Lauren Washington is the co-founder and CEO of Fundr, a platform that automates and removes bias from seed investing by creating portfolios of AI-vetted startups. This is Lauren’s third venture in the startup world, her others including Black Women Talk Tech, the largest membership organization and only conference for black women founders, and KeepUp, an automated social listening platform.

Lauren’s companies have won multiple awards including 43North and the Advanced Imaging Society’s Distinguished Leadership Award. She has been featured in The New York Times, TechCrunch, Elle, Inc and Black Enterprise and has been listed as a top entrepreneur in CIO Magazine, Essence Magazine and Entrepreneur Magazine and the ForbesNEXT1000 list.

Lauren discusses her journey in the startup world including how important it is to feel validation when attempting something new, how the funding gap is contributing to the wealth gap, and how difficult it is to face doubt and criticism in the startup world as a woman of color. 

Check out this episode to hear more about:

• How Lauren went from teaching to marketing to getting her first startup moving
• The importance of understanding when the odds are against you and how to work around them
• Lauren’s strategies for customer acquisition 

Listen to this episode and more at www.startuprenegades.com