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Articles by Scott
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The networking disaster that forever changed how we build relationships
The networking disaster that forever changed how we build relationships
By Scott Gerber and Ryan Paugh Seven years ago our year-old company, YEC, was gaining traction as a valuable membership…
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Why B2B Membership Communities Are The Next Frontier For B2C Media Companies And PublishersJan 2, 2018
Why B2B Membership Communities Are The Next Frontier For B2C Media Companies And Publishers
Today’s readers demand more from publishers than ever before. The number of people using ad-blockers is on the rise.
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Why 'Be Passionate' Is Awful Advice For Anyone Who Wants To Start A Business in 2018Dec 27, 2017
Why 'Be Passionate' Is Awful Advice For Anyone Who Wants To Start A Business in 2018
I always enjoy reading fiction--also known as 90 percent of all start-up how-to guides and articles. The dreamscapes…
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10K followers
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Scott G. shared thisIn troubling and uncertain times, I’m always reminded how important having a community around you is. Not the surface-level kind. Not just a network of contacts or followers. A real community. The people who answer when you call. The ones who tell you the truth when it’s uncomfortable. The ones who show up—consistently—when things get hard. Because uncertainty has a way of exposing everything. Your business model. Your mindset. Your resilience. But most importantly—it reveals who’s actually in your corner. No one builds anything meaningful alone. Not companies. Not careers. Not families. The strongest operators, founders, and leaders I know all have one thing in common: They’ve invested deeply in relationships long before they needed them. So when things get shaky, they’re not starting from zero. They’re surrounded by people who help them think clearer, move faster, and stay grounded. If there’s one thing worth doubling down on right now, it’s that. Your community isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s the foundation.
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Scott G. shared thisFraud is showing up far too often in startups. Not exaggeration. Not optimism. Fraud. There’s barely a week that goes by without another story of manipulated numbers, misleading sales processes, exaggerated traction, or founders claiming to have a product that either doesn’t exist yet or doesn’t actually work. And when the truth comes out, the most astonishing part is often the reaction. Some people seem genuinely shocked that they’re being held accountable—especially when shareholder capital or customer trust is involved. Recent examples make the point. The founder of clothing-tech startup CaaStle recently pleaded guilty in a fraud scheme involving more than $300M after prosecutors said investors were misled through fabricated audits and false financials. We’ve seen similar patterns before—from Theranos to the collapse of FTX to the implosion of Terra/Luna. Different sectors. Same underlying problem: trust being abused. And even this week there are new conversations circulating around startups like Delve, where allegations about fraudulent compliance documentation and misleading representations to customers are being debated across the ecosystem. But this isn’t only a founder problem. Investors, advisors, and board members share responsibility too. We can’t celebrate “growth at all costs,” demand hockey-stick metrics, and then act surprised when ethics get sacrificed along the way. Young founders need to hear something clearly: Growth should never come at the expense of honesty. A real company starts with a real product. Not a pitch deck. Not a narrative. Not a story about what might exist someday. Even the best sales pitch in the world must be backed by something real and valid in the market. And this brings me to something personal. Years ago, I wrote about the idea of “fake it till you make it.” It was a widely celebrated startup mindset—including by me in my first book. But “fake it till you make it” was never supposed to mean lie your way to the top. It meant having the confidence to step into the market before you feel fully ready. Believing in your ability to build something meaningful. It was never supposed to mean misleading investors. It was never supposed to mean deceiving customers. And it was never supposed to mean fabricating reality. Somewhere along the way, parts of startup culture twisted confidence into dishonesty. We need to correct that. We need to mentor founders better. We need to teach leaders better. And we need to expect more from them. Because trust is the foundation of entrepreneurship. And when trust disappears, the entire ecosystem starts to break.
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Scott G. shared thisEvents companies have never been hotter. Multiples are up. Attendance is up. And many of the best operators are winning because they’re convening cohorts that are incredibly specific—and historically very difficult to bring together. For years the model was “pray and spray”: Get 5,000+ people into a room, sell sponsorships, set up trade show tables, and hope the right people connect. Today the model is very different. The strongest operators are focused on getting the right 100–500 people in the room—the kind of audience you simply can’t assemble anywhere else. When you can do that, you can charge a premium and create a far more engaged experience. The next phase is the hybrid model. Events that successfully evolve into 365-day digital communities, while still delivering high-impact tentpole gatherings, will create far more value than events that only exist for a few days a year. Historically, this transition has been difficult for event operators. Their platforms were built around short windows of interaction—moments where people convened briefly and then disconnected. The value proposition was the event itself, not an ongoing relationship. Shifting that behavior won’t be easy. The real question becomes: how do you help members see value in the community itself—not just the event where they gather, but the broader sphere of influence they are part of? Making that shift will require new tools, new thinking, and a broader thesis around why the community exists in the first place. But when it works, the model flips. The event is no longer the product—the community is the product, and the event becomes one of its most powerful benefits. Operators who get this right will build programs that are incredibly difficult to replicate. And that kind of platform will command higher multiples, stronger value propositions, and significantly greater long-term spend.
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Scott G. shared thisI want to talk about something uncomfortable. I agree with Sam Altman’s view that in the coming months, we’re going to see more and more companies use AI as a scapegoat for workforce reductions. And that’s where leadership matters. There’s no question AI will dramatically reshape the workforce in the months and years ahead. It will change workflows. It will eliminate certain roles. It will create entirely new ones. That’s reality. But there’s a difference between real structural change and PR spin. Over-hiring during COVID. Staffing up for growth that never materialized. Chasing strategies that didn’t pan out. Now suddenly it’s framed as: “AI efficiencies.” AI is powerful. It’s transformative. But in most organizations today, it’s still augmentation before annihilation. The idea that massive portions of teams became obsolete overnight because of breakthroughs in the last 24 months is, in many cases, a convenient narrative. The harder truth? Sometimes leadership made the wrong calls. Letting people go is brutal. I’ve had to do it. My executive team has had to do it. It’s never fun. It’s never clean. It’s never something you celebrate. It’s a responsibility — and when it happens, you own it. You don’t blame a technology trend. You don’t spin it to juice the stock. You don’t pretend it was always part of the master plan. Markets may reward optics. But leadership isn’t about optics. It’s about integrity. And while we’re on the topic — the Twitterati narrative doesn’t help. Every day it’s: “This company is cooked.” “That business is done.” “AI just ate their lunch.” Yes — AI will absolutely take a bite out of companies that are slow, rigid, or unwilling to adapt. That has happened in every technological shift in history. But AI is not going to eat every company on earth overnight. It’s not going to replace every function instantly. Not every business is “cooked.” There’s a difference between disruption and extinction. As leaders, we have to learn to separate signal from noise. We have real companies to run. Real products to improve. Real clients to serve. And most importantly — real people who built these organizations. My advice? Deploy AI inside your teams. Empower them. Augment them. Make them faster, smarter, more effective. I would rather protect my team and supercharge their output than use AI as a reason to remove them. If efficiency needs to improve, consider a hiring freeze before a hiring purge. AI will absolutely change the workforce. That’s inevitable. But leaders need to be honest about whether they’re responding to long-term transformation — or correcting past decisions under the cover of innovation. AI is a tool. It is not a scapegoat. And people can tell the difference.
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Scott G. posted thisAfter coming back from a tourist destination, I’m always amazed at how poorly executed so many licensing deals are. When a brand is just a name slapped on a storefront or product, it’s obvious. Painfully obvious. You walk into a restaurant that should feel high-end and elevated… and it looks and feels like an Applebee’s. That disconnect alone should tell you everything you need to know about where (and whether) to spend your money. I’m a huge believer in licensing. It can be one of the most powerful brand extensions and revenue generators in business. But licensing for dollars instead of for ethos is where things fall apart. When the extension doesn’t match the heart of the brand… When the operator behind the scenes can’t actually deliver… When the experience isn’t protected… You don’t get scale. You get erosion. A thousand paper cuts. Each poorly executed extension chips away at trust. And trust is the entire asset. Licensing only works when: 1. It makes strategic sense. 2. The operator can actually execute. 3. The customer experience is protected at all costs. Otherwise, it’s just brand dilution disguised as growth. Buyer beware.
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Scott G. shared thisAssociations are heading toward a massive reset. For too long, many have confused software with community. Buying another SaaS platform isn’t the same as curating a room. Sending another newsletter isn’t the same as developing leaders. Hosting a conference isn’t the same as convening the right people in the right conversations. And now AI is accelerating the pressure. AI can: • Deliver learning and development instantly. • Personalize education at scale. • Connect professionals across industries in seconds. • Provide on-demand insights faster than any committee ever could. If an association’s primary value is information, access to a directory, or lightly structured networking… AI will outcompete that — quickly. But here’s the opportunity: Associations can win where AI cannot — in intentional curation. The future belongs to organizations that: • Carefully select who is in the room. • Facilitate meaningful, high-trust conversations. • Design events around outcomes, not agendas. • Create environments where the right people meet the right people at the right time. Because if the room isn’t special, AI will eat that too. This is the great association reset. Some will evolve into high-trust, high-curation conveners that thrive in an AI-powered world. Others will continue mistaking tools for value — and slowly fade. The question isn’t whether AI changes associations. The question is whether associations are willing to change first.
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Scott G. posted thisIt’s always fascinating to see which Super Bowl commercials truly resonate—and a big reason why comes down to how communities respond to a brand’s creative. Take Coinbase. The spot was intentionally simple. No overproduction, no celebrity overload—just a shared moment that invited people to participate, sing along, and step away from the usual glitz. That simplicity created a communal experience, which is exactly why it worked. Dunkin’ is another great example. They’ve built a fiercely loyal fan base that does the heavy lifting when it comes to amplification. The ads spark the conversation, but the momentum comes from customers, creators, and brand advocates who genuinely care. That’s the real moat: community. The commercial is the catalyst—but the reach, relevance, and staying power come from people who believe in the brand’s ethos, values, and mission. When you invest in community, your marketing doesn’t end at the ad. It multiplies.
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Scott G. posted thisAxios CEO Jim VandeHei did a great job laying out what a serious journalistic reset at the Washington Post could look like on X. His “Mission: Restore @washingtonpost to its glory” reads like someone who actually understands what made the Post great in the first place: reporting density, clear beats, star talent, and real accountability journalism. As Jim put it: “Two reporters on every federal agency…” “Buy Punchbowl to anchor the Hill…” “Two-tier pricing… $1,000+ for insider coverage…” “AI-first for all operations beyond reporting…” That’s a newsroom-first plan. Journalism as the foundation. And he’s right — without that, nothing else matters. Where I’d build on Jim’s thinking is what happens after you’ve rebuilt that journalistic muscle. Because strong journalism isn’t just the end product anymore — it’s the raw material for something bigger on the business side. The real opportunity most legacy media companies still miss is convening community. Once you have reporters deeply embedded across agencies, industries, and power centers — exactly what Jim is proposing — you’ve created trust and proximity to influence. That’s the moment to build meaningful, verticalized communities around the areas the Post already covers better than almost anyone. For example: • Federal agencies & regulation • Politics and the Hill • Defense and national security • Healthcare and life sciences • Technology, AI, and the Silicon Valley–DC crossover • Lobbying, influence, and power • Local Washington business and culture • Sports and civic identity Each of these verticals can support: • Invite-only events and off-the-record conversations • Durable conferences and summits • Private digital communities that extend the room year-round • High-ARR memberships ($2,500–$10,000 per year) for people who need to be in the right room at the right time People will always pay for access to other people who matter, especially when that access is anchored in trust and serious journalism. Jim nailed the journalism side. The next chapter is turning that authority into convening power. The future Washington Post doesn’t just cover influence — it becomes where influence actually gathers.
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Scott G. posted thisAI won’t kill human businesses. Businesses that forget they’re human will. Everyone’s racing to “remove humans” from business because of AI. That’s not innovation—that’s confusion. AI is one of the most powerful tools ever created. But in human businesses, I’m more bullish than ever on humans. Relationships, trust, and real connection don’t scale despite people—they scale because of them. That’s why I’m such a believer in community as a business model. You can’t AI your way into trust. You can’t automate belonging. And no algorithm will ever replace a real relationship when it matters. Use AI. Learn it deeply. Let it amplify your humanity and extend your reach. But the faster you try to remove the human touch, the faster your business hollows out. I’ve seen every platform, tool, and “community software” that claims it can replace people. None do. Not because the tech isn’t impressive—but because the promise is a lie. The lie is that technology can replace human connection. The opportunity is building businesses that double down on it.
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Jamil Wyne
Hazelwood Network • 12K followers
Had a great time at DC Startup & Tech Week (Formerly DC Startup Week) moderating a panel with Scott Christensen (Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund (CBSCF) , Faith Davis (Exelon) and Bill McNulty (NextEra Energy Investments), convened by the great C'pher Gresham. Here's a quick recap: 1) The panelists were phenomenal - a mixture of corporate, state and foundation-backed VC's all focusing on climate. They're actively funding companies across a range of sectors - e.g. nature-based solutions, energy + AI, water, etc. Point being, we were lucky to have experts with such broad purviews. 2) The current climate could be pushing at least some climate VC's to focus on software and move away from hardware, at least temporarily. This type of capital may indeed just be better suited for software companies at this juncture. It also reflects the fact that certain segments of the climate-tech market are just more mature than others - e.g. software performs best once the hardware and the business case around it are solid, then it becomes and optimization and efficiency game. 3) Founders need to target "must-solve" climate problems from the investor lens. In other words, yes there's a sea of climate challenges where startups can be additive. However, in this environment, few of these areas are attracting meaningful capital. There's nothing wrong with tackling problem areas that are under-invested, we need this in spades. However, for those trying to get capital in the door, realize the constraints that come with targeting problems that investors just aren't prioritizing. 4) Look to funders overseas. The EU, where so much climate finance, policy and general expertise has come from, could be playing a much more important role. I'd also argue that Gulf countries like KSA and UAE are going to be critical here too, not to mention China, of course. 5) We need mentoring and coaching to be at an all-time high. With so much uncertainty, networks/communities where both founders and investors can learn from/lean on each other have never been more important. The panel/audience was a nice microcosm of the types of support networks we need to be actively building. Big thanks again to C'pher, Faith, Scott and Bill, as well as the whole DC Startup + Tech Week team. Til next year!
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Dennis Price
ImpactAlpha • 7K followers
NEW: "Ten ways LPs are going ‘beyond the check’ to help impact managers survive the fundraising drought" by Erik Stein + David Bank on ImpactAlpha. This post led ImpactAlpha's weekly LP/GP newsletter, and digs into the ways committed family offices, foundations and other asset owners are providing additional support beyond commitments of their capital to keep these high-impact managers afloat through the crunch. Among them: 1. Warehousing early deals to establish a track record 2. Providing working capital to build operational capacity 3. Making warm introductions to LPs and partners ... and more. h/t Smitha Das, Daniel Wanjira, Margot Kane, Stephen Nunes, Marcos Fernandez, Susana Espinosa de los Reyes, Regina Green, Sabrina Bainbridge, William Orum, Liesel Pritzker Simmons, Catalyze, Blue Haven Initiative, Spring Point Partners, Gary Community Ventures, Mission Driven Finance®, World Education Services, Tara Health Foundation, Trimtab Impact, Chordata Capital, Carta, Fiat Ventures, Dux Capital, Capricorn Investment Group, TPG, Vision Ridge Partners, LLC, Lafayette Square, MSquared, Community Capital Management, LLC, Full post here (gift link): https://lnkd.in/g_TwMGxy
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Stephanie Campbell
The Artemis Fund • 11K followers
Mentorship compounds. Especially for early stage women founders. On March 19 in New York, 2M Mentors Live is hosting its 4th annual event in partnership with DVF, focused on expanding access to meaningful mentorship and capital for strong early stage founders. Selected founders will receive: • A high-impact mentorship day • Curated mentor circles aligned to their needs • An opportunity to participate in a founder showcase Learn more and apply here by February 20: https://lnkd.in/eD-nawTn Access matters, and rooms like this can change a founder’s trajectory.
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Saurabh Narain
National Community Investment… • 2K followers
CEO Perspectives on Community Development Finance -------------------------------------------------------------- Recently we launched the CEO Perspectives initiative to hear about community development banking from the the words of the CEOs of the top 24 CDFI/MOFI CEOs. Read: https://lnkd.in/eKinQf-g The work of these institutions reinforce our core belief as an Impact Investor, a CDFI and an Advocate that community development finance is not charity. It is disciplined banking that combines impact, risk management, and financial performance. National Community Investment Fund (NCIF) partnered with the The Center for Impact Finance at the UNH Carsey School of Public Policy to capture these insights. Six key themes emerge: 1. Leadership aligns impact, risk, and return into a coherent strategy. 2. Place-based and people-based strategies are operating models, not marketing tactics. 3. Risk in underserved markets is often mispriced, and mission-oriented banks know how to structure around it. 4, Measuring impact creates a feedback loop that strengthens long-term financial performance. 5. Technology expands reach while human judgment preserves discipline. 6. Patient and catalytic capital enables scale and resilience in mission banking. ECIP is a powerful recent example. Over the coming weeks we will feature each insight while highlighting bank CEOs who exemplify the insight - we call it the Master Class of Mission Oriented Finance. Enjoy reading - https://lnkd.in/eKinQf-g James Wang, Jack Webb, Kirk Graves, Max Yates, Randell Leach, Ken Hale Donald Felix, Brian Argrett, Kenneth LaRoe, Mark Gooch, Andy Salk, Doyle Mitchell, Todd McDonald, Alden McDonald, Susan Plumb, James Sills, Tom Ogaard, Carlos Garcia, Benita Lefft, Paul Mitchell, Dennis Ammann, Alan Hargett, Carlos Naudon, Tip Burch, Darrin Williams, Demetris Giannoulias David Reiling, Joe Quiroga
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Lorenza Munoz
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Most of VC money is based and invested on companies and entrepreneurs in the two coasts--what about all the opportunities to invest in founders in areas beyond that 2%? Stephanie M. Fowler, President, Capital Access at the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership (IFEL) is working toward bridging that gap. https://lnkd.in/gXgtDxjs
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Michael Thrasher
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A Modus News exclusive: Alumni Ventures, one of the most prolific VC firms, is creating a program to help emerging family-office leaders learn about and build confidence in venture investing — by doing it. I interviewed Ludwig Pierre Schulze, managing partner at AV, about why they created the program, who it's for, and what they hope it will become. Details here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gTCwdSzV #assetmanagement #venturecapital #wealthmanagement
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Martyn Eeles
Clarma Capital • 12K followers
Proprietary deal flow is the most misunderstood currency in venture. It’s not just about being early, it’s about being trusted. In this edition of the HealthVC newsletter, I explore: • Why proprietary access beats reactive sourcing • How to build real founder-first relationships • The LP lens on deal quality, not just quantity As a GP, this is the edge we work for. As an LP, it’s the best signal of long-term relevance.
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Aakanksha Gulati
ACT • 7K followers
What does it take for nonprofits to access more unrestricted funding? If we want nonprofits to build durable institutions and respond to real-world complexity, flexibility in funding is essential - this is a core principle, a critical need, yet also a challenging practice we grapple with as a funder at ACT. Looking forward to being part of this conversation at #MissionBillion Summit by Change Engine. 📍 India International Centre, Delhi 🗓️ 29 January 2026 If you’re building or backing organizations for scale, this will be a valuable room to be in. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gHzZx72N #MissionBillion #NonprofitUnicorns #ScalingImpact
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Taj Ahmad E.
18K followers
I have heard from founders about fundraising and spoke to many about how one path is not the only way even though I’m a VC FoF. We can not build the next innovative solution if one funding road is blocked, further, we cannot build a robust workforce around this innovation if founders have to rely on only one funding source. Let’s discuss - and hear from some voices I know in this space about braided and blended funding. Sign up - and let continue this discussion - as often founders are always tasked with innovating but at times, funding models for those startups are not innovative themselves.
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DC Palter
Chemical Angel Network • 19K followers
“Hey DC — I’m raising a pre-seed at a $50M cap. Interested???” I ought to ignore the cold outreach like everyone else, but I can't help myself from replying, “Not at a $50M valuation!” “But we did a discounted cash flow analysis and calculated the valuation at $50,874,392.66.” DCF is the perfect answer to the question: tell me you know nothing about startups without telling me how you’re going to fail. But how should this founder determine the valuation of his startup? There’s a lot of methods to value startups. DCF. Berkus Method. Discount off next round. Cost to duplicate. Scorecard. Comparable transactions. Blah blah blah. None of them work. Valuation is not a calculation. It’s a negotiation. The only method that works is what I'll call the Palter Valuation Process. It's a process rather than a formula, with the following simple steps: 1. Determine your stage. Honestly. Based on customer traction rather than wishful thinking. Is this raise a friends & family & network (no traction yet), pre-seed (initial sales), seed ($100K+ ARR), or Series A ($4M+ ARR)? 2. Find typical valuations for your stage, sector, and geography. Look at both the median and ranges. Use the incredibly helpful data from Carta (thank you Peter Walker and Carta) plus whatever you can find from Pitchbook, Crunchbase, investment banks, and VCs that follow your sector. 3. Adjust within the ranges based on your traction and risk factors. 4. Check with a few trusted advisors who invest regularly at your stage to see if they think your proposed valuation will be attractive to investors in their network. 5. Begin pitching to potential lead investors. Negotiate the valuation and other investment terms. 6. See if the valuation attracts follow-on investors to fill the round. If not, renegotiate with the lead investor and other investors to set the final valuation. Keep in mind that valuation is just one piece the investment puzzle. Liquidation preference frequently determines how much (if anything) founders and employees get in an exit and is arguably more important than valuation. Investment vehicle (preferred shares, common shares, SAFE, convertible note) make a big difference to investors and will affect the valuation we find attractive. Full details on the Palter Valuation Process in the following article: http://bit.ly/3UAIwMw
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Elfid Torres
FUNDES • 4K followers
Why FUNDES Group Exists: Closing Gaps for Small Businesses and Impact Ventures in the underserved markets (...but high-potential markets) Last week in Washington D.C., sitting with catalytic capital leaders, social investors, and ecosystem builders, including Alicia DeLia (Buen Vivir Capital Institute), Elizabeth Garlow, Felipe Witchger, Charles Higgenbotham, Abigail Napsuciale Heredia (she/her), Devin Chesney one insight kept coming back: Inequality in underserved markets isn’t a technical challenge. It’s a systemic one. And systemic challenges require institutions built for systems, not only projects. For some time 😜, FUNDES Group has been exactly that: a platform dedicated to reducing inequality by strengthening the economic engine that has sustained Latin America for decades, micro and small businesses and impact-entrepreneurs. Because in our region: 🔹 They create most of the jobs. 🔹 Yet they remain underserved by finance, data, technology, and fair value chains. This is the core problem we exist to solve. Our solution: A dual engine that combines 1️⃣ FUNDES Impact Consulting, scaling what works: integrating small businesses into markets, value chains, tech ecosystems, and sustainable business models. 2️⃣ Fundamental Venture Studio, building what doesn’t yet exist: new enterprises designed to address structural gaps the market frequently ignores. We also discussed integrated capital, an idea FUNDES Group has been practicing for decades: grants → advisory → venture building → blended finance → impact measurement → systemic adoption. And we know it works, because small businesses don’t need a miracle. They need an ecosystem. 👉 I’m grateful to every partner helping us make that vision real.
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Sep Riahi
University of Pennsylvania -… • 3K followers
I rarely post, but from personal experience in the Robin Hood Foundation ecosystem — Blue Ridge Labs is life-changing for the right early-stage, mission-driven founders. If you're serious about a creating a business with real impact, it's definitely worth exploring. Applications close May 3.
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Andrew Weinberg
Arden University • 7K followers
At Brightstar Capital Partners, we believe success begins with strong relationships built on trust, alignment, and a shared vision to help great businesses grow. While capital is essential, we focus on building long-term partnerships built through hands-on experience and a commitment to lasting value. Our investment evaluation process is grounded in sectors we know deeply. We focus on cash-flowing businesses where we see an opportunity to optimize operations and foster ownership culture, helping to grow the company better than it could on its own. Ultimately, we judge success by a simple question. Five or 10 years after we exit, if someone calls a founder or partner we’ve worked with and asks, “Should I work with Brightstar?” I want the answer to be yes. That is our definition of real value creation.
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David Mammano
29K followers
Big conversation is officially LIVE today on The David Mammano Show. I’m honored to welcome Taniya Mishra, PhD Mishra, Founder and CEO of SureStart. Taniya is not just talking about AI. She’s building on-ramps into it. SureStart is equipping the next generation with real-world AI skills, mentorship, and hands-on experience so they can step into an AI-driven economy with confidence. Her mission is clear: women and underrepresented communities should not simply use AI tools. They should design them, lead them, and shape what comes next. We dive into the future of work, expanding access to opportunity, and what it really takes to build a more inclusive tech ecosystem. Grateful to Rana el Kaliouby, Ph.D. el Kaliouby for making the introduction years ago that led to this powerful conversation. If you care about where technology is headed and who gets to build it, this episode is for you. Links to watch and listen are in the comments.
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Anjli Jain
ElevenX Capital • 35K followers
**Boston's Startup Ecosystem Awaits: Founder Summit 2026** As the startup ecosystem continues to thrive, events like the TechCrunch Founder Summit provide invaluable opportunities for founders and investors to connect. ElevenX Capital recognizes that concentrated deal flow facilitates impactful partnerships and consistent innovation in the VC landscape. How do you leverage industry events to enhance your investment strategy? #investing #innovation #venturecapital #entrepreneurship
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Jonathan Keidan
Torch Capital • 5K followers
While tariffs and an IPO clog may put pressure on later-stage funding, seed investment is largely getting a free pass. I shared some of my advice in Fortune "I’m telling my founders to ignore all this. Focus on what you’re doing. Focus on your customers, focus on what they need." Beatrice Nolan Torch Capital
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KEVIN RAPER
The Fulcrum; Work • 3K followers
Got to have a great call today with Jonathan Hakakian. Jonathan is the co-founder and Managing Partner of SoundBoard Venture Fund - an early-stage fund investing primarily outside major coastal hubs. They've built a portfolio of 40+ companies across the US in underserved geo., with notable exits including Jump (acquired by Uber). We didn't talk enough about what he's doing - because we got wonderfully sidetracked. We talked about The Fulcrum; Work. About Iranian food. About food as both a love language and a window into culture. About learning and the 2nd part of life journey... And then we got into something I care deeply about: how to fund the companies that aren't "VC backable" by traditional standards but are absolutely worth backing. Not every great business fits the venture mold. Jonathan gets that. SoundBoard is built on character over skill, close founder relationships, and creative structures that meet founders where they are. That's my kind of investor. Heidi Knoblauch you should be in this conversation. I think you'd connect on much of this part! I'm excited by Jonathan's approach. His thoughtfulness. The way he shows up for founders outside the usual corridors. Ive learned quite a bit from him. Very much looking forward to our next call - and to his next fund. This is how ecosystems get built. One good conversation at a time.
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Jason Klein
HBS Alumni Angels of Greater… • 3K followers
At 7% Jewish enrollment, Harvard University has slipped below the floor it maintained during the quota era. That's the headline finding of A Narrowing Gate — a new study from @Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance covering Jewish enrollment at Harvard and eight peer institutions from 1967 to 2025. See my article today in the Times of Israel. Princeton University and Brown University faced the same structural pressures as Harvard — geographic diversification, financial aid expansion, demographic shifts. They didn't produce the same outcome. Harvard and Yale University are outliers. At Harvard, Jewish enrollment fell 1.5 to 2.3× faster than White non-Jewish enrollment. No structural explanation accounts for the gap. This isn't about assigning blame. It's about asking America's most influential university to measure what it claims to care about. Harvard tracks enrollment by race, income, geography, and legacy status. Jewish students — a federally protected group — fall outside every one of those categories. The monitoring gap is the story. Full article and study linked in the first comment. #Harvard #HigherEducation #JewishStudents #Admissions #HarvardAlumni
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