Recently, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (founder, 1000 Black Voices – specialists in diversity, equity & inclusion, and connecting founders to resources) led her team in hosting 1000 Black Voices Connect, an evening that brought together founders, investors and ecosystem partners in the UK for a relaxed atmosphere of roundtables, awards, a pitch competition, and an opportunity to get to know one another.
The Roundtables had valuable conversations around a number of topics, such as:
🔸The hacks founders are doing at the moment to gain access to capital
🔸Revenue versus profitability, the current focus and why
🔸Exit strategy: when a startup should start looking for a buyer and what this entails
🔸Expanding globally, the key challenges startups need to consider early on
🔸What is going on with OpenAI and how this plays out for founders’ boards
🔸Traction: a requirement to raise and what investors want to see as traction
🔸Demonstrating how a startup is venture backable
The 1000 Black Voices Awardees were:
- Champion Female-Founded Startup: Tech1M (Techstars ‘23) – Tommie Edwards (Founder)
- Champion Innovative Technology Founder: Leroy Lawrence
- Champion Venture-Backable Startup: PayAngel
- Champion Bootstrapped Tech Startup: O’Health – Jide Famodu (co-Founder)
- Champion Overlooked and Underserved Markets Startup: Softlink.ai
- Champion Venture-Backed Startup: Slinger
- Champion Inclusive VC: Visionario Venture Capital
- Champion Inclusive Angel Investor: Scott Mackin
- Champion Mentor to Black Startups: Pedro Guimarães
- Champion Inclusive Journalist: Cheryl Cole
Says Dr. Shaw: “What is amazing is that where 1000 Black Voices brings together the startup ecosystem, it leads to connecting founders to social and financial capital. Founders are truly incredible. Investors and ecosystem partners want to help and invest their time, expertise and money. It is a privilege to able to make a difference towards an inclusive startup ecosystem.”