Edward Cable

A SAFE and convertible note had a baby and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati was the midwife- out popped the D-SAFE! 👶🏽🎉 A new #climatetech funding instrument was announced by Elemental Excelerator last week. One of the company’s main goals is to support smaller, up and coming companies during the awkward “Scale Gap” phase between #VC funding and natural growth. It’s called the #DSAFE (Development Simple Agreement for Future Equity) and it aims to aid the process by giving companies a small amount of cash to overcome initial risks and expenses during the developmental stages of a product launch or company. How does it work? D-SAFE has a redemption clause meaning companies can choose to have their payments offered as a loan or convert to equity at the investor’s discretion. Funders and companies will have clear communication and expectations about where the money is going and how it will be applied to either the company or the projects at hand. Financiers and companies will work together with more #transparency, and that’s a great boon for #startups and VC alike. As of this month, Elemental has already invested using D-SAFE in eight different companies, including Dimensional Energy and Origen — both companies investing in innovative and out-of-the-box solutions to environmental issues! Seems like a win-win on the surface. What do you all think about the D-SAFE? Alfredo Coppola Momoka Ueda Tim Wagner Stephen D. Torres Olya Irzak Natsuho Toyama Noriya Tarutani Shin Ogawa

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I'm excited to share Commonlands's progress in bringing secure land documentation and financial inclusion to last-mile communities. At Commonlands, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future. We leverage a unique combination of expertise in land documentation, financial inclusion, and technology to unlock economic potential in underserved communities. Here's a glimpse of our impact so far: ➡ Documented over 2500 plots and issued certificates in under 4 months, with 44% of claimants being women. ➡ Issued over 160 loans within 3 months with a 6-month term at an interest rate of 2.5% per month – making our product 5-10x cheaper than existing options. ➡ Achieved a remarkable 99.4% loan repayment success rate to date. These results testify to our team's capacity and innovative approach. We are confident we can empower 100,000 individuals in last-mile communities with secure land documentation and financial inclusion. The potential for impact is vast. There is $9 trillion in untapped economic resources trapped within these communities due to a lack of access to formal financial services. By investing in Commonlands, you're not just making financial returns, you're transforming lives. Are you an investor, grantmaker, or VC who is passionate about utilizing technology at scale for financial inclusion and building a more equitable world? We'd love to hear from you. Let's connect and discuss how we can work together to unlock the potential of last-mile communities. P.S. Learn more about Commonlands at Commonlands.org. #FinancialInclusion #ImpactInvesting #SocialImpact #Empowerment

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True partnerships are transformative catalysts for change. They transcend mere funding, embracing deep listening, dynamic collaboration, and vibrant community-building. Recent experiences at the MARGULF FOUNDATION Grantee Convening, Culture Shifting Summit, EdLoC, and Google Impact Summit have reignited my passion for reimagining how funders can evolve to genuinely empower social impact leaders. In my latest Camelback Ventures blog, I dive into the heart of this crucial conversation: ➡️ How can we build partnerships that fuel innovation? ➡️ What does holistic support for entrepreneurs of color and women really look like? ➡️ How might we create an ecosystem where visionary ideas thrive? Join me in exploring how we can reshape the landscape of social impact. Together, we can craft a future where diverse voices lead the charge in solving our most pressing challenges. Read the full article and let's continue this vital dialogue. How are you reimagining partnerships in your work? 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eW7UrGXu #SocialImpact #EquitablePartnerships #InnovationInFunding #DiversityInEntrepreneurship #SystemicChange

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What do you think about having an AI judge review startups along with human judges in the inaugural ClimaTech Great Global Innovation Challenge? We have posted information on how we are doing this, including the AI prompt, and you can share feedback through the form on this page: https://lnkd.in/ezVnvGiG While AI will play a role, our human judges will make the final decisions, ensuring a balanced and fair evaluation process. We're committed to learning from this experience and sharing our insights. Please reach out to me if you are interested in helping with the competition in any way. Research has demonstrated that "Data-driven initiatives have been shown to help VC firms reduce gender bias and make better, fairer investment decisions" (https://lnkd.in/ecfqqgj3). Additionally, "Machine learning models have already been proven to outperform human investors in deal screening" (https://lnkd.in/exicBiTR), helping to identify high-potential startups more effectively. By incorporating AI into our evaluation process, we aim to support an objective selection of startups. As a reminder, applications are due on May 26th. Daniela G., MIT Climate and Energy Prize, #Innovation #AI #Startups #ClimateTech #GlobalChallenge #TechForGood #Sustainability #Climatechlive #MITCEP #MIT #AIJudge #Pitch

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🤖 Have you ever heard of an #AIJudge at a pitch competition? We're excited to announce that the inaugural ClimaTech Great Global Innovation Challenge will feature an AI judge alongside our incredible panel of human judges. Learn more about our approach and provide your feedback here: https://lnkd.in/ezVnvGiG While AI will assist 🤖, our human judges will make the final calls, ensuring a fair ⚖️ and balanced evaluation. We're interested to learn from this and share our insights 💡. Research shows that data-driven methods help reduce gender bias and make fairer investment decisions 📊 (https://lnkd.in/ecfqqgj3), and machine learning models can outperform human investors in deal screening 🤖 (https://lnkd.in/exicBiTR). By leveraging AI 🤖, we aim to objectively identify high-potential startups. Reminder: Applications are due May 26th. 📅

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