Robert Gordon IV’s Post

#womancrushwednesday : Drum Roll for Felecia Hatcher 💵💰Million Dollar Woman Crush Wednesday as I jet off to Black in eCom 2023 in Atlanta! 🔥 Let's shine the spotlight on Felecia Hatcher, a true powerhouse in the entrepreneurial world. 🚀 CEO Extraordinaire: Felecia leads Pharrell William's Black Ambition Opportunity Fund, changing lives by investing in diverse entrepreneurs. Through her efforts, she's facilitated over $100M in funding, contracts, and access to capital, revolutionizing the innovation economy. 🏆 Trailblazing Achievements: From being honored at the Obama White House as a STEM Access and Diversity Champion to being featured on Forbes and MSNBC, Felecia's journey is a testament to her impact and influence. 👑 Building Ecosystems: Co-Founder of Black Tech Week and The Center for Black Innovation, Felecia's work in creating inclusive innovation ecosystems is recognized globally. 📚 Author & Speaker: Felecia's penned 5 books, including "Pivot, Pitch and Paid," and is a sought-after transformation speaker for giants like Amazon, Google, and Target. 💡 Catalyst for Change: Felecia's commitment has sparked initiatives like the Amazon Black Business Accelerator Advisory Board and SXSW Diversity Advisory Board. 🌐 Global Impact: Her influence stretches to Harvard Business School case studies, showcasing her role in shaping inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship. 🎯 Empowering Teams: Companies like Spotify, Walmart, and Etsy tap into Felecia's genius to shape inclusive innovation and empower their teams. 📊 Measure of Success: Felecia's success is measured not just by accolades but by the lives she's changed and the opportunities she's unlocked. 👑Cheers to Felecia Hatcher, an embodiment of entrepreneurial excellence and empowerment! 🥂🚀 Share with me, who's your Woman Crush Wednesday? 🌟 Let's honor the remarkable Black women who are shaping our world this Black Business Month and beyond! 👩💼 On another note, it was an absolute delight to present an autographed copy of my book "The Period Passport" during Black Tech Week, alongside my incredible partner and queen, Roxanne Stewart. 💫 #WCW #BlackBusinessMonth #PeriodPower #WomanCrushWednesday #EntrepreneurialTrailblazer #InnovationMaven #productchaste #Augustvisitor #blackbusinessmonth

McKinsey's Black Tech Summit plays a vital role in addressing racial disparities in the tech industry, bridging gaps for Black talent from education to the C-Suite. Alongside, "She Disrupts," a groundbreaking book, sheds light on the journey of Black women in STEM and AI industries. Explore participants' insights on achieving equity and reshaping the narrative for a more inclusive future. #BlackTechSummit #TechEquity #InclusionMatters #SheDisrupts https://ln.run/2yh-y

An important read from our founder and CEO on the importance of Black Business Month in August and the lack of funding for Black Founders. Let's close the gap and build - together.

McKinsey's Black Tech Summit is a pivotal initiative addressing and bridging the racial disparities in the tech industry. From education to the C-Suite, it tackles crucial gaps faced by Black talent. Explore participants' insights on achieving equity and reshaping the narrative for a more inclusive future. #BlackTechSummit #TechEquity #InclusionMatters #sheDISRUPTS

August is Black Business Month. In the United States, black businesses count for 10% of all economic activity and compromise 30% of all minority-owned business activity - respectively. On the other hand, only 2% of every VC dollar is invested in black businesses, and an abysmal 1% funded black women founders. In addition, there was a 40% drop in VC dollars to black founders in 2022. I can only imagine the drop in the first half of 2023! Black founders are not monolithic. We are as diverse as your mind can imagine. Founders are engineers, psychologists, lawyers, janitors, doctors, stay at home parents, nurses, and seniors. We all contribute the economy with each business that we build. Some of us are developing service businesses and others are developing challenging products that will transform the globe. I have colleagues that are developing remote charging solutions for EVs, sunscreen for all skin types and colors, feminine products that are safe, visual AI marketing solutions, low-carbon stoves, and climate tech that will deliver clean energy faster and safer to everyone! Please join me next year in August, to celebrate Black Business Month by investing time and financial resources in these founders. Investing 2% and 1% is not the way. Invest in the lifecycle of a founder and their entrepreneurial journey. Advise them, push them outside of their area of expertise, give them tools to correct their mistakes, and most importantly, put your money where your rhetoric is! #AugustBlackBusineaaMonth #Founders #Community Shontay Lundy Anjie L. Sanford Charly M. Charles T. Brown, MPA, CPD Andre Dickens Charlot Magayi Joshua Aviv Maurice M.

Ten years ago, I embarked on a journey that started with a simple yet bold idea: to create a platform where Black voices could be heard, where our stories and successes weren't just footnotes but headlines. That idea became Blavity Inc., and it has been an incredible ride filled with challenges, learnings, and triumphs. Back in those early days, one of the toughest challenges was simply navigating the landscape as a founder who didn’t attend Stanford, Harvard or any other pipeline to the valley. From the jargon, to the unspoken etiquette of fundraising, I often felt like a fish out of water. While this journey honed my resilience, it also opened my eyes to the systemic barriers that many founders face, particularly in the tech space. Today, I find myself reflecting on those early days and how they’ve shaped AfroTech’s commitment to support and uplift the next generation of entrepreneurs. Access shouldn't be a privilege for the few but a fundamental opportunity for all who dare to innovate and dream big. That's why I'm thrilled about the launch of the Founder Circle at AfroTech Conference, a program to ensure the power of AfroTech is used to accelerate Black startup’s growth. This year we are particularly inspired by startups working on health equity issues, accessible sustainability, voice tech, and B2B software.  This initiative is a commitment to opening doors that were once closed and creating pathways that were once nonexistent. It’s about giving 200 tech founders FREE access to: 1) Ticket to AfroTech Conference in Houston Texas 2) Leadership and charisma group coaching from renowned expert Olivia Fox Cabane, to ensure you not only lead in your businesses but also lead in life. 3) Top-tier networking opportunities and warm intros that connect you with the right people at our partner companies and VCs. If you're a tech founder on the brink of something great, or know someone who is, I encourage you to apply to the AfroTech Founder Circle: https://lnkd.in/gnxwgT7g Here’s to building a future where we continue to build our own table and everyone has the tools they need to succeed.

This Juneteenth, I’m celebrating progress and reflecting on the long road ahead for true freedom and equity for Black founders. Here are the stats: - Black-founded startups received less than 0.5% of the $140.4 billion in venture funding all U.S.-based startups received last year. - Funding for black founders has declined every year since 2021 - a 86% drop. - The statistics are even more abysmal for women: less than 0.1% went to Black and Latino women founders. Of the total capital under management by Black VCs, Black women only managed 0.03%. - Unfortunately the story isn’t any better in the impact investment world. A Village Capital study found that only 10% of capital in East Africa went to startups with local founders, with the majority of dollars going to expats. Here is what it all means: - I’ve seen the consequences of statistics play out in our community - particularly among my Black women founder friends. These statistics translate to high rates of burnout. - They mean unique, world-changing ideas and community programs aren’t realized. - They mean better-for-you and better-for-the-planet products don't reach enough store shelves. - In short, when we underinvest in Black founders, we all lose. What can you do? - Investors: Hire and promote more Black (particularly Black women) decision makers to deploy and manage capital. Reach out to Black founders for recommendations of underrepresented founders who deserve investment dollars. - Customers and Retail Buyers: Continue to support Black founders and seek out Black brands long after the trend has passed. - Business Leaders: Leverage your network and customer relationships to support Black founders with social capital. As a 2023 report from McKinsey put it “Underrepresented founders are often tokenized; they tend to be offered a barrage of programs to mentor or support them, but don’t provide meaningful help, connections, or long-term contracts.” With Love, Kwami Williams Co-Founder & CEO, True Moringa

If you know me then you know a huge passion of mine...and I believe purpose, is to play a small part in building equitable startup ecosystems for people who look like me to thrive.....A lot of us seen the announcement of Honey Pot's acquisition this morning and I want to play a role, even if very small, in making more of that happen in the future. 📖 Larry Horn shared this article with me a few weeks back and today, while clearing out the 25+ tabs I had/have open, I decided to 🗣 MAKE THE TIME to read it. Let me say this first, I am so glad I have a boss who invests in me personally, professionally, and as a founder. 🧘🏾♀️ As an ecosystem builder and Black female founder, I found this article to be both authentic and personal. The data filled insights felt like a punch in the chest yet a released deep breath all at the same time. My appreciation for an article that addresses the complexities of being a Black female founder while offering encouragement, suggestions, and resources is not to go unnoticed. ❗If you are an ecosystem builder or supporter, investor, corporate leader, founder/entrepreneur, or anyone else who supports, wants to support, or is interested in the effect the current climate of the startup world is having and has had on Black female founders and how YOU/WE can all do better and create a more equitable arena for us to thrive....then tap into this article it's a great read. 💎 *Not to mention the articles linked within the article are also gems.

Yesterday, I published a post about creating opportunities that get female founders in front of decision-makers/investors, not just courses. And by some mystic chance, this was the first thing i saw when i woke up this morning: A post by Morgan DeBaun, ↳ Founder of Blavity Inc. , which founded AFROTECH. ↳She announced AFROTECH Founder's Circle. ↳ They give FREE access to AfroTech conference, 25K people attended in 2023;, ↳ Leadership charisma coaching by Olivia Fox Cabane ∞;, ↳ and most importantly - the point I made in yesterday's post: ↳ they provide warm intros to VCs and Partner companies! Sure, this program is not just focused on women ↳ but it's open to women and serves underserved founders. ↳ Additionally, they are practicing both training and ↳ providing material benefit, by removing that barrier to VCs through warm introductions. Of course, I applied for Aeone, and I would encourage every diverse founder to apply.

🌟 Celebrating Black History Month: Supporting Black Founders & Engaging Legislators in Georgia- JOIN ME AT THE END OF THE MONTH for my 2024 Tech Demo Day at the Capitol🌟 As we commemorate Black History Month, it's vital to recognize and uplift the contributions of Black founders in shaping our entrepreneurial landscape. Today, I want to emphasize the importance of supporting Black-owned businesses and fostering an inclusive ecosystem where their voices are not just heard but amplified. Across Georgia, Black entrepreneurs are driving innovation, creating jobs, and enriching our communities with their diverse perspectives and talents. However, systemic barriers and disparities continue to hinder their access to resources and opportunities. As allies and advocates, it's incumbent upon us to address these inequities and level the playing field. One impactful way to support Black founders is by actively engaging with policymakers and legislators. In the State of Georgia, where I'm proud to call home, this means advocating for policies that promote equity, remove barriers to entry, and provide meaningful support for minority-owned businesses. Meeting with legislators allows you to amplify the voices of Black entrepreneurs, sharing their stories, challenges, and aspirations. By fostering dialogue and collaboration between the entrepreneurial community and policymakers, we can enact meaningful change that fosters a more inclusive and vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. Throughout this month and beyond, let's commit ourselves to action. Whether it's through mentorship, investment, policy advocacy, or simply amplifying the voices of Black founders, each of us has a role to play in creating a more equitable future. Together, let's build a Georgia where every entrepreneur, regardless of background, has the opportunity to thrive. Presenting Companies: Urban League of Greater Atlanta  Domono Inc Perennial Technology Consulting, LLC Urban League of Greater Atlanta Urban League of Greater Atlanta Unifi.ai Lavni Inc Untapped Solutions Travelsist  Branch Politics Brown Toy Box Inc.  #BlackHistoryMonth #SupportBlackFounders #GeorgiaEntrepreneurship #PolicyAdvocacy #InclusiveEcosystem #EquityAndInclusion #CommunityEngagement