Black Female Founders Connect with Top VC’s at When Founder Met Funder Event

From left to right: Julia Collins, Megan Holston-Alexander and Domonique Fines, founders of When Founder Met Funder. Photo credit https://medium.com/allraise/all-raise-when-founder-met-founder-program-3515347e8691

Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the U.S, yet the least funded demographic. According to Forbes, “Black women represent 42% of new women-owned businesses—three times their share of the female population—and 36% of all Black-owned employer businesses.” The presence of small businesses creates a ripple effect on the growth of communities, and Black business owners often locate their business in Black and Brown areas, which acts as a pillar of new economic opportunities, community development, and mentorship in said spaces. Black ownership benefits us all, but barriers of entry such as lack of capital and access to resources hinder this growth and development.

Stepping into this gap in capital allocation is When Founder Met Funder, an initiative by All Raise that brings together promising Black female founders with VC’s. This event directly addresses the issue of the underfunding of Black women in the tech space by connecting more than 120 Black female founders with more than 40 VC’s.

When Founder Met Funder is the brainchild of Julia Collins, Domonique Fines, Megan Holston-Alexander, and Judene Small Jean-Louis, often featuring a stellar agenda with activities such as a fireside chat, a WFMF Founder Spotlight, storytelling workshops, and more.

“It was very important for us to be able to give different ranges of talks,” Domonique Fines, co-creator of the event, told TechCrunch. “I wanted people to see there are Black women founders out there. They might not all have the same path, but just because you don’t have the same path, it doesn’t mean you won’t have that same success.”

With keynote speakers Iman Abuzeid (CEO at Incredible Health), Jeff Jordan (partner at Andreessen Horowitz), Michael Seibel (CEO at Y Combinator), Pinky Cole (Founder of Slutty Vegan), and moderators Julia Collins (Founder of Planet FWD), Megan Alexander (Fund Partner at Andreessen Horowitz), and Domonique Fines (Director of Engagement at All Raise), the event provides the space for attendees to share resources and helpful information. We at Actual Agency admire the work that All Raise is doing and want to share the event so more and more businesses are aware, and can potentially attend the event next year.

“A diversity of perspectives doesn’t just make things fair, it leads to better businesses, superior solutions, and more powerful outcomes. It’s time to change the game,” says All Raise.

Check out the All Raise website to learn more about the annual When Founder Met Funder Event.

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