled to the Amazon and the Bolivian salt flats 🧂.

lolitataub

And we made sure to take the mandatory dinosaur 🦖 photo. With the women fighting and the men running. 😂

December 30, 2019

lolitataub

We had a lot of fun taking photos. 📸

December 30, 2019

Jan 

Was invited to mentor Techstars Anywhere 2020 class + my panel on “Underserved Markets for SaaS Companies” made the 20 Trending VC Sessions list at 2020 SaaStr Annual! Also, Josh and I made our first insurtech angel investment!

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

🥳Super excited to be a mentor for the @techstars Anywhere 2020 cohort! Congrats on joining the Techstars family! 👩🏽‍💻@PangianGlobal 👩🏽‍🌾@LocalMilkRun ☕️@workfrom 👩🏽‍💼@symba_io 👶🏽@TheTotSquad 📊@xmetryx 📈@forecastr_hq 👩🏽‍🎨@thecraftersbox 🚐@sekr_aps://t.co/MhZyDbalCo

Ryan Kuder @ryankuder

Today is the first day of Techstars Anywhere 2020! Well, sorta...the founders all spent last week on a secret retreat in San Diego plotting and scheming and making BIG plans. Here are the 10 companies that are part of our newest Techstars Anywhere class. https://t.co/6jZ0piYZ2W

January 28th 2020

1 Retweet29 Likes

Feb 

Decided to add one more project to my list, a first-time founders (FTF) course; also exploring a FTF dinner series in Baltimore.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

📚Founders: Last wk, >200 ppl reached/o expressing interest in a first-time founders course. So, I'm creating a course that aims to provide executable education/resources to help founders succeed. To stay in the loop and share thoughts, go here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…First-Time Founders CourseHi first-time founders! TLDR; After hearing of founders’ great interest on Twitter, I decided to create a course that aims to provide executable education and resources to help first-time founders succeed in their startups. Now, I need your insight to produce the best FTF course for you. Please fi…docs.google.com

February 1st 2020

15 Retweets59 Likes

Reads

🕵🏼‍♂️Secrets of Sand Hill Road by @skupor
Mandatory VC reading. It’s good to keep up with what Silicon Valley celebrity investors are saying to founders and how they see the VC scene evolving. Get it.

🌬Widen the Window by Elizabeth A. Stanley PhD
Boring but helpful in understanding, extending, and leveraging emotional bandwidth. Helpful for execs who want to “really” keep cool when shit hits the fan and make the “right” decisions. Get it.

👍The Likeability Trap by @aliciamenendez
The book should have been titled, “A Women of Color’s Survival Guide.” Great book for women of color who want to “be” and thrive in a society that wasn’t made for and is still marginalizing them. Get it.

Life Hacks

🎧If you lose an airpod pro, you can try to find it with your iPhone, or easily order a replacement. Find out how.

👋🏽Share who you are to find and attract your people. I can’t tell you how many values-aligned people reach out to me after I share what I’m about.

Lolita Taub @lolitataub

Who else has a vision of a world where tech is created and led by the diversity of our population? Grateful for the chat w/@CogWorldHub @Forbes about things I love: my work, commitment to diversity in tech and how AI is impacting the way we work. forbes.com/sites/cognitiv…

August 16th 2019

22 Retweets107 Likes

👗Rent the Runway (RTR) is a great way to outsource your closet. I’m upgrading to unlimited next month. Get $30 RTR credit here.

💁🏽‍♀️Dyson Supersonic hairdryer is worth the $400 in time and quality. I give myself professional level blowouts in 4 mins flat.

Asks

👀Give me feedback. My goal is to keep in touch with you, update you on what’s happening with me, and add value to you. 

✨Call me out, if you don’t think I’m “being” authentic. Working on being more of me every day because I want to level up. My motivations: to give my fam a good life and to help create a world where tech is created and led by the diversity of our population.

🎙If you hear of speaking gigs on AI + Future of Work, VC, or diversity, send them my way. Whatever I make, I plan to invest in underestimated founders. Read more.

Thanks

🙏Matt W I appreciate that you cut to the chase, give me constructive feedback, and give me your vote of confidence. Lisa A thanks for crying and laughing with me. Eric N you’re helping me uplevel and I feel it happening. Tom I your sponsorship is noted and you shutting down bullshit when you see it in others is inspiring. Josh T grateful that you support all my shenanigans and are now investing with me in insurtech.  Christy W thanks for being a sponsor and helping me help Baltimore!

✨Lolita Taub
lolitataub.co | twitter | medium

Have comments, questions, tips?  Email me.