Melissa Beight

In a recent episode of H/L Ventures' For Starters, we pointed out that 70% of unicorns have at least one founder from an underrepresented group. As we said then, it highlights how having diverse viewpoints involved can spark innovation and growth. Despite this, new research shows a major funding gap for diverse women and minorities. Racially diverse, all-female startup founding teams with minorities spent the longest time fundraising in 2023 at an average of 25 weeks, a 67% increase from 2022. By comparison, all-male teams secured more funding and at a faster pace. What can be done to address this gap? #Investing #Diversity #Startups

53

7 Comments

BLOWN AWAY to have been interviewed alongside such trailblazers for this Fortune piece by Allie Garfinkle that details the state of Venture Capital as it relates to DEI. The piece highlights Primary Venture Partners recent launch of Factor Fellowship, a new nonprofit connecting untapped, exceptional talent in New York City to careers in venture-backed startups, spearheaded by Lisa Lewin, Tom Ogletree and Benjamin Sun. In the piece, I chat about the impact we hope to make for underrepresented founders with Peerless - our $1M pitch competition. TOP QUOTES from the piece... When asked about the growing conservative backlash against DEI, as some states ban DEI initiatives - “We’re not going to let you shut us up,” said Almodovar. “We’re not going to let you say this isn’t important, and we’re going to double down on saying this is really important.” When asked, "Why $1M for Peerless?" - “We wanted to really empower these founders to say, ‘take this risk,’” said Desiree Almodovar, AlleyCorp operator-in-residence and who is leading Peerless, which will hold its first competition on June 20. And most importantly, Allie writes, "We don’t talk about DEI as much as we used to. But if something was important on principle before, isn’t it always important? Yes, but it’s only possible to do something about it if people keep talking about it, and acting." JUST ONE MORE WEEK LEFT TO APPLY FOR PEERLESS!

134

11 Comments

NY friends! Please come see me at Tech Day on my panel discussing the future of the NY tech ecosystem and what I hope to bring to it!

72

5 Comments

🗽🌳 Exciting News for NYC Tech Community! 🚀 Join us for an invigorating Venture Walk & Talk, proudly part of NY Tech Week! Scheduled for June 4th from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the scenic Maine Monument in Central Park, this unique event is hosted by Founders Committee Ventures. 🌟 Why Join Us? Imagine a relaxed stroll through the beautiful pathways of Central Park, where you can disconnect from the digital world and engage with NYC’s finest founders, angel investors, and venture capitalists. This is more than just a walk; it’s an opportunity to forge meaningful connections, share innovative ideas, and enjoy the great outdoors—all within the heart of Manhattan. ✨ Event Highlights: - Network with industry leaders and peers - Brainstorm new ideas in a refreshing setting - Enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of Central Park Whether you’re looking to collaborate on new projects, explore potential investments, or simply enjoy a break from the office routine, the Venture Walk & Talk is the perfect occasion. 👉 Registration is open but spots are limited and approval is required. Don’t miss out on this chance to be part of something special during #TechWeek. Lace up your walking shoes, grab a coffee, and let’s make strides together in the tech ecosystem! 🔗 https://lu.ma/wj9o67iy See you there for a breath of fresh innovation! #NYTechWeek #TechNetworking #StartupLife #VentureCapital

10

4 Comments

Massachusetts in 2024 is home to the most climate tech startups per capita in the country. They thrive at institutions like MIT and Greentown Labs, turning big ideas into tangible solutions. But we struggle to keep them here. States from coast to coast are wooing away entrepreneurs and employers. These places facilitate demonstration programs, connect companies to trained workers, and provide access to real estate for manufacturing. The Mass Leads Act rebalances these incentives, directing capital investments and tax benefits that keep these innovators in Boston for the long term and encourages others to join them. #climatetech #climateVC #venturecapital

5

What is game changing about Twig Ventures model? Levi Reed and their team gives *hands on* fractional support for a few months before helping you bring your baby to investors. As a first generation college student, WOC founder, that generous act of service speaks volumes as I've really had to build my network from the ground up and that access to top quality support is PRICELESS! 👉🏽 Investors - fill out their typeform to learn more 👉🏽 Founders - DM their Twig Ventures page on LI directly You rock Levi!

11

2 Comments

Prime Coalition has long taken a different tack to climate finance compared to its for-profit brethren. It makes the usual venture-style investments in startups through Azolla Ventures and also helps philanthropists direct their money to climate-related projects that it deems high impact. Trellis Climate follows the latter model with a focus on middle stages, where capital has grown scarce. #climatetech #climateVC #climatefinance

14

What Laurel Mintz and Fabric VC are doing to change the current and long-standing suboptimal standards of venture capital is truly inspiring. The VC industry has historically been dominated by a narrow demographic, often overlooking the incredible potential that diverse founders bring to the table. Laurel's work is a breath of fresh air, showing that by supporting a wider range of voices and perspectives, we can achieve more innovative and successful outcomes. Her dedication to fostering an inclusive environment where all entrepreneurs have the opportunity to thrive is not just admirable, but necessary for the future of business. As a woman entrepreneur myself, I understand the challenges that come with navigating a landscape that hasn't always been welcoming or equitable. That's why I am so grateful for leaders like Laurel, who are not just talking about change but actively making it happen! #DEI #Entrepreneurship

35

4 Comments

A great The Angel Nest Podcast episode recorded yesterday with Thomas Wisniewski of newark venture partners! Really insightful conversation around trends in Seed stage investing, how metrics matter in communicating traction, and important aspects of financial modeling for early stage startups. Many thanks for your time Tom and thanks David Hemenway as always for hosting. Look out for the release of the episode soon! #angelinvesting #seedstage #startups #financialmodeling #venturecapital #startups

35

Finding an apartment in NYC 🗽 can be exciting but also fast-moving, stressful, and complicated—from navigating broker fees to filtering hundreds of listings on StreetEasy, Zillow, & Leasebreak that sometimes get signed within 48h of getting listed 🤯 If you're apartment-hunting in NYC... here's my how-to guide! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gPdHD7-e I'm not an ~expert~, but I just went through the process from start to finish as a newbie, and this doc has everything I learned about: 👉 questions to ask 👉 docs you'll need 👉 how to tour apartments virtually vs. IRL 👉 how renters insurance, brokers fees, and guarantors work 👉 what I wish I'd known before I started looking If you have any questions or things to add to this guide, DM me / comment below! I'd love to co-create this resource with you 🙏

108

20 Comments

Founders: want to join a curated beach retreat in mid-July? A friend in the NYC ecosystem (who is a good person with a sense for curation, and not the first person that comes to mind when you think of this) is hosting a beach retreat for 50+ seed and series A founders in mid-July in the New York area. -Everything fully paid for - travel, lodging, food, beverage, etc. -Think pickle ball, tennis, cold plunges, kayaking, fully catered, and quality DJ’s. -Special guest speakers who are serial entrepreneurs. If you are a Seed or A stage founder, and want to attend, send me an email at mike@mikemaccombie.com with: -Exact title: “Seed/Series A Beach Retreat” -Your full name if not obvious -Name of your company/blurb -Where you are based (NYC not required if you are willing to fly out) -Your LinkedIn -What someone might say about you if they were referring you for an event to compel the host to invite you. (Could be something memorable, some bulletpoints of interest, what a great testimonial would be like for you.) If you ignore any of the directions, I will not refer you. Thanks :)

42

9 Comments

Had a great conversation with SustainCERT during Climate Week NY 2023. Excited to announce that we will be back in NYC in September to launch and workshop our "Brand & Retailer Sustainable Finance Playbook." The playbook will bring together brands, retailers, suppliers, banks, development banks, and philanthropies to defragment and align various ways to invest in decarbonization, creating demand for suppliers to take on critical factory efficiencies, upgrades & improvements. Join us in creating a more sustainable future for the fashion industry. Check out this interview from last year's Climate week NYC with SustainCERT #ClimateWeekNYC #SustainableFinance #FashionIndustry #Decarbonization

54

💜 Hue. has been awarded a $150K equity-free grant from the Google for Startups Founders Fund! 🎉 Funding Black founders is crucial, here’s why ⬇ I recently spoke with a founder—let’s call him David—who needed fundraising advice. David’s startup is gaining traction, and he’s been advised to raise a #friendsandfamilyround to boost product development. Sadly, he feels discouraged. David is the first in his family to graduate college, and at 21, he earned more than anyone else in his family in his entry-level job. Now in their late twenties, him and his friends are still in their growth era and don’t have extra cash to invest. David feels stuck. 🚫 His network can’t fund his venture, and he has too little traction to raise a formal round. This is a common experience for many underrepresented founders—Black, Latino, low-income, women, and more. ✨ Grant programs like the Google for Startups Founders Fund provide essential capital to level the playing field. ✨ The Hue team is incredibly grateful for Google’s support for underrepresented founders and its commitment to uplifting startups pushing boundaries in AI. ❓ Does David’s experience resonate with you? Have you raised a friends and family round? What advice would you give other founders? ❓ Comment below ⬇ Check out to the other Black & Latino founders in my Google for Founders cohort! Sherisse Hawkins Nana Wilberforce Ph.D Seke Ballard Megan Nunes Manny S. Kene Anoliefo Tiffany Ricks George Holmes, PhD Rocio Frej Vitalle Rocio Frej Vitalle Florian Pestoni Darren Riley Eitan Winer Darryl Keeton Constanza Gomez Sergio Suarez Jr. Gerald Kierce Iturrioz #GoogleForStartups #FoundersFund #poweredbyhue #beautymarketing #huecommunity #hiring #fundraising

785

53 Comments

📣 A Friday shout out to several people who truly are going above and beyond to support their peers, professionalize a function, and raise awareness of #VCplatform. Not only are these leaders devoting their time and energy (beyond their day jobs) to creating content and sharing knowledge with our cohort, but they are setting powerful examples of how to successfully build community and leverage the knowledge and experience of others (which translates into meaningful lessons and tactical tips platform leaders can apply in their jobs). There has never been a better time to be building (and learning!) in platform with this network that is growing and increasingly becoming more savvy and sophisticated, not only in our own respective roles, but in how the broader community communicates and the quality of resources available to help each one of us excel at our own VC shops. 📈 🚀 💡 Thank you to Olivia O'Sullivan with Platform Shift, Allie Mullen with #SoYouWantToWorkInPlatform, Cory Bolotsky’s new killer newsletter, Beck Bamberger, PhD with VC Comms, and Kristen Ostro w/Let's Talk Ops. #vcplatform #whatsnext

62

6 Comments

Severe mental illness remains one of the most underserved areas in mental health, possibly because it is difficult to address with the type of virtual, easy-to-scale models that VCs love to back. We're so excited that Sonia Priscilla García and Stas Sokolin at Amae Health have been able to break the mold, bringing better in-person solutions for patients and families dealing with SMI, and attracting strong venture partners to do so cc: Lisa Jacobs Blau, Alison Ryu, Claire Akkan Quiet Capital, Healthier Capital, Jan Ellison Baszucki, Karin Kissane, Mike Volpi

48

2 Comments

Personal share - I got to go to Sonoma for the first time this week! Just got back from the inaugural Recast Capital Summit led by co-founders Sara Zulkosky and Courtney Russell McCrea. (Thank you Aurelia Flores VIPC | Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation for making this possible.) Met thoughtful #LPs looking for fresh strategies, and enjoyed time with the emerging generation of alpha-generators, like my Kauffman Fellows Class 23 friends Noramay Cadena, Jenny Fielding, Gale Wilkinson, and Jason Torres--and Recast cohort friends Shalanda Armstrong and Lister Delgado. While catching up with VC friends is inspiring, and having off-the-record conversations is helpful in the futurescape of #VC reality, the one thing I want to celebrate here is 🌹Sara. 🌹 Sara Zulkosky and I met in the Kauffman Fellows program. We were in the same class. I was learning to raise my first institutional fund--and she was with Greenspring just before they were snapped up by StepStone Group. She listened so deeply and advised so gently . . . I will never forget her passion for the alpha only available in emerging managers--and her empathy for the path of breaking into venture. When I cried, basically she cried too. Her wise words were ones I held on to tightly as I went through that first raise. It seems like yesterday. But just a few years later--today--I'm making investments out of my ✨ ⭐ 2nd⭐ ✨institutional fund at Valor VC. And Sara founded a platform with Courtney for top emerging managers and the LPs who seek them to change the game, not just the score. It's working. As a fundpreneur, each day can be a bit of a climb, but some days, you look back on the mountain range you've scaled and the view is breathtaking. That's the vibe I'm going into the weekend with. There's a whole continental divide of experience informing Recast Capital's approach to apha. Worth a follow if you invest in fund managers!

60

7 Comments

When beginning as a founder one of my biggest challenges that I never considered was... Loneliness! 💬 After speaking with several founders, it turns out this actually isn't uncommon. For the first eight months of founding Remy, I had no dedicated workspace and was either working from my bedroom or in cafes. 🛌 The problem? I didn't have a community of familiar faces around me. In cafes, I’d either feel guilty for overstaying my welcome or order a coffee every hour to offset the guilt and feel like a worthwhile customer (I quickly learnt that more coffee doesn’t = more productivity)! ☕️ The loneliness was really difficult. Consider not having regular in-person social interaction Mon-Fri for 8 months... It felt like my own version of COVID lockdown. That's why I'm thrilled to have been accepted into the bursary program Camden Collective. I'm now surrounded by a vibrant community of climate-tech founders who understand the unique challenges I face. And I now have that much-needed in-person social interaction! 🙌🏻 I never thought loneliness would be one of my biggest battles when starting this journey. But I will no longer take for granted the importance of having a community around you. P.s. I feel this photo is probably not the best when talking about all the new people I work around. 👀 #entrepreneurship #founder #community

49

2 Comments

Calling all #Founders: Venture Capital Association of Alberta (VCAA)’s Deal Flow Calls represent a great opportunity for #PreSeed to #SeriesA companies to gain exposure to some of the countries most active Venture Capital #investors. If your company is raising equity capital, I strongly encourage you to check out the link below!

12

Participating in Cohort 14 of the VC Lab has been an energizing experience so far. I am learning so much about the ins and outs of being an emerging fund manager and how to succeed in this space. Today they hosted a panel for Women in VC that provided some real world advice from some fantastic panelists. The curriculum is rigorous for sure, but rewarding. If you are curious about why this is such an exciting area check out this article. #venturecapital #vc #investing https://lnkd.in/gMMM_mwp

25

4 Comments