What if the biggest challenge facing entrepreneurs isn’t simply a lack of capital—but finding the right capital at the right time?
In this episode of Capital Remix, Gloria Ware sits down with Dr. Angelique Johnson, engineer, entrepreneur, and Director of the Creative Capital Access Collaborative at InBIA, for a thought-provoking conversation about how entrepreneurs, business support organizations, funders, and investors can rethink access to capital.
Dr. Johnson challenges the assumption that capital always means cash. Drawing from her own experience as a deep-tech founder and her work supporting entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ecosystems, she explores fit-for-purpose funding and why the capital that is easiest to access isn’t always the capital that is best for the business.
From venture capital and SBIR funding to revenue-based financing, community resources, infrastructure, relationships, and creative deal structures, this conversation expands the definition of what capital can be—and how we can use it differently.
Gloria and Dr. Johnson also tackle an important but often overlooked question: Can access to the wrong capital actually hurt entrepreneurs? They discuss predatory and deceptive financing, capital readiness, the financial capacity of business support organizations, and why helping entrepreneurs get funded must also mean helping them determine whether that funding is truly right for their business.
▶️ Fit-for-Purpose Capital
Why “there isn’t enough capital” may be the wrong starting point—and why entrepreneurs should focus on finding capital aligned with their business model, goals, and growth strategy.
▶️ Capital Is More Than Money
Financial capital matters, but entrepreneurs also need human, material, infrastructure, social, and other forms of capital to build successful businesses.
▶️ Rethinking the Role of Business Support Organizations
Dr. Johnson shares how entrepreneurial support organizations can move beyond simply referring entrepreneurs to funders and explore creative approaches such as evergreen funds and other innovative capital structures.
▶️ When Access to Capital Does More Harm Than Good
Not all funding is good funding. Gloria and Dr. Johnson discuss predatory practices, revenue-based financing, transparency, and why accessible capital can create new problems when it isn’t appropriate for the entrepreneur.
▶️ Capital Readiness Matters
Getting funded isn’t the finish line. Entrepreneurs need support understanding the financial implications of different capital options, while the organizations advising them need the tools and knowledge to help them make those decisions.
Sometimes the best capital is already around you. Dr. Johnson shares a real-world example of a Main Street business facing more than $100,000 in buildout costs—and how creative negotiation helped unlock what the business needed without simply raising another $100,000.
ONE QUESTION TO TAKE WITH YOU
“How do I raise the money?”
“What do I actually need the money for?”
If you need space, equipment, expertise, infrastructure, relationships, talent, or another resource, there may be creative ways to access what you need without first raising the cash to purchase it.
ABOUT DR. ANGELIQUE JOHNSON
Dr. Angelique Johnson is an engineer, entrepreneur, and entrepreneurial ecosystem leader. She leads the Creative Capital Access Collaborative at InBIA, where her work helps entrepreneurial support organizations explore innovative approaches to connecting entrepreneurs with the financial and non-financial capital they need.
Her closing challenge to founders, business support organizations, and philanthropy:
“Think like an innovator. Act like an entrepreneur.”
Capital Remix rethinks how we talk about capital for business owners, how we think about it, and what capital can be.
Hosted by Gloria Ware, CEO and Capital Copilot of GTB Advisors.
#CapitalRemix #AccessToCapital #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #CreativeCapital #BusinessFunding #EntrepreneurSupport #EconomicDevelopment #VentureCapital
