EMERGE INITIATIVE (for early-stage founders)

Starting a business is hard. For BIPOC entrepreneurs, it’s even harder.

Our nation’s persistent racial wealth gap means BIPOC founders typically have less access to the “friends and family” funding to sustain their earliest stages and generate enough traction to be competitive in front of investors.

Plus- just like any other new founder, they also need education, coaching, mentoring, and connections.

Emerge exists to help BIPOC entrepreneurs turn their side-hustle or far off dream into their full-time job.

The two month Emerge Initiative provides:

-Business fundamentals education

-Pitch opportunity with a $5,000, unrestricted grant award

-Subsidized technical assistance including legal, accounting, banking, and marketing support

-Peer-to-peer support groups and networking opportunities with other BIPOC founders

-Connection to later stage funders similarly focused on social and environmental benefit

Since 2021, Emerge has run 11 cohorts across 3 verticals: biotechnology, general technology, and food/beverage.

Historically housed under our sister organization, The BFM Fund and delivered in partnership with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, we're excited to announce that Emerge is now moving entirely under Venture Partners.

SCALEUP (for mid-size founders)

Many entrepreneurship programs are focused on the start-up phase.

However, this means that mid-sized businesses face a support cliff after getting their feet under them.

We’ve found that business owners making between 3-7M in annual revenue often struggle with stagnation and knowing what steps to take to launch into their next chapter and build meaningful generational wealth for them and their family.

Our newest program- SCALEUP- provides a 12-week curriculum covering:

- Start-up vs. growth accounting

- Cybersecurity

- Industry-specific compliance

- Tax considerations

- Supply chain and vendor relationship management

- Dilutive vs. nondilutive funding options

- Exit options: employee-led buyouts, attracting an institutional buyer, creating a succession plan, etc.

-Racial equity considerations

-Environmental sustainability considerations

CAPITAL ALLOCATORS FELLOWSHIP (for funders)

When it comes to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, founders bring brilliant ideas, but funders ultimately control the access keys.

Capital allocation roles have long been associated with elitism. But being removed from the crises marginalized communities face means these funders often get the solutions wrong.

Our 7-month Capital Allocators Fellowship shakes up the status quo by training intersectionality diverse individuals (including racial/ethnic, gender, and geographic diversity) to step into a funder role and represent their community’s true interests.

While our first three years focused on traditional venture capital, our subsequent cohorts will include education on socially-conscious, non-extractive, community-based financing practices aligned with the SE movement.

Fellows leave their experience with:

-A published white paper

-30+ hours of didactic education

-Extensive hands-on learning at a 2-month summer internship

-Expanded career options and capacity to build intergenerational wealth

-Placement support to land their first full-time role as a capital allocator

-Life-long access to a supportive alumni community

3 cohorts to-date

100+ diverse Fellows trained

80% placement rate 6-months post graduation

Strategic Plan

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

Goals/Achievements

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Goals/Achievements

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec eget commodo risus. Phasellus porttitor sodales nunc eu sagittis. Curabitur vitae sagittis augue, in porttitor elit. Praesent tempor orci nec velit pulvinar egestas. Aliquam ullamcorper velit eget accumsan convallis. Etiam in magna neque. Vivamus vitae ex aliquet neque lacinia lobortis.

Goals/Achievements

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec eget commodo risus. Phasellus porttitor sodales nunc eu sagittis. Curabitur vitae sagittis augue, in porttitor elit. Praesent tempor orci nec velit pulvinar egestas. Aliquam ullamcorper velit eget accumsan convallis. Etiam in magna neque. Vivamus vitae ex aliquet neque lacinia lobortis.

Goals/Achievements

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec eget commodo risus. Phasellus porttitor sodales nunc eu sagittis. Curabitur vitae sagittis augue, in porttitor elit. Praesent tempor orci nec velit pulvinar egestas. Aliquam ullamcorper velit eget accumsan convallis. Etiam in magna neque. Vivamus vitae ex aliquet neque lacinia lobortis.

Goals/Achievements

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec eget commodo risus. Phasellus porttitor sodales nunc eu sagittis. Curabitur vitae sagittis augue, in porttitor elit. Praesent tempor orci nec velit pulvinar egestas. Aliquam ullamcorper velit eget accumsan convallis. Etiam in magna neque. Vivamus vitae ex aliquet neque lacinia lobortis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec eget commodo risus. Phasellus porttitor sodales nunc eu sagittis. Curabitur vitae sagittis augue, in porttitor elit. Praesent tempor orci nec velit pulvinar egestas. Aliquam ullamcorper velit eget accumsan convallis. Etiam in magna neque. Vivamus vitae ex aliquet neque lacinia lobortis.

Our Partnerships

How to become a partner

Let's embark on a journey of mutual growth and innovation. Contact Luis to start a conversation about how we can collaborate to shape the future of venture capital.

OUR PROGRAMS

EMERGE INITIATIVE (for early-stage founders)

SCALEUP (for mid-size founders)

CAPITAL ALLOCATORS FELLOWSHIP (for funders)

Strategic Plan

Goals/Achievements

Goals/Achievements

Goals/Achievements

Goals/Achievements

Goals/Achievements

Our Partnerships

How to become a partner