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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.

Compass

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Compass >

About Compass

General

Who can participate in Compass? + We are excited to offer Compass for early-stage Founderland members who will be raising angel or VC funds within the next 6 months to 1 year.
I do not meet the requirements for Compass—is there any way I can stay involved with the community? + Yes, of course! Founderland is a place for all; not just founders, but investors, allies, and anyone interested in entrepreneurship without barriers. If you are a woman of colour founder, apply here: (LINK). To sign up for the Founderland Newsletter, please use this link: (LINK). To apply to Founderland as an investor or ally, please visit: (LINK).
I am interested in being an angel investor or mentor for participants of Compass. + Thank you for your interest. You can get in contact with hello@founderland.org.
How is this different from already being a part of Founderland? + At Founderland, we provide a peer community, mentorship, free and discounted business tools & services, inspirational events + workshops, and support with fundraising via warm introductions and pitch preparation. Compass is Founderland’s investor-readiness accelerator, where participants have access to a program for founders developed by founders, live workshops led by experts, and individualised pairing with angel investors who will serve as mentors and advocates.

Application Questions

How can I join Compass? + Applications are open until July 15th, 18:00, CEST. The link to apply is here: (LINK).
I see that one of the requirements to apply is to be a member of Founderland. How can I join Founderland as a founder? + We accept applications from women of colour founders who are based in Europe or UK to join our community at Founderland. You can submit one here: (LINK).
I know someone who would be great for Compass. How can they apply? + We appreciate your thoughtfulness. Please refer them to our application here: (LINK). If they are not currently a member of Founderland, they can apply here: (LINK).
How many people will be accepted into Compass? + For our inaugural launch of Compass, we will be accepting a maximum of 16 founders.
What industries is Compass open to? + Compass welcomes founders and startups from all industries.
How is the selection process done? + Our Founderland team will evaluate startups based on objective criteria that measure the strength of the model, strategy, and feasibility of the business and its team. This information will be taken from a startup’s Compass Application. After evaluating applications, we will send out acceptance and rejection notifications.

Program Logistics

How much does Compass cost? + Compass has no cost barriers attached to it. At Founderland, our priority is to build an inclusive standard for entrepreneurs and knock down barriers that are often in place in the journeys of women of colour founders. Therefore, the program is cost-free and equity-free. All we ask is your full commitment and effort.
How much time is required to participate in Compass? + The required time commitment is 10 hours weekly (4 hrs live sessions) and self-paced learning (5-7 hrs/week). However, to get the most out of Compass, we suggest that founders spend 15 hours a week on the program.
I have already participated in accelerators in the past. How is Compass different from other programs? + Compass by Founderland uniquely focuses on programming designed for facing barriers in the entrepreneurial space. We hone in on teaching practices that will navigate bias in negotiation and pitching. In addition, our angel investor pairing is a unique process in which each member of the cohort is specifically paired with an angel sponsor who will serve as their advocate and facilitate warm introductions to investors.
Is the program virtual? + Yes, all of the programming is virtual at this time.

Compass Programming

What will program participants be doing? What are workshops like? + Every week, there will be live sessions with experts in the entrepreneurial space who have years of experience and knowledge. These experts, many of whom have been both founders and investors, will act as coaches and mentors to the cohort. In addition, there will be self-paced learning that will help participants practise what they have learned.
What will I gain from Compass? + In addition to Founderland’s existing community, resources, and perks, participants in Compass can expect to walk away with an angel investor advocate committed to facilitating warm introductions with other investors, a peer accountability network of founders and industry experts, and extensive experience and confidence in investor negotiation and pitching, especially in trickier situations where there is bias in play.
What happens after Compass? + After participating in Compass’s 5 week program, founders will be able to use the skills, experience, and relationships built in the program to launch their companies to a new level. Founders can expect to ace the next pitch and seamlessly raise funding with their newly developed toolkit of investor skills and understanding.

Additional Questions? You can get in touch with us via email, at hello (at) founderland.org. For press, contact Stephanie von Behr, Managing Director via email at stephanie (at) founderland.org.