Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has launched a new venture capital firm, Build Your Legacy Ventures (BYL Ventures). Build Your Legacy Ventures This innovative firm aims to create growth in sports and entertainment industries by connecting founders with industry leaders. “This fund is not just about capital,” Antetokounmpo stated in a press release. “It’s about forging partnerships and opening my network to accelerate the growth trajectory for companies. I want to help other entrepreneurs, especially those who have faced barriers, to grow and succeed.” Backing Women in Sports BYL Ventures
Ada Ventures, a prominent early-stage venture capital firm, has launched AdaGPT, an AI tool designed to assist startup founders in perfecting their pitch decks. The free and anonymous platform promises to provide instant feedback on pitches, helping entrepreneurs address potential gaps and align their materials with investor expectations before formal submissions. Addressing the Challenges of Pitch Feedback The traditional startup pitching process often leaves founders waiting for extended periods, only to receive feedback that may highlight fundamental errors. AdaGPT seeks to eliminate this inefficiency by offering immediate, actionable insights. Founders
SocialCrowd, co-founded by Raphael Akinsipe, has successfully raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round led by Bread and Butter Ventures and Augment Ventures. This latest investment, which also saw participation from VC 414, Serac Ventures and FullCircle will support SocialCrowd’s expansion, following a $1.6 million pre-seed round in February. The startup seeks to elevate performance and engagement among frontline and shift-based workers across industries. “Fitbit for work” Platform Founded in 2022, SocialCrowd has carved a niche in helping industries with high turnover rates, such as retail, manufacturing, and hospitality,
TJ Taylor, who previously helped shape popular platforms like Raya and Dispo, has entered the venture capital world with the launch of Hobart Ventures, an $8 million fund dedicated to consumer-focused startups. Built from Taylor’s experience in consumer tech, Hobart Ventures will focus on early-stage investments in a sector often overshadowed in traditional VC circles. Hobart Ventures Aims to Support Early-Stage Consumer Tech Taylor’s pivot to venture capital comes after years in the tech industry, where he not only co-founded a stock app but also played a key role in
Research Grid, an AI-driven company dedicated to automating clinical trial administration, has raised $6.5 million in seed funding to streamline trial workflows and reduce costly delays. The funding round, led by Fuel Ventures and including backers like Ada Ventures, Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab, and Arāya Ventures, will help Research Grid expand its engineering, R&D, and marketing efforts, with a focus on US and Asian markets. This investment supports Research Grid’s mission to cut down on the labor-intensive administrative tasks that can hinder the speed and success of medical research.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), SoFi has launched the Give Her Credit campaign. The digital financial services platform has teamed up with tennis icon Venus Williams and Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink to spotlight progress in women’s financial rights and inspire ongoing change. The campaign will provide $500,000 in grants, distributing $10,000 each to 50 selected individuals or groups to boost projects promoting women’s financial independence. 50 years of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act Passed in 1974, the ECOA marked a
Former NASA aerospace engineer and future Blue Origin astronaut Aisha Bowe has raised $2.5 million for LINGO, her EdTech company focused on enhancing STEM education. This funding round, led by Pinnacle Private Ventures LLC, is a step towards a venture capital aimed at supporting women and minority-led startups. Expanding Access to STEM Education LINGO offers project-based coding kits and curricula designed for students aged 13 and up, covering subjects such as artificial intelligence, space systems, and environmental monitoring. The funding will enable LINGO to expand its reach, scaling programs that
BBG Ventures, the New York-based venture capital firm known for supporting female founders, has raised a new $60 million fund. Co-founders Susan Lyne and Nisha Dua, who launched BBG Ventures in 2014 with a vision of investing in women-led startups, announced that the fund’s focus now includes founders from diverse backgrounds across race, income, and age. Meeting Market Needs in a Challenging Economy Amid a significant decline in venture funding for underrepresented groups, BBG Ventures’ decision to diversify its founder support comes at a critical time. In the first half
MaC Venture Capital, a venture capital firm known for its focus on seed-stage investments, has successfully raised $150 million for its third fund, as first reported by Fortune. This latest fundraising round brings the firm’s total assets under management to $600 million, a remarkable achievement for the five-year-old firm founded by Marlon Nichols, Adrian Fenty, and Mike Palank. Strategic Growth and Investment Focus The infusion of $150 million allows MaC to increase its initial investment size to $2-3 million per startup, up from its previous average of $1.5 million in
Earthbond, a Nigerian startup that helps small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) go solar, has raised $200,000 in pre-seed funding from Madica, an Africa-focused investment firm. The funding will help Earthbond expand its solar services to more businesses, offering a cleaner and more affordable energy option as Nigeria faces rising fuel prices. Making Solar Power More Accessible Founded in 2023 by Chidalu Onyenso, Earthbond connects businesses with solar power providers, including installers and loan options, to make adopting solar energy easier and more affordable. Onyenso, a Harvard MBA and experienced product
