Hello!
I was invited to speak as the Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) Empower Hour guest this past Wednesday, February 10th. It's still slightly unbelievable to me that OVER 1,200 PEOPLE registered for the event and NEARLY 500 watched live! It was their highest attended Empower Hour yet. The topic was “Pitch Deck Basics” and it was an informal fireside chat. The replay will be posted on the DWEN Media Hub soon and I'll include it in next month's update.
The intense interest in a chat about pitch decks is hopefully a positive signal that we will see an upwell in women entrepreneurship. Nearly three million women have had to drop out of the labor force this past year, which is a shocking statistic but, sadly, not surprising. In the face of adversity these women are thinking of ideas, creating business plans, and learning how to pitch their narrative. As heartbreaking and infuriating as it is to see women forced to leave their jobs or put their ambitions aside, I am so excited to see the innovation that will come and the resilience we will show.
We have now worked with over 80 founders in the Scroobious Pitch it Plan™ with no sales or marketing to date. Another signal of the strong entrepreneurial spirit among undernetworked founders and their desire to execute. This organic growth also highlights the need for what we're building at Scroobious. Having a great idea, experience, and grit isn't enough without the ability to build both social and financial capital. Clearly and effectively presenting your narrative to the right audience is crucial and we're on a mission to help diverse founders do just that.
Read on for news on our upcoming web app release and where to catch me speaking - it's a busy month!!
Thank you for reading this. Thank you for helping us. I appreciate you.
Allison Byers, Founder & CEO
Each newsletter features the perspective of one of our members. Most are currently raising and I encourage you to reach out to them.
This month's featured founder is Michelle Kwok, the Co-founder & CEO of FLIK (Female Laboratory of Innovative Knowledge. FLIK is a platform & community hub connecting female founders/leaders and students across the world via meaningful apprenticeships. Founders get helping hands on their businesses - everything from marketing to software development and between - and a network of powerful leaders. Apprentices gain career-relevant experience, skills training, mentorship, and peer learning.
I've been lucky enough to bring on a few wonderful apprentices who have made tangible and meaningful contributions to Scroobious. There's no better way to learn than to actually do something, and these young women are gaining invaluable skills and real-world experience. I'm a huge fan of Michelle and what she's building. If you're a female founder reading this, I highly encourage you to check it out!
