fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
MacKenzie Scott, would you please consider donating to my dad’s gofundme.
Tags: ALS, Mackenzie Scott, Fundraising, Donations

MacKenzie Scott, would you please consider donating to my dad’s gofundme. He has recently been diagnosed with ALS after working his entire life. His last day of work was May 15th 2020. He has no retirement and his employer has dropped his Insurance. I just want him to be able to get the necessary equipment he needs to be comfortable while he’s still here. His disease is progressing rapidly. ALS is still 100 % fatal. Any amount is helpful, even just sharing his GoFundMe page would be a blessing. Thank you for reading this and God bless you. ❤️

https://gf.me/u/zcmhxt
Support Creativity & Play Among Children of Haitian Descent
By: Sara Yang
Tags: Dominican Republic, Haiti, Fundraising, The Joumou Fund, Gifts

Contribute to the Joumou Fund’s sixth annual toy drive & fundraiser. Photo by Simona Sergi on Unsplash

My incredible friend Gess is a beautiful person, mother, and visionary. She’s the kind of person who will extend herself deeply for friends and community. And is constantly making ripples in her family, community, and the world.

As a woman of Haitian descent, Gess continues to pour into her heart’s community. This year, she’s organizing to support The Joumou Fund & its annual fundraiser to provide gifts and a healthy meal to over 100 children & families of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic.

The Joumou Fund

The Joumou Fund is a service based, social justice organization. Alongside established local organizations, they help alleviate poverty, create unity, and uplift communities of the African diaspora. Front and center in all of their initiatives is exploring issues of identity and belonging.

Annual Toy Drive & Fundraiser

Inspired by the creative ways that children play, founder Daphne Etienne started a toy drive & holiday celebration in 2016 to help encourage and foster creativity among children of Haitian descent in the “Batey” communities of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

“Rich or poor, all children deserve to play.” — Daphne Etienne

Photo by Tina Floersch on Unsplash.

How you can support

Our goal is to collect at least 200 toys & books to donate this holiday season.

Shop Kids’ Gifts from Black-Owned Businesses

Shop & ship directly to Daphne at The Jomou Fund while supporting black-owned small businesses.

Some shops that we have bookmarked:

Puzzle Huddle — children’s jigsaw puzzles featuring diverse characters

Little Likes Kids — a trusted source for thoughtfully designed, quality toys

Brown Toy Box — changing the narrative, inspiring & equipping young Black innovators

Paper Play + Wonder — a black-owned printable toy shop created by a mom wanting to build a culturally inclusive line of toys that promote positive self identity and belonging for her kids and countless others

Or, get inspired through gift guides here:

24 Gifts for Kids from Black-Owned Businesses from Jenna Milliner-Waddell at NY Mag

Message us for the shipping address!

Browse the Amazon Wishlist

Browse & ship toys and necessities directly to The Jomou Fund through their Amazon Wishlist.

Donate Directly

Donate any amount directly to The Jomou Fund to support this program:

Donate via website

Zelle, Venmo, or Paypal at daphney@joumoufund.org

If you have additional questions or concerns — please reach out!

Feel free to reach out over email or Instagram. We’re here to make this fundraising as supportive as possible. Thank you for the generosity!
A Tip to Raise Funds from Private Investors!
By: Jonathan Ans
Tags: Fundraising, Entrepreneurship, Income, Business, Entrepreneur

The point that raising fund would be how you can illustrate your business plan.

The purpose of why you need funding will be important. Are you going to scale up your business or you just want somebody to pay your salary? This will affect the possibility of getting the funding or not.

Some people wrote a 1–2 year plan and then they go to the investor. Usually they cannot get the funding because 1–2 year is not enough. Most of the project cannot gain profile in first few year. At least, you have to write your business to the year of break-even. This can give the investor a hope to exit or to gain profit.

You have to get your financial projection ready. Again, please project it to at least the year of breaking even. Let’s say you’re going to loss money in the first 2 years. Then you need to project 4 years. For example, you can break-even on the third year and have a 20% profile in the forth year.

You are going to put your feet into your investor’s shoes. What the investor wants is to gain profit greater than the stock, like 50%, 75% overall return in 5 years.

It will be better for you to provide an exit plan for them. For example, you are going to buy back their shares at what price if the company can have xxx% profit.

Leave a comment below if you have other strategies.
MASSIVE IMPACT to Stop Executions in 2021!
By: Death Penalty Action
Tags: Death Penalty, Fundraising, Covid 19, Covid 19 Crisis, Protest

There’s talk. And then there’s ACTION.

Death Penalty Action was created to make sure there is space for anyone who wants to TAKE ACTION to stop executions. Thank YOU for being a part of this movement, because only together will we create the change we wish to see.

Here’s the good news: Together we are making the difference!

You can see the IMPACT we are having together in how images of our public actions are often used to illustrate otherwise unrelated news items. For example, on Friday Time Magazine ran an image of last week’s Human Rights Day action at the Department of inJustice in Washington, DC. (Our powerfully inspiring 2 minute video from that action is here.) The same image was in the New York Times on Thursday, and just wait until you see what’s coming in the New York Times on the 21st!

It’s more than that. Our petition to President-Elect Joe Biden was received at the highest levels of the Transition Team. Because of YOU, we’re meeting with Transition Team staff on Tuesday (12/22).

HERE’S TWO ITEMS FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION:

ACTION #1 — COVID-19 has hit the federal death row, infecting Corey Johnson and Dustin Higgs, who are scheduled to be killed on January 14th and 15th. Because of this, Death Penalty Action has a new petition addressed to incoming Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. We aim to have this petition on Acting AG Rosen’s desk when he arrives to his new position next Wednesday. As I write this there are under 15,000 signers. Will you help get it over 50,000?

.

ACTION #2 — Death Penalty Action has experienced MASSIVE growth in the past ten days. Our e-mail list has grown from 26,000 people to over 250,000! If enough people help, we will grow our team of staff and volunteer leaders so that we can have MASSIVE IMPACT in 2021.

Our top priorities for the first part of 2021 are:

Push hard to stop the federal executions Jan 12, 14 & 15, and if they happen, to make sure the world knows about it;

Jan 12, 14 & 15, and if they happen, to make sure the world knows about it; Push hard to stop states from resuming executions (all states have paused executions due to COVID-19, but some are indicating they might resume soon);

(all states have paused executions due to COVID-19, but some are indicating they might resume soon); Push hard to ensure that abolishing the federal and military death penalty is part of the agenda for the first 100 days of the Biden Administration and the new Congress.

To do all of that and more, we invite your generous investment today. Whatever you can chip in now helps ensure our success in 2021.

.

Thank you. If you have feedback or ideas to help us have greater impact, please reply to this e-mail to write to me directly.

Yours in the Struggle,

— abe

Abraham J. Bonowitz, Director

PS: ALSO: Death Row Survivor Ahmad Issa survived 22 years on Ohio’s death row for a crime he did not commit. He just celebrated one full year in freedom. He can use your help to resume his life in freedom. Click here to learn more and help him recover.
Your Guide to Early-Stage Venture Capital in the Nordics.
By: Madeline Lawrence
Tags: Series Seed, Fundraising

About the Map

The map shows the active early-stage (pre-seed and seed) investors from the Nordic countries, including Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland! (Sorry, Iceland! Next time). These are funds that invest with ticket sizes between 100k and under 5M, converging around 1M.

We have decided to zoom in on institutional investors in tech/software. For this reason, we have not included corporate venture capital funds (CVCs), family offices, and highly verticalized investors (ex: agriculture, health, hardware).

National vs International Focus

To help you navigate the Nordic venture landscape, we differentiated between funds that have a national and international focus (international meaning they invest Nordic/Europe/Worldwide) All of the light grey logos are funds that invest nationally (ie. A Finnish fund that invests only in companies from Finland). The funds with black logos have a wider geographic scope.

There are, of course, venture capital funds that invest in companies in the Nordics but are not themselves based in the Nordics — like us at Peak Capital, for example. This map shows funds from and with their HQ in the Nordics.
Supporting Brianstrust Charity in 2021 with Geoff Worsley
Tags: Brainstrust, Fundraising, Charity

TBSC is happy to announce we continue to team up with Geoff Worsley, along with Brainstrust, to help those diagnosed with brain tumours moving into 2021. We want to show our on-going support to Geoff as he continues to run marathons and raise funds to help those diagnosed with brain tumours.

“Geoff does not consider himself a runner, he considers himself a friend. When Geoff’s friend was diagnosed with a brain tumour, she spoke to him about the support she had received from Brainstrust. Feeling inspired, Geoff set himself a year-long series of challenges to raise funds in support of everyone who has heard the words, You have a brain tumour.” — Logbook (Brianstrust Magazine) September 2020, issue 11 (https://brainstrust.org.uk/geoffs-year-of-challenges/)

Geoff is passionate about helping those with brain tumour diagnoses and in 2019 ran 5 Half Marathons and 1 Ultra Marathon to support the work of Brainstrust. With 2020 changing the way we live and work, some events were postponed. But Geoff showed his dedication to the cause and was able to overcome the 2020 obstacles. He continues to push forward with fundraising, even if that means social-distancing will not allow a crowd to gather and cheer him on.

Geoff goes to say “Since lockdown, of course all major events have been cancelled, but so many converted their events into virtual. I ran a virtual 100km event, several half marathons and half a dozen 10k races and my first official marathon — London!”

Brainstrust provides the education, care, and support throughout the treatment process. They also offer cutting-edge research and create a sense of community to those with a brain tumour diagnosis. Brainstrust certainly stands out with their charitable work, contributing to an array of areas including:

Focusing on the well-being of those diagnosed with brain tumours

Accessible on a national level

Addressing isolation issues and creating communities

In 2019, roughly 94% of respondents who used brainstrust.org.uk stated it was a helpful tool, giving resources and providing confidence. (For more information, please visit: https://brainstrust.org.uk/)

Nothing is holding Geoff back from helping those in need! Geoff has 2021 planed with events that you can cheer him on virtually at!

Geoff’s 2021 Events:

London Walk, 13 miles — February

– Silverstone 10k

– Richmond Marathon — March

– Goring 50k Ultra — May

– Race to the King, 88k — June

– London Asics, 10k — July

– Run to the Castle, 60km — August

– Thames Path, 100k — September

– London Marathon (TBC) — October

– Great South Run -October

If you want to see what Geoff is up to, follow him on Facebook for the latest fundraising updates: https://www.facebook.com/geoffsbrainstrust

We are so proud of Geoff for his hard work and dedication. We happily sponsor Geoff in his fundraising for Brainstrust. If you would like to learn more, get involved, or give, please visit Just Giving: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/geoff-worsley

We will continue to post updates on Geoff’s fund-raising journey. Thanks for all your work Geoff!
Satire: New Money making schemes for your city, organization, or personal pocket
By: Left Wisdom
Tags: Satire, Fundraising, Trump, Casino, Comedy

The picture got from BBC Site

Starting in mid-December, 2020, a new fundraising craze hit the United States. Before long, it showed signs of being the new HUGE way of generating revenue if you were in need of quick cash. Of course, cities that had suffered blight over the years benefitted the most, but there were more humble ways of raising money using the same general templet that could be used for more humble funding raising needs.

And to think, we owe a debt of gratitude to trump for inspiring this beneficial new course. It started in Atlantic City, where the city leaders realized that there were people willing to donate money in order to be able to hit the trigger that demolished an eyesore seen above in its last days. Yes, this particular eyesore was abandoned by the Trump organization when they realized they were not going to make a killing in the city. The former casino had been literally littering the streets with pieces of itself for almost 20 years.

Now, with the new bright idea of the city leaders, they had a way that would get rid of this eyesore AND generate money. Well, needless to say, there was huge interest. So other cities got the bright idea that if they had a dilapidated casino, they too could rake it in. So a trend started. Cities build fake casinos, after all, who knew the difference. One ugly building pretty much resembles another, and the important thing was the trump sign on the front.

With these efforts, cities across America find huge revenue coming in, because many people enjoyed fighting back against the trump mania that had so devastated so much of the nation, This ushered in a whole new level of prosperity for American cities, and brought the nation together as nothing else could.

Oh, and for small organizations or individuals just needing extra cash, there was the video below, which spread the holiday cheer throughout the land. It was especially exciting for Christmas but people enjoyed it all year long. And the money went for such a good cause, too.

***Please note that like all good satire, it has a kernel of truth in it.
Looking Back Over the Last Four Years
By: Flippable Team
Tags: Politics, State Legislature, Democracy, Fundraising, Impact

Our final impact report is here. In 2021, we’ll continue as Swing Left.

We recently announced that Flippable’s work in the states will continue in 2021 fully under the Swing Left banner. As we prepare to say goodbye to Flippable, we invite you to take a look at our final impact report, where we reflect on what we’ve accomplished over the past four years.

A lot has happened in the states since Flippable’s founding in November 2016. Our report will take you through these highlights, from the historic flips we helped bring about to the progressive policies our alums have passed.

Here’s what a few alums have said about Flippable’s support over the years:

“Fundraising was difficult this year mainly due to COVID. By featuring me with 9 other candidates one day, I raised enough to make up for 1–2 fundraising events I was unable to hold myself. This financial support gave me the resources for the campaign to aggressively push forward until Election Day.”

— Representative Mary Frances Williams, re-elected to the Georgia State House in 2020

“You helped us flip a seat that’s been in Republican hands ever since the district’s lines were drawn.”

— Representative Joe Rosenthal, elected to the Texas State House in 2018

“Without you, I couldn’t be a voice for the people. You are making a difference here in Virginia.”

— Former Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy, elected to the Virginia State House in 2017

Flippable Co-Founders Chris Walsh (left) and Catherine Vaughan (right) with Flippable alum Jennifer Carroll Foy (center), who is running for governor after serving in the Virginia House of Delegates.

We couldn’t have supported candidates like these without you and the rest of our incredible community.

Whether you joined the Flippable Fund, knocked on doors, made phone calls, or helped raise awareness about the importance of states, you played a crucial role in changing our democracy for the better. Please read our impact report to get a full sense of what we’ve achieved over the years with your help.
https://leedsbeckett.shorthandstories.com/how-social-media-has-helped-approach-the-subject-of-captain-tom-moore-s-journey/index.html Check out my recent journalism piece written for a uni project.
By: Britney Pease
Tags: Inspirational Stories, Fundraising, Captain Tom, Social Media

How Social Media has helped approach the subject of Captain Tom Moore's journey

What he has done to help motivate members of the public in 2020
Loan for your unlimited dreams and responsibilities
Tags: Money, Fundraising, Fintech, Finance, Loans

Loans help you enjoy life fully, without holding back.

Whether you are dreaming of an international vacation, a perfect wedding, buying the latest gadget in the market, undertaking home renovation or anything .

Get loan with abhieo Upto 10 Lakh online with instant loan approval at lowest interest rates and zero documentation at your doorstep without going anywhere .

Transparent Eligibility Criteria

1. Be salaried or self-employed

2.Should be aged between 21 years and 57 years

3. Monthly in-hand income of 15000 or More

4. Income should be received in bank ?

5. Min Credit score of 700

Benifits & Features :

Simple & 24*7 Online Paperless Process

No more visiting banks, financial institution and filling out long forms. Just relax and fill out online paperless application

No collateral required

One of the benefits associated with an online personal loan is that it is unsecured in nature. This means you don’t need to pledge any collateral for your loan.

Easy Approval

You can get personal loans that are quick and easy in approval. This is why it is the best bet in times of financial emergency. Moreover, the process has become digital; thus reducing time in the verification process.

Multipurpose in nature

It is multipurpose in nature and can be used for anything. Other forms of credit when taken are for a specific purpose and can be used only for the same. For example, a home loan is used for purchasing a house whereas a car loan is taken to buy a car.
BlackFin Tech Weekly — December 21st
By: Romain Grimal
Tags: Fundraising, Fintech, Bftw, Startup, Venture Capital

Well! Looks like we almost made it to the end of 2020! After a long and trying year, Christmas is only few days away! Even though it might look different this time around, Santa knows no travel restrictions!

And for the last issue of our BlackFin Tech weekly in 2020, European Fintechs salute this horror year with a boom, raising a total of €250m+ accross 12 deals! Taking the crown this week is GoCardless. Indeed the recurring payments solution raised a $95m round this week with Bain Capital leading the round. The round values the company at $970m, just a few million shy of obtaining the highly-coveted unicorn status. This round follows a 46% year-on-year growth (checkout TechCrunch’s article about the raise here), as the company benefited from an increase in online payments during the pandemic.

Geography-wise, while dominated by the UK (7 deals) yet again, this week was quite international, with 6 countries represented: France, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland with Net Guardians.

Sub-sector wise, this week was dominated by Banktechs and Payments with respectively 5 and 4 deals each. Regtechs were also present with 2 deals, as were Wealth Management startups (Vestrata) with one deal.

Let’s dive in:

Made with ❤ by BlackFin Tech

This week on show:

Lydia app raises a $86m extension to its Series B:

The company, founded in 2011, is a mobile payment app. It enables you to send payments to another user as long as you know their phone number.

With 4m users in France, the company has the biggest P2P network in Europe, after Paypal.

In the next few years, Lydia plans on developing more financial products including credit and savings, and expanding to more countries, starting with Portugal, and three other countries in 2021.

The french fintech raised $45m in January 2020, bringing its series B to a grand total of $131m, which is quite great news for the French Fintech ecosystem.

Accel led the round, with exisiting shareholders also participating.

Taxdoo closes a $21m Series A:

The German fintech is a tax compliance platform for e-commerce companies.

Founded in 2016, its goal is to simplify the complex VAT, accounting and compliance requirements, bringing the data into one single place and automating tax calculations thanks to their own tech.

The round was led by Accel, with Visionaries Club, 20VC and HGTF also participating.

The funds will be used for international expansion, grow the team, R&D, sales and customer support.

Congratulations to Zilch, Five Degrees, Conio Team, Neufund, Cledara, eXate and Form 3!

//And what else?
DANCE STUDIO FACES FINANCIAL PROBLEMS AFTER SECOND LOCKDOWN
By: Isabel Bushell
Tags: Unit 12, Dance, Lockdown, Fundraising, Government

DANCE STUDIO FACES FINANCIAL PROBLEMS AFTER SECOND LOCKDOWN

Unit 12 Logo and Sign

UNIT 12 in Winchester, Hampshire has been in financial crisis during the second lockdown after being refused the government grant.

For the past ten years, this facility has been providing dance classes for young people of all abilities however, after going into another lockdown the dance studios have been left empty.

Unit 12’s main dance studio throughout the second lockdown

This has caused them great fear that when the dance classes can return in the release of the lockdown that they won’t be able to recover financially.

The pandemic has meant that the facility has not had its usual source of income being provided and the hundreds of people that they help have been unaware of whether they would have dance studios to come back to.

Mitch Allen, Dance couch for Intergate Dance said:

“It has taken a toll on their mental health because a lot of them come here for a break away from school and life at home so it's quite a bit of an outburst for them.”

The facility has stayed open in the second lockdown, so it can provide emergency food packages for over 40 families in need. But this has meant that they haven’t been provided the government grant, causing the facility to lose 7,000 pounds worth of income.

Worker packing the food deliveries for the families

Jamie Robinson, Manager of Unit 12 said:

“They only provide the grant for businesses that are shut. We have stayed open because we have physiotherapy, counseling and food projects going”

He added:

“We are really trying to challenge the decision-making on that and hopefully with enough support we can try and get a grant.”

In the meantime, the facility has been fundraising to get them through to Christmas such as Jamie’s 24 hour sponsored row which raised over 3000 with donations still being given.

He said

“I had to do something drastic and a 24 hour row with no training I thought was drastic enough”.

Their only hope is when the dance classes return after the second lockdown, they can get the financial support that they need, and things can return to normal.
2020: A Year in Crowdfunding
By: Pozible Team
Tags: Review, Announcements, Fundraising, Crowdfunding, Creative

Thanks to everyone that has been a part of the Pozible community for 2020. We’ve been able to host some amazing campaigns from some wildly creative people, that have gone on to make a whole array of products, books, films, music, startup businesses, theatre productions, artworks and endless other creative pursuits.

This year has seen some really challenging hurdles for so many people, and we’re also really proud to be able to assist a whole lot of organisations, charities, causes and initiatives to raise much-needed funds when they needed it most.

Now that the end is finally in sight, we’d like to take this chance to look back on some of the most notable events, campaigns and milestones we achieved together over these last 12 months.

Thanks to everyone who has made a pledge, drafted a project, launched a campaign, shared a post or has been inspired by a vision. We are all lucky to be a part of the innovation and creativity that this platform produces and we can’t wait to continue shaping the future together.

— The Pozible Team
Community Spotlight: MatthewOrMatt
Tags: Charity, Tiltify, Tiltify Community, Fundraising

Tiltify: How have you used incentives on Tiltify to raise funds?

MatthewOrMatt: Milestones have been a phenomenal way to get people engaged in contributing to a campaign by way of me basically making a fool of myself usually haha. People love hitting milestones under the guise of me having to do something like play a scary game, do a special cooking/art stream, marathons, etc. Not only does it promote the charity but it also gives the creator a solid reason to do something new and fun on stream too, seems like a win/win to me (if you can live with the clips that may come from eating a chip so hot you’ll think your ears are bleeding).

Milestone Unlocked! MatthewOrMatt raps for charity goal.

Tiltify: What’s inspired you to make a difference through fundraising?

MatthewOrMatt: I decided to start fundraising because I genuinely felt like Twitch could be utilized as a platform to drive both awareness and direct contributions to a wide variety of causes/orgs. My biggest inspiration came from the annual Games Done Quick (GDQ) speedrunning events where millions of dollars are raised each year in support of phenomenal causes where gamers come together to watch amazing content under the umbrella of charity. Fortunately, at the present, I am in a position where I am able to dedicate time to pursuing the idea of making the world a slightly better place in my own way. As such I decided to create my own little movement known as Selfless Streaming.

Tiltify: We love that name of your movement! What’s your favorite part about fundraising? What’s your favorite part about using Tiltify?

MatthewOrMatt: [Tiltify] allows me to support a wide variety of causes with the highest level of (financial) integrity possible, that is extremely important to me.

My favorite part has been the connections made throughout the community we’ve created and hearing about how doing something positive on Twitch has impacted people in their offline world as well. Additionally, the statistics shared by some of the organizations really shows you just how far your dollar can go when it comes to raising funds and how the money will be used to support a specific cause.

Tiltify: Thank you SO much for taking the time answering these questions. Our community never ceases to astound us with their creativity and thoughtfulness. Best of luck in your future fundraising efforts!
Top Ten New Fundraisers from Last Week — 12/7–12/13
Tags: Charity, Tiltify Top Ten Weekly, Fundraising, Tiltify

What happens when Thankmas launches? Absolute fundraising mayhem. If you didn’t watch Jacksepticeye and friends destroy fundraising goals, let’s just say we are absolutely stunned!

Another week of amazing Tiltify experts, crushing goals, hitting milestones, and being freaking awesome.

Together, the Tiltify community hosted 2,510 new campaigns with nearly $5 Million dollars raised across 204 charities!

$5. Million. Dollars.

Here are the top ten new campaigns from last week:
DO SOMETHING ACTIVE EVERYDAY WITH RED JANUARY ON THE CHALLENGE ACCEPTED APP
By: Steph Mandeville
Tags: Mental Health Awareness, Challenge Accepted, Self Care, Fundraising, Mental Health

Do something active every day with RED January on the Challenge Accepted app

Kick Start 2021 in a positive way — RED January & the Challenge Accepted app

RED January returns next month with its annual month-long fundraising campaign challenging people across the UK to get active every day in January to support their own mental health and raise funds to help others. This year participants can keep track of their progress and stay motivated using the Challenge Accepted app.

Participants can take part in any activity from walking, cycling to kicking a football about in the garden, and have the option to fundraise for Sport in Mind, the UK charity that uses sport and physical activity to improve the lives of people experiencing mental health problems.

More than 150,000 people have taken part in the RED January campaign since it started, raising millions of pounds for mental health charities. There are numerous benefits to regular physical activity, with a key mental health gain being the reduction in the risk of depression by up to 30%.

Hannah Beecham, Founder of RED January comments: “We know how tough 2020 has been for everyone, and we strongly believe that RED January can help people to start their 2021 in a really positive way. I was originally inspired to start RED January after witnessing the transformative effect that regular exercise had on my mum’s mental health. I hope we can help to get the nation’s mental health moving in a positive direction again with RED January 2021.”

Launched July 2020, and already winner of ‘Theo Paphitis Small Business Sunday’ Challenge Accepted is a motivation app that helps people discover, track and complete personal challenges. Be it 30-day health and fitness, reading lists and more. The app comes with challenges for people to complete immediately and also gives them the option of adding their own.

“Like RED January, the Challenge Accepted app is designed to help you stay motivated in a fun, flexible and inclusive way — with whatever goal you’re working on. It’s all about setting manageable goals whilst being active and entertained — with the flexibility that allows you to skip days, or restart your challenge if you need to without feeling guilty about it.” Steph Mandeville, Challenge Accepted Co-Founder

Signing up is easy and free, people can register at joinredjan.co.uk and download the Challenge Accepted app on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to tick off each day they’ve been active.

Over 70% of REDers are likely to continue what they started during RED January if they’re given the support and motivation to do so. Following RED January, people will be able to continue to track their days of doing something active on the Challenge Accepted app and get support through RED Together to stay motivated and active beyond January.
Announcing Topknot’s raise
Tags: Fundraising, Personal Development, Diversity And Inclusion, Women In Tech, Startup

Today, we celebrate an important milestone in Topknot’s journey: We’ve raised $650K from Homebrew, Uprising, Base Ventures, 27V, and Backstage Capital, along with notable angels like Phin Barnes, Nick Caldwell, Melissa Tidwell, and Laura Butler. Our newest investors join our earliest backers — Merline Saintil, Jeff Lawson, Aston Motes, Joe Greenstein and Rachel Sheinbein, to name a few — in fueling and supporting our next stage of development.

While we are incredibly proud of this raise, fundraises are just part of the journey, not a destination unto themselves. We started Topknot in February with the mission to provide women with intentional support to realize their potential. We recognized that existing supports were tailored to and accessible by the deeply accomplished, and that there was a huge opportunity — and for us, a moral imperative — to democratize access to the tools and resources known to catalyze meaningful change.

At Topknot’s inception, we established three pillars to guide our work: equity, intentionality, and growth. These pillars are foundational to all of our efforts, fundraising being no exception.

We believe the status quo will only change with an emboldened and activated collective of diverse women. Our commitment to building with and for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ women has stood firm since our inception. It was critical to us that women — and in particular Black women — were a part of the early financial fabric, and ultimately the success, of our company.

Half of our angel investments are from women by both headcount and dollars. Notably, nearly a quarter of our angel investors by headcount are Black women and they represent 31% of commitments in dollars. Of our angels, 44% are BIPOC and they represent 38% of dollars invested. We see similar diversity in our funds — all have BIPOC in senior leadership, and two of five have Black general partners.

We want to say unequivocally that none of this is an accident. We were thoughtful about from whom we took intros, how we talked about our work, and who got an extra nudge via email when the distractions of this fall sunk in. Every little bit mattered. And we are thrilled by the outcome.

The funders who’ve backed us are exceptional. As individuals and funds, they’ve experienced success and have sent the proverbial elevator back down to ensure more rise to their level. Their commitment to creating opportunities for others makes them the perfect partners.

Just like for the women on Topknot, our company’s growth is enhanced when done with the support of others who provide space for processing, skill building, and introspection. In this round of funding, we’ve gained coaches, collaborators, and cheerleaders. With their support, we’re ready to tackle the next part of our journey.

There’s lots to look forward to on the Topknot roadmap; expect exciting updates and new features shortly. To stay in touch, sign up to receive our newsletter [link].
Product update, December 2020
Tags: Investing, Fundraising, Neuupdate, Product Development

With the end of the year approaching, we’ve thought it would be a good idea to look back at the work our team has done in the last few months. We’ve worked to strengthen our internal processes, improve platform stability and move the mobile app one step closer to its release.
Black founders can pitch for a $100,000 investment
By: Capital Factory
Tags: Fundraising, Austin, News, Startup, Pitching

Panel discussion during Capital Factory’s 2019 Black in Tech Summit

Black founders can pitch for a $100,000 investment

On February 16th, during Capital Factory’s Black in Tech Summit, five technology startup finalists will be judged by a panel of successful entrepreneurs, industry leaders and mentors. One startup will walk away with a $100,000 investment that day!

Who can apply?

Any tech or consumer startup with a black founder can apply to pitch at our Black in Tech Summit.

The best opportunity and pitch will receive:

Admission to Capital Factory’s VIP Accelerator

$100,000 cash investment on a SAFE or Convertible Note using Capital Factory’s term sheet and your most recent funding valuation

Access to the Capital Factory Mentor network

Up to $250,000 in potential total hosting credits from AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Asure and other major hosting providers (each individual offer is different and subject to change)

Featured on an episode of Capital Factory’s Austinpreneur podcast

Think you’ve got a shot at $100,000? Apply now to be one of five teams selected to pitch. You could walk away with $100,000 and a new home at the Center of Gravity for Entrepreneurs in Texas! Application deadline is January 22.

Want a chance to pitch? Submit your application

Who has won Capital Factory’s Black in Tech Investments before?

Winners include thriving Texas startups like Dallas-based ShearShare, Houston-based GroupRaise, and Austin-based Journey Foods. We’ve helped winners connect with customers, mentors, and secure capital from Google, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Fund, Backstage Capital, and many other VC investors.

Dallas’ ShearShare has a marketplace connecting stylists with available seats at salons and $2.3 million in funding

Houston’s GroupRaise is a marketplace that helps groups of 20–200 people make reservations at restaurants willing to donate a percentage of the sales back to a charitable cause.

Austin’s Journey Foods uses AI to create sustainability recipes for food manufacturers.
If You Donate I Appreciate It
Tags: Donate, Fundraising, Fund, Donations, Monetary

Many of us Authors, Writers and Social Media Influencers create content on various platforms to display our work to reach the masses, and hope that our supporters will enjoy and appreciate our consistent efforts, writing is one of my long time passions, creatively communicating through written. words alongside great conversations about love and life is the key to happiness I believe, and everyday I am generally happy and vibrant with a peaceful yet upbeat aura with a positive vibe, no matter what is happening in my life, I remain solid and only write positive content coming from a high energy frequency and vibrational level.

Beings there is an option to accept donations I have attached a form below. you can make a one time donation, frequently or nothing at all the choice is yours, and I’m happy if you choose to only read my content, regardless I would like to thank you for stopping by and I appreciate all your support.

More information at: kaluxemedia.com
EIB to co-invest to AI startups in Europe
By: Ava Ventures
Tags: Startup, Fundraising, AI, Funding, Venture Capital

Last week EIB has announced their initiative to co-invest 150M EUR into promising AI startups across EU and EU-related regions. This means that EIF now joins the AI race, where the USA and China are clear dominants at the moment.

Artificial Intelligence — the global race for dominance.

The saying that data is the new gold is so old that nobody takes it seriously anymore. At the same time, the playfield has never been equal for everyone. China has identified it as a priority vector a while ago and started various government supported programs to develop the nations AI ecosystem. Now they are challenged only by the USA.

For example in 2018 the U.S. AI startups have received over $9.3 billion in venture funding. While the latest governmental venture capital fund alone has committed to invest into AI over $30 billion.

Now EU is finally getting into the game with the 150M EUR initiative. Of course, this is no anywhere near the numbers in China nor in the U.S., but it is a good start for sure.

Who are eligible for EIB AI Co-Investment Facility?

In order to receive the investment funds and companies should meet certain criteria.

Eligibility criteria for the VC funds — funds, which are providing long term venture capital investments in the form of equity, hybrid debt-equity, or another type of late-stage or growth financing. For the companies — SME’s, large midcaps, and small midcaps who are developing, actively working, or incorporating an Artificial Intelligence core. Minimum investment 1M EUR.

What is the process of receiving the investment from the AI Co-Investment Facility?

There are just three steps in the process:

1. Once a VC fund had identified and approved investment internally, they submit a completed approval form for a co-investment proposal.

2. EIF reviews the submission.

3. If approved, EIF invests on pari-passu terms.

To conclude the topic, the initiative is definitely great and we are hopeful that this instrument will be oversubscribed early. AI is one of the technologies we are focused on and thus we are glad to see the help from EIF in the development of the AI industry in the EU.
Keep Fundraising Simple
By: Ash Rust
Tags: Fundraising, Entrepreneurship, Startup, Venture Capital

Today, we’re talking about keeping it simple when you’re seed fundraising.

Almost everybody goes through a rough patch when fundraising and it’s tempting to take investor feedback around your market, competition or similar issues and go straight down a deep research rabbit hole.

These kind of deep dive analyses don’t tend to sway investors. You should definitely have a document with answers to the common objections, but that’s obviously not the same as writing an 8 page white paper on your differentiatiors.



Sometimes a lead investor just won’t materialize. Rather than doing tons of research it’s usually better to go back to focusing on customers. All Investors will eventually say yes to traction.
Neufund secures 4m Euro financing, seeks a financial license and keeps rocking!
Tags: Startup, Investing, Fundraising, Neuupdate

Dear Neufund community, supporters and spectators,

After a crazy 2020, and with all its obstacles and challenges, it feels like some good news is due. Well, we have some :)

Today, we’re announcing that Neufund has raised 4m EUR of funding.

This round was secured internally, with support from our existing investors. Massive thanks to Christophe Maire (Atlantic Labs), Udo Schloemer (Factory Berlin), Freigeist Capital and Dario Suter (DCM)!

Of course, it’s a big deal for Neufund. But we believe the great news will have ripples much further and wider, as it’ll fuel our mission to make funding and fundraising more open, accessible and inclusive for anyone, anywhere.

With that in mind, here’s what we’ll use the funding for:

We’ll accelerate hiring and product development

Growing our team means we can fire on all cylinders and work on new products and features that’ll make Neufund even more usable and accessible.

We’ll apply for a financial license.

From the outset, we’ve followed financial regulations strictly and developed our business on the understanding that digital assets should be regulated like financial instruments. We’ve always been compliant and transparent, and with this funding round we can take further steps in this direction. Obtaining additional financial licenses would also allow us to expand our services and products.

Fundraising campaigns are Go!

Yep, we’re starting up the engines again.

We paused fundraising campaigns earlier this year in order to restructure the business to fit ever-evolving fintech regulations. Like many companies, Neufund was also affected by the global pandemic. And so we decided, quite deliberately, to fly under the radar for a while so we could creatively rethink and constructively rebuild. That’s exactly what we’ve done, and the rocket is almost ready for lift-off. We’re super-excited to let you know that we’ll re-open applications for fundraising campaigns at the start of 2021.

Positive priorities

Going forward, we aim to intensify our focus on, and work more closely with, impact-driven small and medium-sized businesses: those that are or could be profitable, while solving some of the world’s urgent problems and contributing to sustainable development.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll repeat it again: we believe firmly that innovating, building and contributing is the priority of our generation. Despite 2020’s hardships, we’ll work hard to help the market recover, to help entrepreneurs thrive, and to make our world better.

You’re the best

We’ve dug deep this year, and found reserves of resilience that helped us turn lemons into lemonade. For that, we owe a huge amount to our community. We want to thank you for your support, for believing in our team, and for the path we’ve walked together. We’ve seen every message you’ve sent us, felt your solidarity, and appreciated having you at our side.

We can’t wait to take a big leap into 2021.

See you there!

Zoe

CEO and co-founder of Neufund
What is an emergency fund and how do you calculate it?
By: Mary Abiodun
Tags: Investing, Fundraising, Emergency Fund, Emergency, Investment

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

An emergency fund is just as the name implies. It serves emergency purposes. It is that money you can always run to when you don’t have any other means of income.

If for example, you were laid off at work like most people were during the early days of the global pandemic or if you needed to cater for the health challenges of a loved one or any sort of emergency at all, there should be money kept somewhere that you can run to. That money is your emergency fund.

The purpose of having an emergency fund is so that you don’t go begging unnecessarily.

It is possible to calculate how much you might need to have or save as an emergency fund.

How do you do this? It’s simple!

Ask yourself, “What amount do I really need to survive in a month? Or what is that amount that takes care of all my monthly expenses?”

When you get this amount, multiply it by 6 or multiply it by 12.

This will provide you with the amount you need to keep for survival for 6 to 12 months in the event of any unforeseen occurrence.

6 months is the least but you can have more than 6 months and you can prepare for a full year too.

Let’s take an example.

Imagine all your expenses for a month is N30, 000 (or the equivalent of 600 cedis) for food, transport, groceries, toiletries, internet and any other important needs you can’t do without.

Multiply this by 6 and you have N180, 000 (3600 cedis).

This should be the least amount in your emergency fund before you even think of investment.

Having an emergency fund is for you to have something to live on when something goes wrong with your finances. What’s the essence of investing all your life savings with no backup to cater for yourself in the case of an emergency?

When you invest your money, you don’t have access to that money for a period of time. Having an emergency allows you to have money stashed away to take care of yourself and your loved ones.

This is pure wisdom and it is something you should think about.

If you have taken care of your emergency funds and are now ready to get started with investments, check out these four questions you need to ask yourself before you start investing.

Looking to get started with investing in stocks? platforms like Investsika and Bamboo might interest you.

Know other interesting investment platforms? do share in the comment section. I would love to get a glimpse of them.

Don’t forget to also to clap and share this article to friends who might find it helpful.
The last round of funding for 2020
By: Sally Yazji
Tags: Investing, Fundraising, Entrepreneurship, Business, Startup

Great news! for startups all over the world, FasterCapital extended the last round of funding for 2020. Don't wait and apply directly:

https://fastercapital.com/entrepreneur/joinus.html?c=19945

contact us: https://wa.me/971555855663
Abdinajib is a 9th-grade student at the Abaarso School of Technology and Science in Somaliland. He lives with his mother, father, and 8 siblings. Abdinajib says on Schoolfund.com “I’m a writer and I…
By: Chitara Smith
Tags: Education, Fundraising, Students, Schools, Technology

Meet the 9th-Grade Student in Somaliland Who Wants to Be a Writer Too.

Abdinajib from theschoolfund.com

Abdinajib is a 9th-grade student at the Abaarso School of Technology and Science in Somaliland. He lives with his mother, father, and 8 siblings. Abdinajib says on Schoolfund.com “I’m a writer and I like to write descriptive stories. Back in Hargeisa when I was young, I used to go to a public school called Qudhac Dheer and I always liked to draw pictures. For my future, I want to be a social worker, because it is rare to see any educated people that are fighting for poor people’s rights.”

If you want to help make Abdinajib dream a reality consider donating to his tuition directly here.

My goal is to help fund the rest of the 20 students at Abaarso school's full tuition paid by featuring their stories. Donate at the link above.
(Media) Let’s Discuss “BSlade aka Tonex Vs Darrl Walls Scandal…**EXPOSED**
By: Hood Evangelist
Tags: Christianity, Mental Health, BlackLivesMatter, Church, Wellbeing

(Media) Let’s Discuss “BSlade aka Tonex Vs Darrl Walls Scandal…**EXPOSED**

the old black church and black gospel news with Hood Evangelist. Click the links below to check out her reactions for celebrity Pastors and false prophets like: Td Jake’s, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Prophet Brian carn, Marcus Rogers, Pastor Kimberly Brown, Pastor Jamal Bryant, Prophet Java Passion and More

Click Link to Video Below

https://youtu.be/E2EXiFV0OuY

Hood Evangelist Website

http://hood-evangelist.ml

Subscribe to Hood Evangelist YouTube Channel:

https://youtube.com/channel/UCHQIEPzrkqumQfGcht2X8wQ