1 day agoNew Year, New Members: Brian Hecht and the path to running an acceleratorBy John Kregler, StartOut Brian Hecht (he/him) always dreamed of becoming a journalist but never let any door stay closed. After years of working in print and TV news, Brian felt the career path wasn’t an end all be all. With an innate entrepreneurial instinct, he worked on several startups…4 min read4 min read
6 days agoNew Year, New Members: Erica Crell, DPP, and the expanding opportunities for Delaware’s LGBTQ+ foundersBy John Kregler, StartOut Our mission at StartOut is to “accelerate the growth of the LGBTQ+ community to drive its economic empowerment, building a world where every LGBTQ+ entrepreneur has equal access to lead, succeed, and shape the workforce of the future.” Every year, we leverage hundreds of strategic partnerships…3 min read3 min read
Jan 17New Year, New Members: Level Up Ventures’ Iyke Iwotor is making sure VC backs diverse founders in 2023By John Kregler, StartOut Iyke Iwotor (he/him) is a Venture Analyst with Level Up Ventures, “a mission-driven investment vehicle created to close the wealth gap through investment in high-growth startups led by Black and Latino founders.” …4 min read4 min read
Nov 15, 2022Checking in with Growth Lab Grads: Maca Baigorria and AvocademyBy John Kregler, StartOut Cohort 8 graduate Maca Baigorria (she/her) took Avocademy to the next level in 2022. The company is a career education program that helps people transition to the UX/UI design field. …3 min read3 min read
Nov 15, 2022Checking in with Growth Lab Grads: Bastiaan Ellen and Mr. HudsonBy John Kregler, StartOut When Bastiaan Ellen and his co-founder decided to apply their company, Mr. Hudson, for the StartOut Growth Lab’s 9th cohort, they were hesitant. Bastiaan (he/him) was nervous that the accelerator would pull the pair away from the business they were increasingly busy with. …3 min read3 min read
Nov 15, 2022Checking in with Growth Lab Grads: Paige Williams and AudPopBy John Kregler, StartOut With Cohort 11 applications for the StartOut Growth Lab in full gear, we’re catching up with our alums. …3 min read3 min read
Nov 3, 2022Ascending the Silicon Hills: Relaunching the Austin Chapter with Lindsay PowellBy John Kregler, StartOut Members of StartOut Programming Boards come from all backgrounds, industries, and life experiences, but all are bound together by one common goal: helping LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs to succeed. Lindsay Powell (he/him) is one of them. Lindsay is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Tech Ranch — an…6 min read6 min read
Oct 25, 2022Hernan Lopez: A StartOut TrailblazerBy John Kregler, StartOut On October 20th, we gathered in NYC to celebrate the 11th Annual StartOut Awards honoring leaders of LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship. Hernan Lopez, our 2022 Trailblazer awardee, has truly lived a life paving the way for others. From a very early age, Hernan learned the value of working…3 min read3 min read
Oct 25, 2022Al Wynant’s path forward with Ingomu and the Denver Programming BoardBy John Kregler, StartOut The volunteers who make up our Programming Board are the lifeblood of StartOut. They’re seasoned entrepreneurs, proven leaders, and community builders who embody a dedication to LGBTQ+ founders. And we’re growing every year. To coincide with the launch of our 2023 Programming Board application, we’ve spoken…5 min read5 min read
Sep 30, 2022StartOut Education Founders: Sheena Macrae and the power of storytelling for kidsBy John Kregler, StartOut Sheena Macrae (she/her) is an artist-turned-entrepreneur with a passion for educating children. For nearly eight years, Sheena’s worked on a storybook brand called Ollie Club that inspires and motivates young kids on their journeys with food wellness. When beginning, Sheena didn’t think her brand would expand…5 min read5 min read
