Robin Hood’s Post

It's Black history month, so let's look at some recent history in the startup world. 2023 saw another decline in funding to black founders at less than 1% (only .2 by Q4'23!) This has been consistently declining since the murder of George Floyd in 2020 which lead to a bump in investment $$ for black founders. Shoutout any investors you know who are supporting black founders in the comments! #blacklivesmatter #startups #leadership

Day 125/365. It starts from our home. Home is where we learn to navigate and understand emotions. Leadership, too, hinges on emotional intelligence. Managing family dynamics sharpens our ability to empathize, communicate effectively, and resolve conflicts – all critical components of leadership. The emotional rollercoaster at home teaches resilience. Leading in a family setting requires adaptability, patience, and the ability to bounce back from setbacks. These qualities are invaluable in the world of entrepreneurship. Reid Hoffman #MentorMe #ReidHoffmanMentorMe #ReidHoffmanBeMyGuide #ReidHoffmanInspired #Passafund #StartupJourney #StartupLife #WeMakeFinancialServiceAccessible #GoIzziLending #GMG

We're excited to share that Cart.com has recently secured a $105 million loan from BlackRock. This will help them unify operations across channels and expand into new markets. Cart.com is our Fund II portfolio company that supports over 6,000 customers and processes 75 million orders annually. This new funding follows a recent $25 million Series C extension, bringing their total Series C funding to $85 million at a $1.2 billion valuation. The company’s success was made possible by the leadership of Co-founder & CEO Omair Tariq. Omair spoke about his entrepreneurial journey at last year’s Extraordinary Leadership Summit — take a look at the insights he shared here: https://lnkd.in/dpjtRR5c Read more about BlackRock’s funding here: https://lnkd.in/d4tB7Qhn #ecommerce #logistics #innovation #BlackRock #startupfunding #venturecapital #Cartcom #leadership #extraordinaryleadership #founders #investment #seriesc

Don’t go chasing unicorns🦄! There are other paths to building value and wealth through entrepreneurship and business - but they require a different set of capital options. Check out this Op Ed in Inc. Magazine from Founders First CEO Kim Folsom (She/Her) on the “cousins” of the unicorn, and how you can get investors that align with the vision for your company’s growth! #revenuebasedfinancing #growthcapital #sharedsuccess #inclusiveeconomy 🦌🦓🐎

Who are the greatest founders you've worked with or love to follow? These are the founders who've inspired you to do and be your best, who you love working with and for--and who have succeeded while staying true to their values and vision. Please share below! #ImpactfulLeadership #FounderJourney #StartupJourney #SheMeansBusiness #EntrepreneurialWomen #NextGenLeaders

Reflecting on the concept that 'Texas is not just a state; it's a state of mind,' I'm reminded of the values that have driven me as the Founder and CEO of JMS Ventures Group. The Texas mindset – ambitious, resilient, and boundless – mirrors the ethos we strive for in our corporate culture and in our mission to empower economic growth globally. Whether it's fostering innovation or philanthropy, like my involvement with Hope Springs Water Inc., it's about embodying those ideals that make any venture not just successful, but significant. #Leadership #Innovation #TexasMindset

"Thrilled to announce my promotion to Vice President of the E-Cell at SKNCOE! 🎉 Our E-Cell is all about empowering students to innovate, providing them with the tools, mentorship, and opportunities to bring their entrepreneurial ideas to life. 🚀 I'm eager to collaborate with my team to cultivate a thriving startup ecosystem on campus. A big thank you to my seniors and mentors for their invaluable guidance and support in this journey. 🙏 #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #SKNCOE"

Fantastic Clients Highlight: Cherryrock Capital and Him For Her Cherryrock Capital, the first Black Woman-founded, multi-hundred million dollar venture firm, provides Series A and B financing to the best seed and pre-seed companies from Black and Latine founders. Here’s something exciting you might not know: “Startups with Black and Latine founders become unicorns at a rate that is 11x the average.” We’re so excited for the future of Cherryrock Capital and its portfolio companies! Him For Her is a non-profit dedicated to increasing the diversity of for-profit boards. Their team has cultivated a network of amazing, board-qualified talent, and they work to connect them with the board ecosystem. Combine this with their for-profit counterpart illumyn, a company that specializes in board-focused career expansion for Fortune 1000 executives, and you get a very strong force for change. It’s been an honor to contribute to these companies at pivotal moments and in a variety of ways. During the genesis of Cherryrock Capital, Danielle Applestone, PhD met with Stacy Brown-Philpot to dive into the heart of what they wanted to do and how they wanted to portray themselves in the world. Stacy said it best: “You created the humanity of what we’re doing.” With Him For Her, our work has run the gamut from people ops to financial planning to marketing and sales. The M.O. seems to be “what’s a project where your team could use some extra executive bandwidth?” While a lot of our work centers around people ops for climate tech companies, it has been a unique pleasure to contribute to these mission-driven companies and flex our versatility. See what Stacy and Jocelyn Mangan have to say about our work together.

Succession planning is not just about filling leadership gaps; it's about ensuring a legacy of innovation and sustainable culture. At ACG, we recognize the paramount importance of innovation in leadership transitions. Here's why innovation succession planning is a game-changer: 🚀 Continuous Innovation: Ensure a seamless flow of innovative ideas and strategies as leadership transitions occur. 🌐 Global Competitiveness:  Equip your organization with leaders who can navigate the ever-changing global landscape and keep you ahead of the curve. 🌱 Cultural Sustainability: Succession planning tools focus should not only on leadership roles but also on preserving and enhancing the organizational culture. 💡 Leadership Pipeline Development: Identify and nurture emerging leaders, creating a robust pipeline that can drive innovation at every level. 🔒 Mitigating Disruptions: Minimize disruptions during leadership changes by ensuring a well-prepared, innovative successor is ready to take the reins. 📊 Measurable Impact:  ACG's tools offer measurable insights into the impact of succession planning on innovation and organizational success. Empower your organization with ACG's tailored succession planning tools, ensuring a legacy of innovation and a culture that stands the test of time. 💼 #SuccessionPlanning #Innovation #Leadership #ACG #Consultancy #BusinessInnovation

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 Serving as a board director is challenging. Having been a board member and consulted numerous boards myself, I understand how hard it is to make pivotal company decisions, especially when they are about strategy and innovation. That’s why it was incredibly important for my co-author Alex Dang and me to receive endorsements for our book from board members and board chairs, such as Amy Banse (a board member of Adobe, The Clorox Company, On, Lennar), Claudia Fan Munce (board member at Best Buy) and Joel Peterson (former chairman of JetBlue). Amy and Claudia also pre-ordered copies to give it to all the board members they serve with. Crucial decisions—especially those concerning new markets, products, and ventures—demand a different mindset than routine decisions or budget approvals. Specifically, they call for the Venture Mindset. This is where our book comes in. It offers a fresh perspective essential for anyone aspiring to board leadership. #stanford #stanfordgsb #venturecapital #startups #innovation #technology #venturemindset