Frequently asked questions

About Founderland

What is the purpose of Founderland? + We aim to level the playing field for all entrepreneurs, by addressing the most underrepresented: women of colour. Less than 0.5% of venture capital in Europe has gone to women of colour founders, and we exist to increase the number of funded and resourced businesses run by diverse leadership. We believe doing so creates new representations of entrepreneurship for the next generation of founders.
Who does Founderland serve and why? + We support women of colour founders based in Europe and the UK, who’ve faced obstacles tied to their ethnicity and race in their business journeys. Our focus on women of colour means we primarily support women with ethnic background or heritage in Africa, the Caribbean, South & Central America, South & Southeast Asia and the Middle East. We believe that leveling the playing field for all entrepreneurs means addressing the most underrepresented, and that is women of colour.
What services and/or benefits does Founderland provide its community? + Founderland provides peer community, mentorship, free and discounted business tools & services, inspirational events + workshops, and support with fundraising via warm introductions and pitch preparation. You can find out more about Compass, our investor-readiness program here: https://www.founderland.org/compass.
How does Founderland measure impact? + Founderland measures impact across our three core pillars: peer community, increased visibility and access to capital for women of colour founders. We track the growth of our community and follow capital raised by our founders.
How can I financially support Founderland? + Thank you for support, you can donate directly via our Bank with the following information: Account Holder: Founderland gemeinnützige UG // IBAN: DE19430609671270874300 // BIC: GENODEM1GLS // If you require a donation certificate, please email accounting AT founderland DOT org.

About the Team / Founders

Who started Founderland? + Founderland was started by Alina Bassi, Deborah Choi and Stephanie von Behr, and originally called Tech in Colour. Read the full story on our inception, launch and name change via our Medium (LINK).
Who’s part of the operating team at Founderland? + You can view our team here: (LINK).
How can I join the team at Founderland? + Open positions are posted on our Careers page. We also welcome unsolicited applications from motivated individuals, which can be sent to hello AT founderland DOT org. Finally, our community is also built by passionate allies. If you do not see a suitable open position, consider lending your time and expertise as an Ally:(LINK).

About the Community

Who is within the Founderland community? + Founderland brings together women of colour founders, allies and investors to get more diverse, sustainable and scalable businesses funded. Our ecosystem is geographically focused on founders and businesses residing and operating in Europe and the UK. We are industry agnostic but require each founder to have a MVP.
What if I don’t have an existing business? + If you don’t have an MVP but you are interested in becoming a founder we encourage you to join our community. Please send us an email hello AT founderland DOT org and subscribe to our Newsletter. We’ll keep your information on record and let you know when we have resources to help you get started!
What if I’m based outside of Europe and the UK? + Our current funding only allows us to support businesses within this region. However there are many amazing communities overseas for you to join. Here our top three:
1. Afro Tech (for People of colour, US based)
2. Create & Cultivate (for Women, US based)<
3. Digital Undivided (for Latina and Black Women Entrepreneurs, US based)
How is “woman of colour” defined by Founderland? + By ‘women of colour’, we refer to women who experience the effects of processes of racialisation, class and gender domination as well as other sources of inequality, particularly hierarchies of legal status (Bassel and Emejulu 2017). The women founders in our community hold ethnic backgrounds or heritage in Africa, the Caribbean, South & Central America, South & Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
How can I get in touch with the Founderland community? + ○ Are you a woman of colour founder?: LINK
○ Are you an ally interested in providing your time and expertise?: LINK
○ Are you an investor interested in diversifying your portfolio?: LINK
○ Simply interested in keeping up to date with Founderland?: LINK

About the Ecosystem - Investors and Allies

What role do Investors play in Founderland? + Investors play a critical role in how diverse the entrepreneurship landscape in Europe is. When investors register with Founderland and share details on their fund or angel investment focus, we then review, match and connect investors with relevant founders and startups within our ecosystem. We believe that doing so helps funds and angels diversify their pipelines and connect with “out of network” founders.
What role do Allies play in Founderland?+ The reality is, the power to level the playing field for all entrepreneurs in Europe, does not only rest with the ‘check writers’. We all have the ability to support underrepresented founders with their business strategy and road maps. This is why Founderland sees allies as essential change-makers within our ecosystem. Most allies provide their time and expertise via 1:1 virtual ‘office hours’ and/or virtual workshops for founders within our community.
What is an Ally? + An ally is any person that actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional, positive and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole. Everyone has the ability to be an ally, as privilege is intersectional - white women can be actionable allies to people of color, men can be allies to women, cis people can be allies to members of the LGBTQI+ community, able-bodied people can be allies to those with different abilities, economically privileged people can be allies to those who are not, and so on.