PledgeLA Founders Fund

The best ideas have never been bound by zip codes. But access to the capital needed to scale them is not equal – especially for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs.

The PledgeLA Founders Fund goal: generate five times the economic impact in jobs, capital, and revenue for every dollar we raise. After a successful pilot program in South LA, we’re expanding access to Black & Latinx entrepreneurs across LA County.

Click here to read about the combined impact of the 2021 and 2022 cohorts.

Meet the 19 companies selected for the 2023 Founders Fund Cohort!

The PROGRAM

This is about more than funding – it’s about relationships and growth. To help take their businesses to the next level, we have selected 19 companies to be part of a dynamic cohort, where each will receive:

Three months of tailored training & support
1:1 advising and ongoing support
$25,000 in non-dilutive funding
Weekly coworking sessions at BioscienceLA

PARTNERS

FAQS

When and where?

Our program runs for 12 weeks, meeting once a week on Thursday evenings. All sessions will be hosted virtually (via Zoom).

DO I HAVE TO BE BASED IN LOS ANGELES?

Yes. We’re looking for entrepreneurs and businesses based in Los Angeles County. We especially encourage applications from less well-represented communities, such as East Los Angeles, South Central/South Los Angeles, Southeast Los Angeles, and the Antelope, San Fernando, and San Gabriel Valleys.

WHAT IS THE WEEKLY COMMITMENT?

Each week consists of 2 hours of facilitated sessions plus assignments, office hours, accountability groups, and occasional workshops. Like anything, you get out what you put in. This program is specifically designed to allow you to focus on running the day to day operations of your business, while layering in support where needed to help you meet key milestones.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PARTICIPATE?

The program is free for all accepted companies. Companies must go through an application process to be eligible for this program. To add, Grid110 does not take equity in or provide funding to any company.

IS THE PROGRAM FOCUSED ON ANY THEMATIC VERTICALS?

We welcome applications from any field, sector, or industry. Knowledge and skills taught and reviewed during the program are applicable and transferable to ideas form all sectors & industries. While most businesses are tech enabled, you do not necessarily need to be a “tech company” to be considered. Our companies range across various types of products/services: SaaS, mobile apps, e-commerce, CPG, food, social enterprises, fashion, B2B software, health/wellness, AI, sports, beauty.

ARE THERE ANY MINIMUM METRICS OR BENCHMARKS NECESSARY TO QUALIFY FOR THE PROGRAM?

We do look for companies that have at least a proof of concept, prototype or MVP with some early validation (customers, revenue, or funding). The majority of companies selected for the program are live with their product or service, but we have made exceptions for promising products/founders.

WHO ARE THE ADVISORS OF THE PROGRAM?

Mentors and advisors come from various fields and have many years experience. They will give you insights into multiple subjects including but not limited to lean business, problem/solution identification and validation, customer discovery, digital marketing, sales strategy, fundraising, pitching and much more.

CAN MY WHOLE TEAM PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM?

As this program is focused on founders, only the founder and one additional co-founder are invited to participate in the weekly programming. If your team has more than two members, please contact programs@grid110.org for more information.