To Founder Gym: Goodbye and Thank You
After four and a half years of building Founder Gym into the leading training program teaching underrepresented founders how to raise venture capital, I am saying goodbye and expanding the possibilities for how my life will be used to make a positive difference in this world.
Founder Gym’s current cohort — FG Fundraising Cohort 18 — will be our last graduating class. Next month, look out for the official graduation article announcing who these esteemed founders are, and join us in celebrating their accomplishments.
I want to express my utmost gratitude to my incredible co-pilot, Paige Hendrix Buckner, our amazing team, our community of founders and trainers, and our longtime partners and friends who believed in and supported our mission. Since 2017, we have been hard at work perfecting a program that could provide the most under-resourced founders the chance to learn how to access a game-changing tool — venture capital — to scale their companies and achieve their dreams.
From day one, our motto has been, We All Go Up Together, and it was our intention to build a diverse and inclusive community of entrepreneurs that are genuinely invested in each others’ success. When only 2.1% of venture capital funding goes to Latinx founders, 2% goes to women founders, 1.3% goes to Black founders, and a dismal 0.34% of funding goes to Black women founders, a collective force and united movement are what is needed to create change.
To our entire #FGFamily, I am so proud of you. Your accomplishments are what we celebrate today!
While amazing progress has been made and I am incredibly proud, I have decided it is time for me to close this chapter. Although the next leg of my professional journey will look different, I remain committed to the mission of creating a more accessible and equitable startup ecosystem. My life’s calling is to build as many bridges as I can — between people, perspectives, and all that seemingly makes us different — so we can realize how similar we all are and how deserving each person is of the chance to make an impact they can be proud of.
As I say goodbye, I would like to thank everyone who has supported me, our team, and our Founder Gym community. And to our FG Graduates, I want to extend a special thank you. If it wasn’t for your courage to believe in yourself and act on your dreams, Founder Gym would have never had the opportunity to serve you. You have been, and will continue to be, the lynchpin of the entire startup ecosystem, and my wish for you is that you always remember your power and trust in your ability to be the change you wish to see.
With gratitude,
Mandela
