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Meet the Graduating Class of Founder Gym Cohort 2: The Fundraising Basics

The fact is: there’s money out there, but it’s not getting to us: underrepresented founders.

We wanted to take a different approach. We wanted to take action and DO something about it.

Here’s a quick breakdown of Cohort 2 as a whole:

Gender

  • Female: 52%
  • Male: 43%
  • Trans Male: 2%
  • Trans Female: 2%

Race

  • Black: 64%
  • White: 24%
  • Asian: 14%
  • Latinx: 10%
  • Middle Eastern: 2%

Age

  • Twenties: 24%
  • Thirties: 52%
  • Forties: 21%
  • Fifties: 2%

Parenting Status

  • With children: 50%
  • Without children: 50%

Geography

  • Bay Area: 21%
  • NY Area: 17%
  • Boston: 0%
  • Other areas in the U.S.: 57%
  • Outside the U.S.: 5%

Immigrant Status

  • Native to the country they reside in: 83%
  • Immigrated to the country they reside in: 17%

Employment Status

  • Full-time founder: 57%
  • Part-time founder and full-time employee: 29%
  • Part-time founder and part-time employee: 14%

Product Stage

  • Product in the market: 69%
  • Product in private beta: 21%
  • Product in development: 10%

Technical Ability

  • Engineer: 21%
  • Designer: 12%
  • Other type of technical ability: 14%
  • Non-technical: 52%

Previous Fundraising Experience

  • No previous fundraising experience: 41%
  • Family and/or friends: 38%
  • Incubator and/or accelerator: 7%
  • Venture capitalists: 7%
  • Angel investors: 5%
  • Pitch competition: 2%

Meet the Graduates of FG Cohort 2

Adetayo Adesanya

  • Company: Agbara Life, a wearable tech benefits corporation that creates designer powered accessories and apparel with the mission to bridge the technology gap in under-resourced areas.
  • Location: Oakland, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Ava Pipitone

  • Company: HostHome, an accessible housing platform for the LGBT community.
  • Location: Baltimore, MD
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Bianca Jeanty

  • Company: MiMConnect, (Minorities in Media Connect) is the LinkedIn for mid-to-senior level professionals of color that provides a direct pipeline between forward-thinking companies and diverse candidates.
  • Location: Elizabeth, NJ
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Boyede Sobitan

  • Company: Oja Express, a marketplace for small grocers that sell cultural specific groceries.
  • Location: Chicago, IL
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Chanel Melton

  • Company: Rose Gold Dropship, a community-driven, curated marketplace that highlights ethically, consciously made products and the stories behind them.
  • Location: Hollywood, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Damien Peters

  • Company: Wealth Noir, a media and financial services company targeting high-income African American Millennials.
  • Location: Oakland, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Darren Harris

  • Company: PANN, (Pan-African News Network) is a mobile application made for sharing news that takes place within the Black community.
  • Location: New York, NY
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

De’Angelo Wisdom

  • Company: Agbara Life, a wearable tech benefits corporation that creates designer powered accessories and apparel with the mission to bridge the technology gap in under-resourced areas.
  • Location: Oakland, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn

Delores Brown

  • Company: Agbara Life, a wearable tech benefits corporation that creates designer powered accessories and apparel with the mission to bridge the technology gap in under-resourced areas.
  • Location: Pleasanton, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Derrick Ashong

  • Company: Amp.it, an interactive digital media platform that helps brands know who’s watching their content and why, so they can own their audience.
  • Location: Los Angeles, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Eric Warner

  • Company: Style Trail, connects shop owners to talented beauty professionals to fill their empty booths.
  • Location: Baltimore, MD
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Erica Peterson

Faseeha Khan-Jensen

  • Company: The Level Market, the world’s first e-commerce platform aimed exclusively at the $100B humanitarian industry.
  • Location: Denver, CO
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Faye Hayes

  • Company: PlayLoops, a one-stop-shop for social justice organizations to create narrative-shifting GIFs using our proprietary design tools.
  • Location: Oakland, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Jasmine Shells

  • Company: Five to Nine, a SaaS B2B platform that provides company employees access to a marketplace of curated events and perk benefits in order to enhance work culture and productivity.
  • Location: Chicago, IL
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Jelica Baker

  • Company: Saddle Shoppe, an e-commerce startup that features luxury equestrian brands that suit both style and technical advancements for the modern rider.
  • Location: San Francisco, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn

Jessica Estrada

  • Company: Hue for Every Man, specializing in men’s premium grooming products marketed to the poly-cultural male demographic.
  • Location: Hollywood, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Jibril Sulaiman

  • Company: Spendwith, a platform that empowers people to organize shopping based on cultural identity.
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Karisa Peer

  • Company: Mother Squad, a video chat support group platform that gives new moms a space to connect from the comfort of home — via computer, tablet, and/or smartphone.
  • Location: Los Angeles, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Kati Radziwon

  • Company: iFlipd, a platform that lets students rent textbooks by the week.
  • Location: Portland, OR
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Kedar Reddy

  • Company: PlayLoops, a one-stop-shop for social justice organizations to create narrative-shifting GIFs using our proprietary design tools.
  • Location: San Jose, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitte

Kimberly Moore

  • Company: CarpooltoSchool, the first product in the market available on web and mobile, exclusive to the parent community to meet, coordinate and see their children arrive safely to their destination.
  • Location: Washington, DC
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Kishau Rogers

  • Company: Time Study, a software provider on a mission to eliminate time sheets.
  • Location: Richmond, VA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Kyle Frazier

  • Company: Hue for Every Man, specializing in men’s premium grooming products marketed to the poly-cultural male demographic.
  • Location: Hollywood, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Lauren Elliot

  • Company: CandleLit Box, a subscription service that offers a practical approach to self-care through stress management and unique discovery of personal care products.
  • Location: Ozone Park, NY
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Lennie Carter

  • Company: TruCircle, a web and mobile video chat tool that allows behavioral health professionals to connect with their patients in a safe and secure way.
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Luther Lawoyin

  • Company: Lucy, a Nigerian e-commerce, wholesale and retail technology company that provides B2C and B2B sales of branded merchandise via web portals.
  • Location: Lagos, Nigeria
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Makazi Mtingwa

  • Company: Funderdust, a crowd-funding platform which seeks to promote tech startups traditionally excluded from venture capital and angel investing.
  • Location: Laurel, MD
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Marie Condron

  • Company: Arsenal, a consumer-driven marketplace for discovering and sharing favorite beauty and personal care products from people you trust and admire.
  • Location: Los Angeles, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Max Goodman

  • Company: HostHome, an accessible housing platform for the LGBT community.
  • Location: Baltimore, MD
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Michael Purnell

  • Company: Sievent, a VR ticketing platform that lets fans buy virtual tickets and have an immersive front row experience at any event right from their home.
  • Location: Sacramento, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Netta Dobbins

  • Company: MiMConnect, (Minorities in Media Connect) is the LinkedIn for mid-to-senior level professionals of color that provides a direct pipeline between forward-thinking companies and diverse candidates.
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Quincy Ewell

  • Company: PANN, (Pan-African News Network) is a mobile application made for sharing news that takes place within the Black community.
  • Location: Los Angeles, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Ryan Boyd

  • Company: Shelfspace enables people to have their luggage sent from the hotel to the airport on-demand via mobile app, allowing them to move freely in their down time before their flight.
  • Location: New York, NY
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Sama Jashnani

  • Company: DownToDash, a millennial focused app that connects people in the same location based on what they are down to do, whether it’s workouts, sports, movies or other activities.
  • Location: New York, NY
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Sandeep Purwar

  • Company: Bevov, a new all-in-one recruiting platform that uses machine learning, sourcing and automated testing to help you find the Top 5 candidates.
  • Location: San Francisco, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Sara Campbell

  • Company: Arsenal, a consumer-driven marketplace for discovering and sharing favorite beauty and personal care products from people you trust and admire.
  • Location: Los Angeles, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Summer Suleiman

  • Company: The Distillery, a media platform that covers the challenges entrepreneurs endure as they start and grow companies.
  • Location: New Orleans, LA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Tammy Bowser

  • Company: Rodexly, an app created to make your network both searchable and monetizable.
  • Location: Frisco, TX
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Tegan Spinner

  • Company: Lokalist, a marketplace for local used goods that enables instant price negotiation between buyers and sellers, and integrated payment processing.
  • Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Tes Macpherson

  • Company: Plan Social, enables volunteer groups to harness untapped potential in terms of volunteers and sponsors, currently focused on school PTAs.
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Winston Frazer

  • Company: Danae Prosthetics, an app that engineers 3d printed parts in the cloud for lower limb amputees to customize their prosthetic legs.
  • Location: Baltimore, MD
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Shoutout to the FG Cohort 2 Peer Trainers

Meet the Incredible Trainers of FG Cohort 2

Expert Trainers

Monique Woodard

  • Role: Investor
  • Location: San Francisco, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Parker Thompson

  • Role: Partner at AngelList
  • Location: San Francisco, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Suzy Ryoo

  • Role: Partner at Atom Factory and Cross Culture Ventures
  • Location: San Francisco, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Personal Trainers

Amy Lin

  • Role: Head of Product at NFX
  • Location: San Francisco, CA
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Bhavin Parikh

Cat Perez

David Phillips

Frederik Groce

Joah Spearman

Jorge Davy-Mendez

Lynzi Ziegenhagen

Marcus Singleton

Maria Salamanca

Nasir Qadree

  • Role: Associate Director of Social Investments at AT&T
  • Location: Washington, DC
  • Get connected: LinkedIn and Twitter

Peter Marculans

Sian Morson

Sydney Thomas

Vinit Sukhija

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Mandela SH Dixon

CEO of Founder Gym | Bringing Silicon Valley to the streets since 2011