News

In a 2018 McKinsey/LeanIn.org study of 64,000 employees at 279 companies in North America, 45% of women of color said they were often the only one in the room at work. Such isolation was proving to be costly to their careers and the companies that employed them. Those findings were hardly a surprise to Tiffany Dufu. In 2018, the leadership advocate and consultant launched The Cru to give women the support they often lack at work — especially Black women like herself. Forbes

The origin stories of some of the world’s biggest tech companies begin in and around college campuses. Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook from his Harvard dorm. Dylan Field was at Brown when he decided to pursue a Peter Thiel Fellowship that would ultimately birth Figma, the software company we reported last week was getting bought by Adobe for $20 billion. Others are now adding their own chapters because even tough markets and looming recessions can’t deter a 20-something with an entrepreneurial dream. Take Liam McGregor, 25. He’s the CEO and founder of Marriage Pact—a dating startup popular on dozens of campuses. Bloomberg

Brightflow AI is injecting technology into this problem with its forecast and analysis tools so that small businesses can assess their cash flow and make data-driven decisions in real time. Brightflow also has a capital lending program to help during times of volatility or periods of high interest rate for traditional capital. TechCrunch

If you’ve experienced any form of harassment on Twitter in the last couple of years, then you’ve probably heard of Block Party. And if you haven’t, lucky you! TechCrunch

Christine Tao, CEO and Cofounder of SoundingBoard joins the aSaaSins Podcast to talk about the process she went through raising her seed round and Series A, as well as the future of executive coaching. aSaaSins

Even before the pandemic, employers were concerned about attrition due to childcare responsibilities, especially among female talent. Providing childcare benefits is a critical way to combat this attrition. Shadiah Sigala knew this firsthand. She is a cofounder of a fast-growing startup, HoneyBook, and was the first female employee to become pregnant. As head of HR, it was her responsibility to write the startup’s policy, not just for her but all employees. She searched for firms that helped employers provide childcare to their employees. “The two biggest players in the industry were dinosaurs,” exclaimed Sigala. “They were considered the gold standard for the industry.” Inspired by her need for daycare and her difficulty finding suitable solutions for the startup she worked for, Sigala left HoneyBook four years ago to address this gap as cofounder and CEO of Kinside. Forbes

This week The Founder Spotlight is on Kevin Delaney, co-founder and CEO of Charter, a media and insights company on a mission to transform every workplace and catalyze a new era of dynamic organizations where all workers thrive. The Fund

Carbon Collective, an online investment adviser that creates climate-focused 401ks, is the latest entrant to throw its hat into the ring of ESG exchange-traded funds. Bloomberg

Encantos’ bilingual preschool brand, Canticos, was featured as Apple’s “App of the Day” on September 15, 2022! Apple

When a cable installer told Dan Turner’s father that it would be “impossible” to bring fiber optic internet cable to his home, Turner decided to prove them wrong. If the installer could drive on the road, then they could use that same road to bring the internet home. Prince William County Econ Dev

Bloom Community, a startup that helps queer and ethically non-monogamous people build communities, has raised a $2.5 million seed round led by Tuesday Capital. Business Insider

Populus, the San Francisco-based transportation data startup, got its start as shared scooter mania took hold and cities tried to make sense of how infrastructure was being used by fleets of tiny vehicles. TechCrunch

Incredible Health, a US-based job-matching platform which made nurses its first focus, has closed an $80 million Series B funding round and announced hitting a $1.65BN unicorn valuation, billing itself as the highest valued “tech-enabled” career marketplace in the healthcare sector — a couple of (pandemic-struck) years after closing a $15M Series A. TechCrunch

Pair Eyewear offers customizable frames in a snap. Crain’s

A business-minded mom makes sweet treats safe for everyone. Denise Woodard’s daughter inspired her, but her new company is really about inclusion for all. Inc.

Intellimize Ranks No.1624 on the 2022 Inc. 5000 Annual List Inc.

Finix announced today that it has raised $30 million in new venture capital, bringing its total known raised to $133 million. The round comes nearly two years after the do-it-yourself payments company closed a $30 million extension to its $35 million Series B and about 18 months after it raised a $3 million SPV led by LatinX and Black investors. TechCrunch

Digital marketplace Clutch announced today the closing of a $1.2 million seed round led by Precursor Ventures. TechCrunch

Innovation within the health and beauty sector has always had an undeniable link to the culture. From the icons like Mdm. CJ Walker and Garrette Morgan to the lesser known Christina Jenkins or Comer Cottrell, we have always found ways to not only improve upon our beauty techniques while also keeping them uniquely our own. Now a new digital influence is hitting the barber and beauty salon industry. A Husband and Wife duo are the co-founders of ShearShare, a fast-growing app that allows independent stylists and barbers to rent space from brick and mortar salons and barber shops on an as-needed basis. The app also provides time-limited insurance options for professionals may need as well. The Grnwood

Bootstrapped startups, or companies that use their own revenue or existing cash flow to fund growth instead of relying on external capital sources, sit in a very separate box than venture-backed startups. By nature of asset class, bootstrapped startups prioritize revenue to keep alive, while venture-backed startups prioritize growth to keep investor buy-in for future runway needs. Bootstrapped companies follow less of an exponential growth curve, while venture-backed companies need to be an outlier… For Healthie, a payments processor for healthcare companies, now felt like the right time to get on the “treadmill” of venture capital after six years of bootstrapping, according to co-founder Cavan Klinsky. TechCrunch