Mandela SH Dixon, CEO of Founder Gym

This article was originally published on 03/18/2019 So you read my first article and decided you do , in fact, want to raise money to scale your startup? Great! Now you’re probably wondering, “What do I do now?” Well, I’m glad you asked. Next up, I will be walking you through the first six steps you should complete if you want to increase your odds of securing the bag. These steps have been proven effective by Founder Gym graduates I have personally trained, and I’m confident they will be helpful guideposts for you too. 1. Consult with founders who’ve already raised money Remember, you’re a complete newb here. You’ve never done this before, so be humble and seek out founders who have already achieved what you’re aiming to. Read their posts about fundraising, watch their interviews on YouTube, and if you have direct access to them, definitely ask them for advice. One of the biggest mistakes I see time and time again is when a founder tries to raise money without consulting with more...

This article originally published on 11/1/2018 I’ve personally raised venture capital, I’ve professionally worked with venture capitalists, I have close relationships with venture capitalists, and I operate the largest online training center for underrepresented founders seeking to better understand venture capitalists. I think it’s fair to say, I know a thing or two about these people, what makes them tick, and how they decide which founders to invest in. But the reality is: most others don’t. And why should they? Movies like The Social Network or shows like Shark Tank oftentimes serve as people’s first (and only) introduction to this world. So from the jump, people are misinformed about the “off camera” realities that accompany this type of entrepreneurship. That’s where my company, Founder Gym , comes in: we exist to educate underrepresented founders on what it really takes to build successful tech startups. For the next three months, Founder Gym has partnered with Afrotech to...