Life changed the moment I looked at the text message on the iPhone resting in my lap. It was my last day in Washington, D.C. and I just finished a meeting with the owner of HeraHub to discuss a potential collaboration. Feeling good, I decided to drive with the windows down from Friendship Heights to Georgetown to the end of Halcyon Incubator in celebration. Luck would have it that I found a much-coveted parking spot right in front of my destination; I had made it.
After parking my car, I reached for my phone. It turns out Alonzo, my attorney, had called with what I guessed was another request for information from a government agency about logistics, plans or strategy details for EnrichHER. I felt an overwhelming sense of urgency to call him back.
Alonzo said, "I have great news for you. You are officially approved by FINRA."
I immediately responded with a question, "so does this mean that we can get started; or is there another step?"
He replied, "you're good to go barring…” - the rest of his words got lost in my excitement. All the months and years of frustration had finally brought me to this pivotal moment of tangible success.
I didn't feel the need to listen to the rest of the information he provided; I just knew then that I had finally surpassed the numerous roadblocks and difficulties that had prevented me from progressing. My goals were just a grasp away and all I could feel was happiness.
One might wonder what any of this has to do with discrimination in venture capital. The answer to this quandary is, everything.
Throughout my life, I was faced with others’ assumption that I did not belong in certain circles and conversations. I recall my mother having to call in the NAACP to stand up for me in high school after authoritative figures decided to scrap class rankings when I was selected as Valedictorian. I remember certain co-workers telling me that they would never consider me a doctor even though I had a Ph.D. I remember being told over and over that I didn't look smart. The obvious truth is that all of these experiences stemmed from the fact that people expected someone with my level of achievement to be male and Caucasian, or Asian and they were disturbed that I was neither.
In the face of diversity and disrespect, I set out to achieve whatever I wanted. I told myself that any negativity people displayed towards me was simply the manifestation of their own self-hatred. One must learn to focus on the goal ahead and silence any static displayed by other insecurities.
There comes a point while chasing success when you forget about keeping a balance between work and relaxation. One can easily lose themselves in the monotony of vicious work cycles. When I realized that this was happening in my life, I decided to move to an ashram in Thailand for six weeks. There I would eat off the land, study yoga 12 hours per day and live without internet or hot water to balance my chakra energy. Although the experience was much more difficult than I expected, I was still able to align myself with peace of mind, high-frequency energy, and acceptance that there truly is a place in the world for a Type A personality hippie with wanderlust. My Trip to Thailand was the tipping point where I regained confidence and focus. Following that point, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had all of these skills for a reason and I was determined more than ever to apply them.
I went to Thailand in search of peace and restoration. However, I left Thailand transformed into a Wealthy Yogi. For a few years following, I taught an intersection of yoga and finance classes, teaching people that they needed to be mindful and present before making decisions about anything. Through all of my coaching, lessons, and webinars I collected enough data to tell me that most people want to be in charge of their own economic footprint. The one obstacle that prevents most people from achieving their dreams is capital. There are many resources for those who want to learn or be inspired, yet not enough for everyone who is qualified or capable. The reality is if you are not a stereotypical male in the business world, you are instantly marginalized by the proverbial glass ceiling. Because of this, I became absolute about trying new avenues and started by co-founding Bootstrap Capital with three other entrepreneurs. Our motto is that “we are entrepreneurs investing in entrepreneurs”. The four of us arranged learning and investment sessions in front of investors for a variety of New Majority companies including ShearShare, MomSource, ArMR and more. While these joint ventures were fruitful and monumental in our track record, it wasn’t enough to fully resolve the issue.
As a serial entrepreneur, I knew I was tired of hearing comments such as "women don't ever have any good ideas" or "women can't run a business."
Here are a few comments from some of my LinkedIn followers about this topic:
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"You're too old to start a business" was another one. Many people believe that only 25-year-olds are fit to be business founders. (image fromhere)
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And my favorite comment of all - "Maybe we would believe in you or someone like you if you could find someone technical to join your team," to which I respond, "I have three engineering degrees including my AI. My doctoral studies focused on applying machine learning techniques to solve real-world problems. I used to work for IBM TJ Watson Research center and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Labs, two of the most prestigious technical research institutions in the world. Let alone that I learned how to code when I was six years old and used to design operating systems from scratch." I could have gone on, but eventually I stopped responding as it was evident what they meant and that is "you're not a white guy and I don't understand your existence."
So, I founded EnrichHER, a financial technology platform that is fueling the growth of women-led businesses by enabling female founders to secure $30k-$70k of capital in an affordable and non-dilutive manner. Similar to Kiva, we provide investors with an opportunity to lend to small businesses. EnrichHER Loans range from $50,000 to $75,000 and are made to pre-screened, women-led companies.
We are the driving force behind women who want to push their innovative ideas. We are at the forefront of advancing entrepreneurship for a traditionally underserved genre. Forget your boys' club and the stereotypical rule of thumb. We are expanding the carving of a new niche and creating a new lane. It was Ralph Emerson who said “foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” The saying motivates me, and I refuse to follow a tradition that excludes the creative energy of an ever-changing corporate world.
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Tiara Zolnierz CBDO EnrichHER, Dr. Roshawnna Novellus CEO EnrichHER, & Alisha Grifey COO EnrichHER
Who in the investment world gets me and the purpose behind EnrichHER?
The Halcyon Incubator Gets it
Lighthouse Labs Gets It
About Lighthouse Labs: Lighthouse Labs is the premiere nationally ranked startup accelerator in Virginia. We are a non-profit, mentor-driven startup acceleration program that provides $20,000 to accepted startups without taking equity. We connect promising founders with proven mentors, investors, support services, working space and lean startup education to move from idea to viable high growth venture in 3 months. Lighthouse Labs was the second accelerator program that EnrichHER joined.
Pipeline Angels Gets It
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About Pipeline Angels: Pipeline Angels is changing the face of angel investing and creating capital for women and non-binary femme social entrepreneurs. Our members serve as the friends and family round for entrepreneurs who may not already have support at that critical stage. Pipeline Angles was the first angel group to invest in EnrichHER.
and now
Techstars Gets It
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EnrichHER Team L to R: Joel Dixon, Tiara Zolnierz, Dr. Roshawnna Novellus, Alisha Griffey, & Sid Tanu
About Techstars: Techstars is invested in the lifelong impact entrepreneurs have on the world, so we empower our founders to make connections that last a lifetime. Once you’re a member of the worldwide network, you’re in forever, and we’re all here to help, because we #GiveFirst. Techstars helps entrepreneurs #DoMoreFaster. The amount of progress startups make in our three-month mentorship-driven accelerator programs would take about 18 months working on their own.
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About Roshawnna: Dr. Roshawnna Novellus is the Founder and CEO of EnrichHER, a financial technology platform that is fueling the growth of women-led businesses by enabling female founders to secure $30k-$70k of capital in an affordable and non-dilutive way. Similar to Kiva, we provide investors with an opportunity to lend to small businesses. Dr. Novellus is a gender equality advocate who believes in economic empowerment and inclusive economic growth. Dr. Novellus holds a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering, with a Minor in Finance, a Masters of Science in Information Technology emphasizing Information System Engineering, a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management Economics, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering – achieving Summa Cum Laude in each. Dr. Novellus has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, and Huffington Post. She has also completed the Pipeline Angels Fellowship, a Kauffman program in angel investing. Roshawnna served on the Commission on Women for the City of Atlanta and was honored as one of the Women Who Means Business by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, one of the 40 Under 40 by Georgia Trend, and as a Halcyon Fellow for Social Impact.
How can you participate?
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Lend to a female founder here.
Apply for funding here.
Requirements: 640+ Credit Score, $25K+ Biz Revenue, Time in Business 6+ Months, & U.S. Based
We are…
The world’s first and only, women entrepreneur-focused, debt-based funding platform.
A groundbreaking movement to unite founders and funders who share a vision for sustainable women-led ventures.
AS SEEN IN
What we do?
We help women get up to $250,000 to grow their business
Our Mission
We believe in inclusive economic growth and disrupting traditional and predatory access to small business financing. To create opportunities for women-led businesses, we focus on social change, empowerment and creative uses of monetary value. Through EnrichHER Funding, EnrichHER Society, and EnrichHER Spark, we are an ecosystem of entrepreneurs and capital providers who have pledged to support 10,000 women grow incredible ventures.
How you can participate in the EnrichHER Community?
Apply for funding here.
Invest in a female founder here.
Make a donation here.
Join our online community here.
Follow & Engage with us on social.
https://www.instagram.com/ienrichher
https://twitter.com/ienrichher
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ienrichher
