🥂Silver linings, Serena, Will, resolutions, predictions, investor toolbox, round pricing, money, and more
A bi-weekly newsletter of curated resources for early-stage founders, funders, and friends.
Welcome to Lolita’s Newsletter! We share up-to-date and nugget-sized practical resources and advice for early-stage founders, funders, and friends. We are at 5,834 members. To access exclusive content, office hours, join our Slack community, and get your pitch deck reviewed become an annual subscriber or gift a subscription.
✨I wrote this issue 5 days ago because I wanted to spend quality time with family for Christmas (and still deliver on my bi-weekly newsletter). I focused on writing about silver linings, the good, and practical startup things. But I had to come back today and say a few more words: this year has been really tough and it's okay if you're not feeling the best ( for example, I'm sad because my mom is having health issues).
For whomever needs to hear it: however you're feeling, whatever you're thinking, and wherever you are in life, it's perfect. It's going to be ok.
If you're feeling good, I'm genuinely happy for you. And I know you're here for the startup-investor goodies. So, let's get back to it…
💰 There is an explosion of startups/funds and we need more investors. If you’re just curious to start investing in 2021, you can take a look at this thread. You can also look at putting money to work through Republic and Backstage Crowd or invest in companies directly like Serena Williams or Will Smith.
Reflecting on resolutions and plans for 2021? I am. Here’s what’s on my docket:
😷 Prioritize health, say “no” more often, and get paid. 📈 grow Catalyte (forecast points to an overachieved Q4 rev target). 🔥 Invest + support community-driven companies with The Community Fund team (launched ~3 months ago and we're at 9 investment commitments). 🎧 Listen to First Pitches (newly launched pod and, yes, I'm a superfan of our guests). 🥳 Celebrate all the checks underestimated founders are getting post-Startup-Investor Matching Tool intros (we’ve hit #16 this year)
And, in terms of 2021 predictions, here’s what I’m expecting:
🌈 Founders to want + seek diverse investors on their cap tables because it's no longer cool to have all cis gendered-white-men GPs, VCs/angels or LPs
Shruti (GP) just led a round where the cap table is all women; Bea (founder) intentionally filled SUMA’s (port co) cap table with awesome Latinx VCs/angels; Mallun + Leyla (GPs) launched Operators Collective (port fund) with 90% women + 40% POCS🛠 the rise + appreciation of operator-investors (e.g., TCF, Collab Fund) because money is a commodity and having hands-on perspective - and the empathy that comes with it - is something founders find to be differentiated value add
😉 an explosion of community-driven companies (yes, I’m biased but did you see that Airbnb, a community-driven co, made top 10 IPOs of all time?)
👀 more startups raising from equity crowdfunding sites (because now cos can raise up to $5M) + VCs following
💸 people as a business (AKA creators) is normalized with personal brands + side-hustle tech (consumerized b2b solutions) enabling the trend
🌊 a wave of startups that are consumerizing traditional B2B solutions enable a job portfolio generation (where you have other gigs on-top of your main one) because people want to do more with their time or they just need the extra money
Wishing us all a better year in 2021!
✨ Lolita Taub
link.tree | twitter
ICYMI: Techcrunch Equity Pod, Forbes, and The Full Ratchet featured The Community Fund + me. Startup-Investor Matching Tool intros have resulted in 16 checks (+$2M!).Congrats!
Congratulations to Toyin Ajayi for raising $160M for Cityblock Health and reaching a valuation of +$1B. Vernon Coleman for raising $4M for Realtime. Josh Fabian for raising $3M for Metafy. Halston Prox for raising $1.3M for HealNow. Suzy Ryoo and Troy Carter for launching Venice Innovation Labs. Sari Azout for launching Startupy. Maria Brewer Palmer for making GP at Kindred. Nicole Leah Johnson for making Partner at Forerunner Ventures. Marlon C. Nichols on the investment Goldman Sachs made into MaC Venture Capital. Jai Malik for launching Countdown Capital to invest in seed-stage deep tech companies.
Funders
Sheel Mohnot | Look at Sheel’s first investments, mark ups and valuations
Building Blocks by Halle K | Check-out The Emerging Manager Toolbox
Airtable by Samir K, Hana Y, Caroline H | Review this emerging fund manager LP List
The Hard Fork by Marvin L | Learn why operator-investor nano funds are the future
TechCrunch | Listen to what surprised VCs in 2020
VC Include | Apply to this BIPOC Fund I Emerging Managers Fellowship
Startup-Investor Matching Tool | Receive customized deal flow
💰 Raising or looking for co-investors? Here's what I invest in.Founders
Startup Hacks by Alex I | Figure out how to price your pre-seed rounds fairly
Funding | Check-out this list of alternatives to VC funding
Go-to-Market | These 3 questions will get you to a GTM strategy
First Pitches | Sign-up and hear founders share their first pitch + tips
TechCrunch by Gené T | Funding for female-founded startups has dropped
Early-stage women investors | Pitch hundreds of women investors
📚 Want more resources? Here are courses + services for you.Community-Driven Cos
Medium | Learn about The Community Playbook
TCF | Read Community-Driven Cos: What They Are + Why We’re Investing
TCF | Read TCF: How We Source, Select, and Support Startups
🙌🏽 Building a community-driven co? Submit your co to The Community Fund.Money
Gusto x IFundWomen | Apply to this women founders $25k grant by 12/30
Capital Factory | Apply to this Black Founders $100K Investment Challenge by 1/22
LAUNCH | Apply to this pre-seed/seed Accelerator by 1/15
Nex Cubed | Apply to HBCU Founder’s Summer Acceleration Program by 2/1
Black New Venture |Apply to this pre-seed/seed $175K competition by 1/2
Wefunder Accelerator | Apply for $50K investment + 8 week mentorship by 1/7
Founder Institute | Access +700 accelerators, investors and more for black founders
Founder Grants | Access +80 grants for founders
Equity Crowdfunding | Raise up to $5 million on Republic
The Upswing Fund | Access grants for founders focused on POC/LGBTQ+ teens
Non-dilutive capital | Create a profile to find non-dilutive capital on INTRO
👋🏽 Want investor intros? Submit your co to The Startup-Investor Matching Tool.Like the newsletter and think others would benefit from it? Want to join me in helping underestimated founders? Become a sponsor and gift 3 annual subscriptions to them.
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