Slauson & Co. + Grid110 Announce Friends & Family Winter 2023 Cohort

New Year? New Friends & Family Cohort? That’s right! We’re back and we could not be more excited to introduce you to our Friends & Family Winter 2023 cohort. This dynamic partnership between Slauson & Co. and Grid110 is the manifestation of years of work that our respective teams have spent focusing on access and inclusivity within the startup community.

Entrepreneurial success and funding have historically been correlated with the net worth of a founder’s immediate network. However, numerous studies confirm that founders from underrepresented communities are less likely to have access to these types of generational resources. That is why Friends & Family exists.

Friends & Family is an accelerator geared towards helping early-stage entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, attract capital investment, and build community with other founders living a similar experience. Each participating company will receive a $25,000 non-dilutive cash grant. Beyond the capital given, this twelve-week virtual program focuses on entrepreneurial management and personal coaching from top executives, startup legends, and industry titans — including, Jeff Wilke former CEO of Worldwide Consumer at Amazon, former TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot, Buzzfeed co-founder and CEO Jonah Peretti and more.

We received 653 applications from 44 different states. Among the 20 companies selected, 95% have a founder that identifies as a person of color and 70% have a founder that identifies as a woman. The most-represented industries in the cohort include Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Fashion & Apparel, Beauty, Finance, and Real Estate. Here’s a little insight into who they are.

Meet the Friends & Family Winter 2023 Cohort!

• Hella Awkward is the card game that sparks unforgettable experiences of connection, laughter, and fun, one awkward conversation at a time.
• bekome takes an integrative approach toward mental health through the science of nutritional psychiatry and the gut-brain connection.
• CALI HNDSME (pronounced hand-some) is a direct-to-consumer business providing premium essential cosmetic products for men to feel unapologetically handsome AF via subtle enhancement, “HNDSME Tools”, with a focus on solving hair loss and beard growth issues.
• Comme Homme is a tech-enabled men’s personal care brand bridging the gap between personal care and mental wellness — starting by injecting confidence into the hair loss journey.
• Copper River Fish Market is a fisher(wo)man-owned, values-driven seafood business based in remote Alaska that provides professional chefs and home cooks across the nation with small-boat harvested, 100% traceable, wild-caught seafood through its online store.
• Of an Origin is a convertible capsule line for all stages of motherhood.
• Gotchoo is a simple online gift-giving service that makes a perfect alternative to a gift card.
• Guilde is a mobile cost estimator as a service for a fraction of the cost with greater accuracy to limit overages and delays caused by underbidding through local, real-time cost data.
• Happiest Ours is a one-stop digital platform for booking a mobile bartending service, which is now evolving into becoming a digital marketplace for mobile bartending and eventually all things events!
• Henderson Spirits Group honors little-known African Americans who have made significant contributions to the world of spirits through our high-quality spirits.
• Homebase is a platform that enables users to invest in tokenized residential real estate for as little as $100.
• Jentry Search Inc. is a small business acquisition marketplace leveraging apprenticeship education to increase access for non-traditional acquisition entrepreneurs and investors.
• Kalsoni is a purpose-driven lifestyle brand committed to positively impacting the health and well-being of women and girls by providing activewear that is culturally and faith-based inclusive, embraces their individuality, and truly reflects their values of modesty.
• kinkofa is a collaborative family history platform making it easier than ever for Black folx to uncover their unique origin stories.
• OKIONU connects pregnant and postpartum families of color to a network of local, culturally relevant postpartum specialists and support.
• SEÑOREATA is a Latina-owned modern Cuban cuisine catering company focusing on sustainable, accessible, culturally relevant food.
• Shelfleet helps online brands discover, connect, and rent retail shelf space from existing storefronts as a way to gain an easy and cost-effective physical presence.
• Swella is a modern luxury braid bar that integrates technology to deliver a consistent, convenient braid experience.
• The CryptoMom App is a crypto investment management and gifting platform for women, by women
• Woofbowl creates unforgettable community experiences through its food truck exclusively for dogs and its soon-to-be-launched app for dog parents.

Also, we want to give special thanks to our partners, Ron Conway, Jim Goetz, and the Schultz Family Foundation for your generous donations that made this program possible.

If you’re interested in connecting, investing, or supporting any of these companies you can contact us here. We hope to hear from you soon.

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About Grid110

Grid110 is an economic and community development nonprofit dedicated to creating clearer pathways to success for early-stage entrepreneurs. Their mission is to foster the most thriving, inviting & inclusive community for entrepreneurs by making the entrepreneurial path more equitable, inclusive and accessible. Through their no cost, no equity accelerator programs, Grid110 provides founders with a growing community of fellow entrepreneurs, expert mentorship, and crucial resources. It has supported 250 companies that have raised more than $90 million since its creation in 2015. Ninety-four percent of companies supported by Grid110 are led by women and entrepreneurs of color.

About Slauson & Co

Slauson & Co. is a $75 million Los Angeles-based early-stage venture capital firm rooted in economic inclusion. The firm established Off Slauson as its non-profit arm to support entrepreneurs beyond the investments made by the fund.