Rhea Cartwright’s Post

Too many women founders think they need to give away significant equity to build their tech. It’s not worth it. One of my clients faced this dilemma when a potential co-founder offered to build her platform for 20% equity. She was hesitant, and rightfully so. Here’s a preview of what I advised her: ⭕ Evaluate the true cost of giving up 20% equity. ⭕ Know your partner well; trust and shared vision are crucial. ⭕ Seek alternatives to retain control while gaining expertise. Watch the full video to learn HOW to make strategic decisions without sacrificing control. _____________________ 👋🏻 Hi there, welcome! ✨ I'm Sarah. I help women founders develop winning business models, gain market traction, and secure funding through my FundHER accelerator program.

Did you know that in 2023, Black founders in the US received only 0.48% of all venture capital funding? Why is that? Often, it’s not a lack of talent or good ideas—it’s a lack of exposure to the business landscape that makes securing those dollars nearly impossible. It’s also about limited access to the networks and gatekeepers who control these resources, which ends up stifling the growth of our “Good Ideas.” But here’s the truth: we are capable of building world-changing brands and creating meaningful impact. What we need is the support of those who understand and believe in our vision for stronger communities. That’s why I’m calling on my community to step up and become our Venture Capital! 🙌 Over the next few weeks, let’s become the change we want to see. Let’s fund, share, and support initiatives that prioritize moms and children—because that’s how we build the future we envision. Together, we can push this idea forward and bring new platforms, apps, and schools to life that nurture the next generation. Are you with me? Let’s make this a reality! 🔥 #CommunityCapital #SupportBlackFounders #Changemakers

Oh hey – we're new here. 👋🏾 Brown Girl Angels is on a mission to address the representation gap in angel investing by mobilizing South Asian women to become angel investors. In collaboration with our network of angel and venture allies, our goal is to educate, empower and inspire brown girl angel investors. Follow us if 👉 🎯 Information + Resources: You're new to angel investing and looking for educational resources and advice on how to kickstart your angel investing journey. 🌱 Impactful Investments: You're looking to join a collective of like-minded investors making a meaningful impact by backing startups led by South Asian women. 🤝 Community Connection: You want to join a vibrant community of founders, investors and leaders reshaping the future of investing. 💥 Stay tuned for a wealth of inspiration — from savvy investment tips to spotlighting our favourite founders, we've got you covered. Whether you're a first-time investor or a seasoned pro, there’s something for everyone. Interested in angel investing? Or are you an active investor who wants to learn more about brown girl founded companies? Slide into our DMs with your questions—we'd love to chat! 💌 #angelinvesting #angelinvestors #browngirlfounders #southasianfounders

🎉 Thrilled to kick off another round of our Female Founder Series at Bread & Butter Ventures! At Bread & Butter, we recognize the significant funding gap faced by female founders and all-female teams in the venture capital landscape. We are committed to democratizing access to venture capital and want to help bridge this divide by offering dedicated resources to female entrepreneurs through our Female Founders Series & Office Hours. 📊 Our next virtual session features the amazing Brett Brohl diving deep into "Running Your Business with KPIs and Metrics" on January 22nd (12-1pm CT). What you'll walk away with:  ✨ How to create process using metrics 🎯 How to decode between vanity metrics and useful metrics 📈 Using goals and KPIs to drive your business forward Reminder: Attendees will have access to additional 1:1 office hours with the B&B team! While our investment thesis focuses on companies building in digital health, food tech and enterprise saas, female founders building in any sector are welcome to join us. To help us prepare, please register by filling out the form in the comments. Looking forward to connecting with awesome female founders on January 22!

Thrilled with the conversation on our panel of women founders and investors at the Summit for Underrepresented Founders. This was part of another great event at the Venture Mechanics Startup Incubator / Accelerator. Thanks so much for the panelists and speakers for sharing their insights, wisdom and enthusiasm: Earl Martin Valencia, Jolene Anderson, Richa Rai, Kate Isler, AR B., Gerome Seeney, Alan Gonzalez. Highlights: venture is changing! ☑ Women are in control of more wealth and it is growing. As they become LPs and investors, VCs will adapt to reflect their values. ☑ The number of VCs led by women and people of color is growing rapidly. ☑ Collaboration and relationship building are key in this business. ☑ There is a lot to learn! Becoming an entrepreneur is hard. We can learn from each other and lift each other up. So much more... Grateful for Ron Wiener and team for putting on events that foster collaboration, learning and enthusiasm.

Last week, I wrapped up an enriching angel investing program, and I couldn't be prouder of the insights gained and the connections made along the way! 💫 🧠🧑🎓 I wasn’t “just” interested in learning about the mechanisms & tools of angel investing; I also wanted to learn how I could personally leverage this financial instrument to create positive impact in underrepresented communities. #missionaccomplished 💡I’ve gained super insightful learnings from black founders, VC fund managers, startup founders and this bright cohort with their various life + professional experiences. 📍It’s just the beginning of my journey but looking forward to applying these learnings and contributing to the success of underserved minority founders! #AngelInvesting #InvestmentJourney #ProudMoment #impactinvesting #blackfounders #blackvc Marlon Stéphanie Mahalia Melissa Bryan Urbain Bettara Nigel Javan Yann Aser Deborah Black Wealth Club

Investing in diverse founders isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a major financial opportunity. The numbers tell the story: Only 2% of VC funding goes to all-women founding teams. Black founders receive just 1.4%, and Latino founders? Only 2%. At Capitalize VC, we see this as a significant missed opportunity. 👉🏾 The Cost of Inequity 📉 Billions in potential returns left untapped 📉 Innovative ideas from growing, diverse populations stifled 📉 Economic growth and job creation hindered 👉🏾 The Upside of Diversity Research shows that increasing diversity in VC firms can: 📈 Improve deal success rates by 4.7% 📈 Boost overall fund returns by 1.5% 📈 Lead to 10% more profitable exits It’s time for a shift. We’re committed to investing in underrepresented founders because it's smart business. Ready to tap into the potential of diverse founders? Let’s connect and discuss how we can reshape the future of venture capital together. #DiversityInVC #InclusiveInnovation #StartupFunding

Did you know that in 2022, Black and Latina women founders only received a mere 0.1% of venture capital funding? But why is that? Picture this: you're in the early stages of building your dream company. You're pitching passionately to a room full of investors. But who are these investors? Mostly white males. And unfortunately, they tend to invest in people who resemble themselves or who they feel most comfortable with. This inherent bias can significantly hinder women and minorities. Miriam Rivera, the Co-founder and Managing Director of Ulu Ventures, articulated this point perfectly in a recent piece by Pivotal Ventures. She explained that when investors rely on intuition or shared assumptions rather than solid evidence, it's often women and minorities who lose out. But here's the exciting part: at Ulu Ventures, they're changing the game. Instead of taking shortcuts, they prioritize data and evidence in their decision-making process. And the evidence speaks for itself—there are countless women and minority founders with groundbreaking ideas poised to change the world. While we love celebrating progress, we acknowledge there's still work to be done. That's why we're thrilled to launch our deep dive angel investing course. We firmly believe that by increasing the number of women investors, we can create more opportunities for diverse founders to thrive. Are you ready to join us on this journey? Explore our angel investing course starting later this week. Click here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/e4beGGZS #angelinvesting #womeninvesting #womenfinances

Last night I attended a mind-expanding talk at Parlay House (aka “Anne’s house”). 👧 Do you remember being a little kid and being starry-eyed 🤩 and excited by the idea of one day growing up and doing BIG things that matter in the world? Well, that’s how I felt hearing about the work that’s being done to #FundFemaleFounders through #HowWomenInvest — a venture firm led by Julie Castro Abrams that helps more and more women become venture investors in other women-led companies. Investing in women-led companies means you see 26% more #ReturnOnInvestment — Because women-led companies are 34% more capital efficient. Why? Because when you’re a woman founder, not only are you *really* good at what you do, you also have profound grit to withstand the silliness of a sexist world. It’s ridiculous that less than 2% of all venture capital goes to women-led companies, because money funds the ideas we need to see realized to create a more sustainable and equitable world. But my brief stint early in my career in the hedge fund world taught me one lesson: When the world is shunning an undervalued opportunity, that’s where BIG potential for outsized returns are. Reading news headlines (or even skimming LinkedIn posts) may feel grim… But underneath all that, women — the most undervalued asset of the economy — are being resilient, resourceful, and entrepreneurial. And more women (myself included) will be there to fund them. Thank you Anne Devereux-Mills for hosting yet another fabulous event! And thank you Golden Seeds for being the first angel group to fund women-led companies and having me as a mid-career intern 14 years ago! #womeninvestors #womenfounders #venturecapital #howwomenlead

📣 Calling all early-stage founders! 📣 Building off prior years’ research, January Ventures is currently conducting our annual company building survey! The purpose of this survey is to understand what founders are experiencing in today’s market conditions. What is it like operating in the current environment? What challenges are underrepresented founders facing fundraising? What can the venture community do to better support founders? Your voice is important to ensure we capture a wide variety of experiences and perspectives. The survey will help us better serve founders and amplify the challenges and solutions faced by founders today. If you're a startup founder, please take (and share!) our survey - we appreciate your input! https://lnkd.in/emwXKAre