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The Founder Roundup
Let the Path Reveal Itself
Let the Path Reveal Itself
Life is like going on a hike: The view changes once you start walking.
You won't have all the answers when you begin. Some things are hidden behind the trees.
New paths will reveal themselves if you have the courage to get started.
Welcome back to the Founder Roundup! A big welcome to our new subscribers. We're giving away a $50 gift card to the subscriber that refers the most friends by the end of the month. More information below!
We had the pleasure of featuring three great founders last week. Check out their profiles below.
We are often asked how we share our selected founder's stories. So, we put together an "About Us" article containing some portfolio examples. Learn about who we are and what we do here.
Weekly Wisdom
At the end of the day a lot of people will have opinions on what you are doing (good and bad), but your customers are ultimately what matters. Talk to potential users and customers first, find out what their problems are, and if there is a way to solve them, relentlessly pursue it.
Someone tried giving away a company on Reddit
We had Michael Kelly of Resolute Future on for Episode 2 of Backseat Startup.
A Reddit user wanted to give away a free company to promote their newsletter (hmm... maybe we should try this one). Naturally, we had to break down the thought process and whether we think this is a good move or not.
Give the show a watch on YouTube and subscribe on Apple or Spotify here.
Founder Roundup
John Bailey and Spencer Moslow of OneFund
Meet the Founders increasing access to private equity and venture capital for more investors. John and Spencer met while undergrads at Tufts University. After graduation, they both ended up in New York working in finance.
The two were frustrated that only the wealthiest investors could access top-tier alternative asset managers like the ones they worked at. Private equity and venture capital has helped many investors make millions, yet it is only available to the very wealthy.
Realizing that there was no platform that allowed everyday investors to invest at low-minimums in PE and VC funds, they set about creating one. OneFund was formed with this vision in mind.
OneFund provides a marketplace giving everyday investors access to top-tier private equity and venture capital funds at low minimums. On the platform, you will be able to analyze various private equity and venture capital opportunities, select which you would like to invest in, and request an allocation.
OneFund handles the rest, allowing you to sit back and relax. Head over to their website to join the waitlist and receive early access
Jody Williams Sterling of Sterling Hair Solutions
Meet the Founder leading the way in hair extension technology. Jody has been a cosmetologist for 33 years. For the last 16 years, she has also owned and operated her own salon, specializing in hair extension services.
Throughout her time in the industry, Jody became increasingly frustrated with how long the hair extension installation process took. She realized that there was a faster and more efficient way. This led to the invention of the Sterling Dryer: a patented, first of its kind extension dryer.
The Sterling Dryer cuts drying times in half, while leaving hair soft and renewed. Speeding up the drying process allows hairstylists to generate more income while reducing time in the salon for customers. Jody is just getting started. She looks forward to inventing more products for the hair industry that will help the professional stylist work smarter.
Head over to their website to learn more.
Bernard Njathi of Lofte Kesho
Meet the Founder using technology to improve African farmers' livelihoods. Kenya-based Bernard is a husband and father of two young boys. Growing up, he watched while his grandparents had to sell off livestock in order to afford medical bills, school fees, and other necessities.
Identifying opportunity amidst this problem, he launched Lofte Kesho to solve the "dead capital" problem that affects farmers across Africa. African farmers own livestock which have inherent value, but often lack the necessary working capital. As a result, there is a need to collateralize their livestock.
Lofte Kesho is an award winning agri-fintech startup allowing farmers to unlock capital against their livestock. By collecting farmer and livestock data, farmers are able to unlock financial services such as insurance and loans with their livestock as assets.
Lofte Kesho has already unlocked 50,000 livestock orders, with a goal of helping 500,000 farmers across Africa.
Head over to their website to learn more.
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Community Corner
Looking for work? If you're startup-curious, but haven't taken the plunge yet, we'd love to help you find your next role. Provide us with some basic information here.
Who are we and what do we do? Read about our mission and check out our marketing portfolio here.
Calling all book nerds. We think every founder should read these 17 books.
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