Lana: Glad to be with you, Spiffy! Toxicity on social media permits some of us to let loose our worst instincts. This negatively impacts the well-being of the people we rely on to lead and progress our communities. This results in “digital repression,” which challenges our democracy and society by silencing marginalized voices online. Areto Labs was created to fix this problem. Our technology creates safe and welcoming online communities using machine learning to track, moderate, and counteract social media abuse.
Keith: Hi there, Spiffy! Thanks for inviting me. We launched in 2019 with a mission for providing access to capital, networks, and opportunities to African-American founders of high-growth startups in a variety of sectors. We aspire to change the narrative regarding the lack of venture capital that goes to African-American entrepreneurs, as well as close the wealth gap.
Tracey: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! Did you know that founders from some of the largest and highest growth populations have historically been underfunded. As commonly cited, less than 2% of VC funding goes to minority and female founders. However, these communities are driving the US economy forward, and these founders are outperforming the average. As a result, many problems faced by underrepresented communities have gone unsolved, high-potential founders have been underfunded, and significant spending power has been untapped. SoGal Ventures, founded by Pocket Sun and Elizabeth Galbut, is doubling down on the thesis that underrepresented founders, underserved problems, and undercapitalized geographies are the biggest investment opportunity of our time.
