POPULARITY
Black women, the fastest growing segment of business owners, are the least likely to receive investments from venture capitalists. They account for less than 1 percent of the $424.7 billion raised in tech V.C. funding since 2009, according to the 2018 Project Diane study conducted by DigitalUndivided, an organization that empowers women entrepreneurs of color.To address these disparities, and to provide a one-stop-shop for people looking to buy from Black women, my guest Nikki Porcher founded Buy From A Black Woman, a 501(c)3 that is committed to building the largest community of Black Women Business Owners across the country and around the globe. Through educational programs, an online directory, and financial support and meaningful partnerships, Buy From A Black Woman continues to grow as a trusted resource that helps Black Women in business. Nikki is a Black Woman Advocate, Business Consultant, DEI Trainer & Speaker. In this episode, we discuss why she created her nonprofit Buy From A Black Woman, how she built it from scratch to secure partnerships with H&M and Goldman Sachs, and how she cultivates a community of passionate supporters and donors.About Nikki PorcherNikki Porcher is the founder of Buy From A Black Woman, the 2023 Gold Stevie® Award's Organization of The Year. She has made it her mission to empower, educate and inspire Black Women Business Owners; and to raise awareness for the need to support and #BuyFromABlackWoman. Through her nonprofit, Nikki equips Black Women with the tools and resources they need to be successful in business. She's helped Black Women Founders generate over $2.7 million in revenue in the last year alone, in addition to providing educational programs, funding and increased visibility through the highest-ranking online directory of Black Women-Owned Businesses in the world. The directory places these brands in front of an average of 4,000 consumers a month, and Buy From A Black Woman is also home to one of the largest communities of Black Women Business Owners in the US and across the globe.Connect with Nikki on LinkedInVisit Nikki Porcher's websiteBuy from a Black Woman InstagramVisit Buy from a Black Woman's websiteTune in on A Black Woman's podcastTake my free masterclass: 3 Must-Have Elements of Social Media Content that Converts
Don't wait for the system to let you in—break down the door and build your damn thing. In this episode, our incredible guest, Kathryn Finney digs into how you can build your businesses in a world that has overlooked and underestimated you. She discloses the power of entrepreneurship and why it is essential to understand the value of everyone's work. Let's build a startup and break down the barriers! Kathryn cofounded Digitalundivided in 2012, the first incubator for Black and Latinx women. Her report, called Project Diane, revealed how little venture capital goes to startups founded by women of color; only 24 over two years. She also founded a financial lifestyle blog, The Budget Fashionista, and in 2014, became one of the first black women to sell her site. Key Highlights: [00:01 - 10:40] Opening Segment Kathryn shares her experience in high school Always take a risk and win Show people what's possibleWhy the development of your core values is helpful [10:41 - 20:30] The Power of EntrepreneurshipKathryn's emotional response to starting her entrepreneur journey Have your own money and create a life that you controlWhen Kathryn decided to jump in to help other people to navigate entrepreneurshipThe perception of success and its impact [20:31 -31:00] Understand the Value of Everyone's WorkWhere more work needs to be done in how we address the issue of people of color in business The economic output we value The black and brown communitiesKathryn's outlook on the American exceptionalism [31:01 - 38:27] Closing SegmentIntroducing Build The Damn Thing Inspire many people to do the same The random round with Kathryn Want to connect with Kathryn? Follow her on Instagram. Head to Kathryn Finney, break down the door, and build your damn thing! Did you love the value that we are putting out in the show? LEAVE A REVIEW and tell us what you think about the episode so we can continue putting out great content just for you! Share this episode and help someone who wants to connect with world-class people. Jump on over to travischappell.com/makemypodcast and let my team make you your very own show!If you want to learn how to build YOUR network, check out my website travischappell.com. You can connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Be sure to join The Lounge to become part of the community setting up REAL relationships that add value and create investments.Tweetable Quotes: “You're perfect in your imperfection. Who you're is perfect. ” - Kathryn Finney“Before you start building a company or product, understand who you are and what it is that you stand for.” - Kathryn FinneyAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
The odds are stark: Women of color in tech raised less than half of 1 percent of all venture capital in 2020, according to Project Diane. Can you imagine using a vision board to inspire you to raise $1.4 million in venture capital? Co-founders Angela Muhwezi-Hall and her sister Deborah Gladney did just that for their career discovery platform, QuickHire. Listen in as these siblings explain how they pivoted from careers in editorial public relations management and college placement and career counseling to venture capital success. Muhwezi-Hall and Gladney explain how their upbringing in a small town in the Midwest, as first- generation Americans with Ugandan parents, helped to shape their “no excuses mindset.” After working at a nonprofit, Gladney realized that underprivileged youth who decided not to take the traditional education route weren't getting their fair share of opportunity. This birthed the idea of QuickHire. Learn how networking and tenacity earned the sisters spots in the competitive TechStars Accelerator Program, which helped them hone in on the product/market fit of their idea. Through the help of mentorship and continuous research, the duo focused on creating a platform that gives people what they need: equal opportunities, by focusing on empowering the job seeker to take hold of their career. So how does QuickHire stand out as a new job platform? Tune in and find out! 2:25 Muhwezi-Hall and Gladney share where their tenacity as entrepreneurs came from. 5:01 The career pivots that helped them to identify their passions. 11:37 Muhwezi-Hall shares how she convinced her sister to become her business partner. 16:11 What is TechStars and how did confidence, research, and preparation help them get in? 20:48 How do QuickHire's founders identify their customers? 21:54 What are the perks of participating in an accelerator such as TechStars? 24:08 How has mentorship made a difference in their success? 25:06 What is the business model? 26:55 What's the difference between QuickHire and LinkedIn? 31:11 Was it easy for each partner to identify their roles in the business? 43:50 What are the dos and the don'ts for women of color raising capital? 48:30 What is QuickHire's plan for the future with the capital it raised? 50:19 How do Muhwezi-Hall and Gladney define success? 53:44 Where can you learn more about QuickHire?
Guest overviewKathryn Finney defies norms, conventions, and stereotypes. For this powerhouse of a human, there is no glass ceiling. From epidemiologist to entrepreneur, to investor, author, and mentor, Kathryn is changing what is considered possible for a generation of marginalized and underrepresented Black and LatinX entrepreneurs. In this episode, recorded in two parts, we coverThe impact of her parents and extended familyHer father's life pivot from brewing to coding in his 30's which led her at aged eight to move from Milwaukee to Minneapolis.The early experiences of racism. Her grandmother's role in nurturing her entrepreneurial spirit and exposure to fashion. Her educational journey and impactThe serendipity of illness in Ghana that led her to epidemiology at Yale The life transition in her mid-twenties and setting up her fashion blog Budget Fashionista in 2004Being the first blogger invited to New York fashion weekHow her blogging opened the path to her first book dealBecoming a correspondent for the Today Show. The shift that occurred in fashion blogging as the category grew in 2008/9.Joining an incubator program and confronting racial prejudice.Creating a Women's Entrepreneurs Event Focus 100 Exiting her business in 2013.Creating the Project Diane a database of Black and LatinX women startupsThe genesis of her Digital Undivided How Covid accelerated a life transition and the creation of her micro grant Doonie FundReceiving funding from Pivotal Ventures for the creation of Genius GuildBuilding a coalition of like-minded change agents Creating her Podcast and Book Build The Damn Thing, her ‘a battle-tested guide for every entrepreneur who the establishment has excluded' Her 2030 vision Who we interview next?Social LinksInstagram Linkedin Twitter Podcast Show Links Donor-Advised Funds Genius GuildDoonie Fund Digital Undivided Project DianeBuild the Damn Thing - How to start a successful business if you are not a rich white guy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Calling All Disruptors! In this episode of Build The Damn Thing, you get to hear how friends, associates and the early attendees of Kathryn Finney's FOCUS event were positively influenced by the Genius Guild CEO's visionary thinking as a disrupter in the tech space. Kathryn shares how her “co-conspirators” — such as the founders of BlogHer and her business partner Darlene Gillard Jones — helped her build a powerful company based on her mission of empowering Black and Latina women in technology and helping them raise money through Digital Undivided. She also pioneered the groundbreaking research study, Project Diane, which exposed the disparities in venture capital investing in Black women businesses and went viral. But while all of this was going on, Kathryn not only had to combat some people misunderstanding her as a Black woman visionary who was often one step ahead, she had to overcome an unexpected health challenge and make some major decisions about her business and her personal life. Kathryn Finney is known as a pioneer in the fashion blogging community thanks to her blog “The Budget Fashionista” which has helped thousands of women dress chic and cheap. Kathryn not only has built a huge blogging community but also has been featured among "America's Top 50 Women In Tech" by Forbes and is greatly recognized by books like How to Be a Budget Fashionista and The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less. In fact, Kathryn is the living definition of a businesswoman who is always trying to generate new ways to share her knowledge about fashion and entrepreneurship just like she does through her platform the Genius Guild which, apart from having the podcast “Build that Damn Thing”, invests in companies led by Black founders. Insights from the Podcast: - How to build your team - How to leverage relationships - How to cultivate a work environment that creates a winning organization - Women of color often have to face tough decisions in their journey - How to know when to walk away - How sharing the data about the disparities in venture capital investing in Black women's businesses helped change an industry Quotes from the show: “One of the hardest things as an entrepreneur is to sell others on your big idea. That's exactly what I did when I started Digital Undivided.”— Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “They not only gave us the check, [BlogHer] literally gave us the manual for how they run events.” — Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “She asked me if I'd be willing to partner with her on an organization called Digital Undivided, that will…support Black women in technology. and I haven't looked back since." — Darlene Gillard Jones, Guest Speaker, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “Because of that relationship because of the trust and the friendship that we were able to grow and establish, we were able to, create something special and my life personally has changed because of it.”— Darlene Gillard Jones, Guest Speaker, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “But when we realized it was too early, like most things in my life and being a visionary — being a Black woman visionary — that's not necessarily celebrated. I see things many steps ahead.” — Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “Oftentimes, the people who are the strongest and who have it together are the very people that you need to check after.”— Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “Before ProjectDiane was released, the experiences of women in color in entrepreneurship were purely anecdotal—so whether you were a person of color or not, you had some idea that things just weren't the same for people of color in particular women and women of color in the startup space; but it wasn't until Kathryn and Digital Undivided came along to quantify that experience that really blew the lid off of that entire dynamic and conversation.”— Danielle Robinson Bell, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 “The hope was that Project Diane would be a catalyst. What I did not know was that Project Diane was going to fundamentally change the venture capital space in ways that still vibrate to this day.” —Kathryn Finney, Build the Damn Thing, Episode 5 Stay Connected: Kathryn Finney Website: https://www.kathrynfinney.com/ Twitter: @KathrynFinney Instagram: @hiiamkathryn Facebook: Kathryn Finney Genius Guild Website: Genius Guild Twitter: @GeniusGuild Instagram: @geniusguild LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genius-guild Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. __________ Credits: Produced by Genius Guild Content StudiosExecutive Producers: Kathryn Finney and Darlene Gillard JonesPost-Production Company: Prosper Digital TVPost-Production Manager: Joanes ProsperPost-Production Supervisor: Jason PierrePost-Production Sound Editor: Evan JosephCo-Music Supervisors: Jason Pierre and Darlene Gillard JonesShow Music: provided by Prosper Digital TVMain Show Theme Music: "Self Motivated" Written & Performed by Tamara BubbleSpecial thanks to Baratunde Thurston, Champions of Change: Tech Inclusion, and The Obama Administration
ETHINKSTL-110--Episode 9.1 Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the “real unicorns”, Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more: Website: https://www.digitalundivided.com digitalundivided
Entrepreneurially Thinking: Innovation | Experimentation | Creativity | Business
ETHINKSTL-110--Episode 9.1 Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the “real unicorns”, Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more: Website: digitalundivided
ETHINKSTL-110--Episode 9.1 Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the “real unicorns”, Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more: Website: https://www.digitalundivided.com digitalundivided
Who is Tawana Murphy Burnett? Tawana Murphy Burnett, former consultant turned startup employee and entrepreneur, is now a global marketing leader at Facebook helping the top 30 Global Advertisers like Estée Lauder and Johnson & Johnson become the best mobile marketers. Prior to Facebook, Tawana led brand and product teams at Intuit, LeapFrog, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson, leading P&L, Brand Growth, integrated marketing strategies and new product innovation for brands like Listerine, Advil, and ChapStick. Since 2017 Tawana has become an active investor in women and women of color owned businesses primarily through Portfolia and as a Member and Due Diligence Lead with Pipeline Angels. She has served on numerous Diversity and Inclusion councils, most recently joining Digital Undivided as an Advisory Board Member for StartUp Newark. Show Highlights Tawana talks about being inspired to get involved in angel investing because of what Terri shared with her about her desire to get more capital into the hands of female founders when they met in the Lufthansa lounge in Frankfurt. Tawana joined Pipeline Angels and shares her experience learning about angel investing, leading a deal, and getting more involved to invest in more women of color. Tawana has made 9 investments since she started less than two years ago. She talks about being excited about the community building piece, hosting more events, and getting involved with Digital Undivided in Atlanta and Startup Newark. Terri talks about leveraging AngelList as a ‘poor woman’s VC’ to be able to bring deals together and give women who are leading these deals some sort of compensation for the work associated with this. She also talks about the importance of building the ecosystem but also finding ways for women to get compensated for all the work we are doing for free. If Tawana could wave a magic wand, she would improve the public education system in the US and make sure it is financially supported. Terri’s Key Takeaway Be open to conversations with people; be open to new ideas; be open to education. References in the Podcast 4YFN: https://www.4yfn.com/ Mobile World Congress: https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/ Joanne Wilson (Gotham Gal): https://gothamgal.com/ Portfolia: https://www.portfolia.co/ Pipeline Angels: http://pipelineangels.com/ Kishau Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kishau/ Mented: https://www.mentedcosmetics.com/pages/ourstory Sephora Stands Accelerator: https://www.sephorastands.com/accelerate/ Nancy Hayes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyhayes2/ Fempire: https://www.fempiregroup.com/ Digital Undivided: https://www.digitalundivided.com/ Project Diane: https://www.inc.com/kathryn-finney/innovating-inclusion-digitalundevided-and-project-diane.html AngelList: https://angel.co/ Lynn-Ann Gries: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-ann-gries-44440/ Contact Tawana can be reached through LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tawanaburnett/ You can follow Terri on Twitter at @terrihansonmead or go to her website at www.terrihansonmead.com or on Medium: https://medium.com/@terrihansonmead. Feel free to email Terri at PilotingYourLife@gmail.com. To continue the conversation, go to Twitter at @PilotingLife and use hashtag #PilotingYourLife.
Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the "real unicorns", Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more: https://www.digitalundivided.com/
Entrepreneurially Thinking: Innovation | Experimentation | Creativity | Business
Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the "real unicorns", Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more:
Joining us today is Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of DigitalUndivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that takes an innovative, transformative approach to economic empowerment by encouraging Black and Latina women to own their economic security through entrepreneurship. DID accomplishes this goal by boldly empowering Black and Latina women to think BIG through the BIG Innovation Center, a 4,000 square foot space located in downtown Atlanta and the BIG Incubator program for high growth companies led by Black and Latina women. DID has impacted over 2000 people and helped companies raise over $25 Million in Investment. In this episode: What is Digital Undivided? How her dad, a senior system engineer at Microsoft introduced Kathryn to tech. Why Kathryn describes herself with the words Founder, Traveler and Innovator. When Kathryn became interested in social entrepreneurship. What was the genesis of The Budget Fashionista blog. How did Kathryn transition from hobby to business to exit. What is the FOCUS Fellowship and the BIG Innovation Center? What is a technology-enabled company? What did the #Project Diane research project tell us about the "real unicorns", Black and Latina entrepreneurs? What we can do to encourage Black and Latina entrepreneurs see the opportunities for themselves in tech vs. other types of entrepreneurship. Learn more: https://www.digitalundivided.com/
"I'm dedicating my life to supporting entrepreneurship in our communities and making sure that we're not only supporting our top performing founders from non-traditional communities...but that I'm also doing the work of inspiring our young people to pursue startup life as an option" Jason Towns is the director of residency with CODE2040, whose mission is to create access, awareness, and opportunities for top Black and Latino/a engineering talent to ensure their leadership in the innovation economy. Jason has 15 years of experience as a founder and advisor to startups, campaigns and nonprofits. Before heading to the Silicon Valley, he sat on the Washington, DC Mayor’s Tech Roundtable and served as an advisor to Digital DC, an initiative formed to promote and invest in the continued growth of DC’s tech ecosystem. Jason is a lifetime learner committed to the idea that technology can be a great equalizer and served as a CODE for Progress Fellow, focused on creating software to tackle large scale social issues. Jason and I chat about: The importance of diversity in tech Issues surrounding launching a startup, including team building The role of women and women of color in tech Current events and diversity initiatives in tech, including Project Diane, Stanford's new free tuition program and the launch of Tidal by Jay-Z and others Where Jason and I disagree on the best hip hop album And much, much more Tweetworthy! I just learned so much from @jhtdc of @CODE2040. My biggest takeaway was... Click above to tweet at Jason and share your greatest takeaway from his interview! Resources from our conversation: CODE2040' s website has all of their information including for the Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Fellows program Connect with Jason and CODE2040 on social media: Jason Towns Twitter - @jhtdc CODE2040 Twitter - @CODE2040 CODE2040 Instagram - @CODE2040 Free tuition for Stanford students Learn more about ProjectDiane DC Code for Progress DC Web Women R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center in Southeast Washington, DC Each week we highlight a woman-owned business in her own words-FOR FREE. If you would like to be featured in an upcoming episode and here on our website email [email protected] with your questions and comments. Michelle Y. Talbert is an author, recovering attorney and the curator of the Her Power Hustle Community. She’s passionate about networking and relationships and writes on business and entrepreneurship topics for a number of sites, including Black Enterprise and Killer Startups. Her new ebook, ‘Why White Guys Having Fun Make Great Mentors for Black Women,” (2015) chronicles advice and mentorship for Black women in business gleaned from her conversations with Guy Kawasaki, Peter Shankman and other guys in business having fun and at the top of their industries. Fill out the form below for more information on having your business featured for FREE on an upcoming episode of the Her Power Hustle Podcast