As co-founder and CEO of LoanWell, Bernard Worthy is focused on affordable capital for ALL.

"Access to capital is so super important to the long term stability of a family, of a community, and ultimately wealth generation. How do we create affordable capital for all? Not just those that are most privileged or know how to run the system or know the right folks or know the right numbers or so on and so forth. How do we actually create true equitable access? Because capital can be so catalytic to your life."

Today, Bernard shares his LoanWell journey, including how he connected with our second guest Justin Dawkins, managing partner of Collab Capital.

Equity Raise is hosted by Naya Fela Powell, presented by American Underground, sponsored by The Diversity Movement, and produced by Earfluence.

This episode is brought to you by DEI Navigator from The Diversity Movement, a new, monthly membership service designed exclusively for small- to medium-sized businesses who are committed to DEI action and results.  It’s everything you need all in one place - access to proven business leaders and certified diversity executives, expert curated content, how-to guides, training, and a community of peers sharing their ideas and lessons learned — all at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-service DEI consultancy. 

Live from the roof of The Durham Hotel at the Google for Startups Black Founders Exchange, host Naya Fela Powell brings on a panel of Black CEOs (Sonja Ebron, Courtroom 5; April Johnson, Happied) along with private investor Tony Wilkins, to share their stories of building their companies and raising capital in the process.

Equity Raise is hosted by Naya Fela Powell, presented by American Underground, sponsored by The Diversity Movement, and produced by Earfluence.

This episode is brought to you by DEI Navigator from The Diversity Movement, a new, monthly membership service designed exclusively for small- to medium-sized businesses who are committed to DEI action and results.  It’s everything you need all in one place - access to proven business leaders and certified diversity executives, expert curated content, how-to guides, training, and a community of peers sharing their ideas and lessons learned — all at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-service DEI consultancy. 

Live from the roof of American Underground at the Google for Startups Black Founders Exchange, Greg Hedgepeth shares his why for creating Substantial Magazine, his challenge of finding funding, and how he connected with Donald Thompson who ultimately would become his first angel investor.

Greg Hedgepeth is the founder and CEO of Substantial Magazine, where "We are substantial and so is our purpose!"

Donald Thompson is the CEO of The Diversity Movement, angel investor, author of Underestimated: A CEO's Unlikely Path to Success, and host of the High Octane Leadership Podcast.

Equity Raise is guest hosted by Dezbee McDaniel, presented by American Underground, sponsored by The Diversity Movement, and produced by Earfluence.

This episode is brought to you by DEI Navigator from The Diversity Movement, a new, monthly membership service designed exclusively for small- to medium-sized businesses who are committed to DEI action and results.  It’s everything you need all in one place - access to proven business leaders and certified diversity executives, expert curated content, how-to guides, training, and a community of peers sharing their ideas and lessons learned — all at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-service DEI consultancy. 

Today we're sharing an episode of the Founder Shares Podcast, from Hutchison PLLC.

Rainway CEO Andrew Sampson doesn't have a conventional path. He's been underestimated throughout his life, has experienced overt racism, been told no more times than he can count, and his doubters continue to believe that he can't.  And yet, he's been through Techstars, grown his team to 15+, successfully achieved funding, and built Rainway to revenues over $10M.  You won't want to miss his story.
Hosted by Trevor Schmidt, Founder Shares is brought to you by Hutchison PLLC, and is edited and produced by Earfluence.

This episode is brought to you by DEI Navigator from The Diversity Movement, a new, monthly membership service designed exclusively for small- to medium-sized businesses who are committed to DEI action and results.  It’s everything you need all in one place - access to proven business leaders and certified diversity executives, expert curated content, how-to guides, training, and a community of peers sharing their ideas and lessons learned — all at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-service DEI consultancy. 

Raising capital is never easy, regardless of race, gender, or age.  But for Simpliworks co-founder Malik McCray, as a Black man in his early 20's, he faced an uphill battle in convincing VCs to invest - until he presented to Zane Venture Fund's Shila Nieves Burney.

Malik McCray is the co-founder and CEO of Simpliworks, a startup that launches winning Amazon Advertising campaigns in 1-Click.

Shila Nieves Burney is the General Partner at Zane Venture Fund and the Founder of Zane Access.

Equity Raise is hosted by Naya Fela Powell, presented by American Underground, sponsored by The Diversity Movement, and produced by Earfluence.

This episode is brought to you by DEI Navigator from The Diversity Movement, a new, monthly membership service designed exclusively for small- to medium-sized businesses who are committed to DEI action and results.  It’s everything you need all in one place - access to proven business leaders and certified diversity executives, expert curated content, how-to guides, training, and a community of peers sharing their ideas and lessons learned — all at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-service DEI consultancy. 

If you've ever tried fundraising, you know that prior relationships are the key to getting noticed.  The connections you make today could be valuable months, years, or decades in the future. But the networking involved can be exhausting - the meetups, the happy hours, the conferences - they're a drain on your time and energy. 

Fortunately for Tiffanie Stanard, she's a master at business relationships, so she received funding...for her platform that makes connections easier to make.

Tiffanie Stanard is the Founder and CEO of Stimulus, Inc.  Himalaya Rao is the Managing Director of The BFM Fund.

Equity Raise is hosted by Naya Fela Powell, presented by American Underground, sponsored by The Diversity Movement, and produced by Earfluence.

This episode is brought to you by DEI Navigator from The Diversity Movement, a new, monthly membership service designed exclusively for small- to medium-sized businesses who are committed to DEI action and results.  It’s everything you need all in one place - access to proven business leaders and certified diversity executives, expert curated content, how-to guides, training, and a community of peers sharing their ideas and lessons learned — all at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-service DEI consultancy. 

After running a successful coffee shop for 10 years and even expanding into a new location, Beyu Caffe's Dorian Bolden decided it was time to expand even further. He decided to raise capital, and even though he was a Duke graduate with a long history of success, he knew that he was seen differently than the white founders raising as well. 

Tune in to hear Dorian's journey in ultimately raising capital and his advice who are navigating the same path.

Dorien Bolden is the CEO and Chief Vision Office of The Beyu Group. 
BeyuCaffe.com | Beyu Food Project

Keith Daniel is the co-founder and managing partner at Resilient Ventures. 

Equity Raise is hosted by Naya Fela Powell, presented by American Underground, sponsored by The Diversity Movement, and produced by Earfluence.

This episode is brought to you by DEI Navigator from The Diversity Movement, a new, monthly membership service designed exclusively for small- to medium-sized businesses who are committed to DEI action and results.  It’s everything you need all in one place - access to proven business leaders and certified diversity executives, expert curated content, how-to guides, training, and a community of peers sharing their ideas and lessons learned — all at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-service DEI consultancy. 

When raising capital, sometimes a founder is tempted to take any money because...well, they need it to move the business forward.  But not all investors are the right fit. Today Shani Dowell joins us as she shares her story about how she built Possip from the ground up, then struggled (but ultimately succeeded) in finding investors who provided mentorship, expertise, and capital.

Shani Dowell is the Founder and CEO of Possip, a platform that simplifies feedback between parents, schools and districts.

Jim Flautt is on the Board of Directors at Opportunity Nashville, an advocacy organization focused on improving educational equity in Nashville. 

Equity Raise is hosted by Naya Fela Powell, presented by American Underground, sponsored by The Diversity Movement, and produced by Earfluence.

This episode is brought to you by DEI Navigator from The Diversity Movement, a new, monthly membership service designed exclusively for small- to medium-sized businesses who are committed to DEI action and results.  It’s everything you need all in one place - access to proven business leaders and certified diversity executives, expert curated content, how-to guides, training, and a community of peers sharing their ideas and lessons learned — all at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-service DEI consultancy. 

Each year, less than 3% of venture capital funding is invested in startups led by founders of color and women. Today, we share the story of an underrepresented founder who did find investment - Denise Woodard, who has raised almost $10M for her company Partake Foods. Denise shares how she started her company and her journey to funding. And we bring on one of her investors, Karen Howland, General Partner at CircleUP, which provides capital and resources to emerging consumer brands. 

Equity Raise is hosted by Naya Fela Powell, presented by American Underground, sponsored by The Diversity Movement, and produced by Earfluence.

This episode is brought to you by DEI Navigator from The Diversity Movement, a new, monthly membership service designed exclusively for small- to medium-sized businesses who are committed to DEI action and results.  It’s everything you need all in one place - access to proven business leaders and certified diversity executives, expert curated content, how-to guides, training, and a community of peers sharing their ideas and lessons learned — all at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-service DEI consultancy. 

Welcome to Equity Raise: Leveling the Landscape for Diverse Founders and their VCs. Each year, less than 3% of venture capital funding is invested in startups led by founders of color and women. 

On this podcast from the American Underground, we’ll learn from some of these entrepreneurs who have successfully raised venture capital, despite the struggles and systemic barriers they’ve faced.

Equity Raise is hosted by Naya F. Powell, presented by American Underground, sponsored by The Diversity Movement, and produced by Earfluence.