Latines are one of the fastest growing demographics in the country; that’s more than 62.1 million people that have over a trillion dollars of economic potential. Talented Latinx founders and their startups are also increasing in numbers across regions and industry sectors, yet traditional VC and angel investors are overlooking them.
This Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are honoring startup founders who are challenging the status quo and creating incredible companies. These intrepid founders caught our attention with their ideas and passion during their time in the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars.
Philly Tech Week is an annual celebration of tech and innovation. With a jam-packed schedule of meetups, speaker sessions, and virtual events, it’s a time for entrepreneurs and innovators to collaborate and learn. Now in its 12th year, Philly Tech Week is led by Technical.ly, a news organization that serves a community of tech professionals in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Delaware.
Recently, Danielle Cohn, Vice President of Startup Engagement and Head of LIFT Labs at Comcast NBCUniversal, sat down for a conversation with Neha Sampat, CEO of Contentstack and host of Dreammakers.
Comcast Corporation today announced a $1 million investment in Backstage Capital to support underrepresented founders at the earliest stages. Driven by Comcast NBCUniversal’s Startup Engagement team, this financial commitment will go toward Backstage Capital’s Opportunity Fund, which exclusively funds and champions early stage startups led by women, people of color, and/or LGBTQ+ founders. This commitment makes Comcast one of the largest investors in the fund to date.
Since the start of the LIFT Labs Accelerator in 2018, 43 alumni companies have raised a combined $96 million. In addition, 72% of LIFT Labs accelerator startups have secured proofs of concepts, pilots, or commercial deals with Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky due to the mentorship they received in the program.
Kidas is a Philadelphia-based startup that recently raised a $2 million pre-seed investment round to help protect children online. The software monitors PC games for online predators, bullying, hate speech, sexual content, and scams. Its technology sends parents weekly reports summarizing their child’s gaming activity and notifying them of threats. It also provides personalized recommendations on how to resolve dangerous situations.
Aside from the money, businesses seeking loans through Honeycomb Credit get a marketing bump too. Investors become evangelists of the business, making purchases, telling friends, and posting about it — and it’s driving real revenue. According to Honeycomb Credit Co-Founder and CEO George Cook, companies that run Honeycomb Credit campaigns see a 60% year-over-year increase in revenue.
Antonia Dean, Director of Startup Pipeline Diversity, Comcast NBCUniversal, and founders from SoloFunds and Honeycomb Credit, recently joined The VentureFuel Visionaries Podcast to discuss the impact financial challenges have on small businesses, especially those in underserved communities.
Rodney Williams and Travis Holoway are on a mission to make lending more equitable. In underbanked communities like theirs, they noticed family and friends relying on check-cashing operations or payday loan businesses to handle financial needs. There weren’t any fair, reputable options when people sought short-term loans.
