Hearst’s Post

📢 Welcome to the Level Up Ventures Startup Spotlight Series, ✨ where we feature interviews with the inspiring entrepreneurs behind our portfolio companies. First up is Options MD, a groundbreaking telehealth platform that's changing the game for individuals battling severe and treatment-resistant mental illnesses. Their AI-powered tool, Thalamus MD, developed by psychiatric researchers at Harvard, UCSF, and Carnegie Mellon Universities, offers personalized treatment recommendations and diagnostic suggestions. We're excited about the difference Options MD is making with an impressive 88% rebooking rate and a 27% patient remission rate which is 2x higher than industry average for treatment-resistant depression. By the way, Options MD is currently fundraising and we're happy to make any intros or provide additional info upon request. 🤝 About Level Up Ventures: Level Up Ventures is a Hearst-backed investment vehicle launched in 2021 with a mission to help close the racial wealth gap. We invest in early-stage, tech-enabled startups led by Black and Latino founders, providing them with capital and the support of our Level Up Scout network, comprising professionals from across Hearst’s global businesses. Level Up Ventures is currently investing—please visit our website to check out our investment criteria and recommend a great startup today! 📺 Watch the full interview and be sure to share with your networks! #InvestInTheFuture #BlackAndLatinoFounders #Telehealth Morgan Hewett Kyle Pierce

Reflections on the Entrepreneurial Experience: Community's Impact on Mental Health In pondering our recent discussions about solopreneurship and team-based startups, we've been struck by a crucial aspect of the founder's journey: the impact of community on mental health. In the world of entrepreneurship, whether solo or with a team, challenges are a constant companion. My experiences at Kavedon Kapital have shown me the invaluable role community plays in nurturing mental health and resilience. 👥 Insights on Community Support: Shared Journeys: There’s something uniquely comforting about engaging with fellow entrepreneurs. Sharing the journey brings a sense of belonging and mutual understanding. The Power of Networks: I've seen how founders gain strength from connecting in groups or forums, breaking through the isolation that can shadow the entrepreneurial path. Mentorship as a Guiding Light: Witnessing the growth and support fostered by mentorship relationships has been inspiring. 🧠 Observations on Mental Health: Easing the Stress: Regular community engagement seems to significantly alleviate the stress and anxiety of startup life. Collaborative Confidence: The idea exchange within networks not only enhances business strategies but also seems to elevate founders' confidence and clarity. Solidarity in Highs and Lows: There's a profound reassurance in knowing we're not alone in this venture. 🔍 Our Approach at Kavedon Kapital: Cultivating Connections: We're dedicated to creating spaces for our founders to connect and support each other. Championing Engagement: Encouraging participation in diverse networking groups has been a key focus for us. Fostering Mentorships: We believe in the power of mentor-mentee relationships, extending our support beyond just financial investments. 🚀 A Personal Takeaway: The entrepreneurial journey is enriched by community. I've come to see the strength and support it offers as essential in both navigating the business world and maintaining mental well-being. #CommunitySupport #FounderMentalHealth #Entrepreneurship #KavedonKapital #Revveon #kavedon #tech #funding #venturecapital #venture #vc #startup #startups #founders #investing #investor #BeBrave #BeDifferent #Bethechange

YES! And the mental health crisis extends not only to founders, but to emerging VC Fund managers and startup leaders and will particularly hit hard female and BIPOC leaders, who already face additional challenges just by simply being themselves. 💔 After starting 2 companies since Covid, going thru the capital journey, growing 2000% in 18 months organically, and then facing huge personal and professional setbacks the last 2 years (including having to bankrupt 1 company) - I know firsthand the massive mental health toll being in this startup world takes. 🤯 AND I have found, learned, and intimately know the tools, practices, and resilience systems that not just get me back into the arena, but make me bolder, more audacious, and more alive. 💃 (Huge thanks to Regena Thomashauer!) That is why I'm starting 2024 with an event (K. Immersive | Jan 18th | D.C. ) for female founders, VC Fund Managers, CEOs, and leaders who are craving a new internal operating model, a feminine growth model, that gives them: 🔥 tools to actually metabolize and integrate challenges and setbacks and turn them into renewable energy sources for themselves and their businesses (vs shutting down, disassociating, and just powering through) 🔬 clarity into their desires for growth (that tricky balance of listening & incorporating valid feedback but not conforming to whims) 🏃♀️ Power, confidence, and the long-haul resilience capacity to build and invest in companies the world needs. We know that founders (and those that support them) are literally building our future. And we NEED female and diverse founders in the mix to build a more inclusive, diverse, and expansive tomorrow. These founders need different types of support, and I'm so glad to hear that funds like Felicis, Seven Seven Six 7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣, Forerunner, First Round Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Freestyle Capital, Sunset Ventures are supporting this!

Interesting article from PitchBook Data this morning on the importance of prioritizing mental health for entrepreneurs/founders. "Mental health has rarely been discussed in the venture capital community but the issue has garnered more attention recently, particularly among startup founders finding themselves under increased pressure in the current downturn. The pressures of raising funds, meeting performance targets and coping with a stressful work-life balance are taking their toll on many entrepreneurs' mental well-being. According to a survey by data-sharing platform Startup Snapshot, some 72% of founders reported that launching their own business had a negative impact on their mental health. As a result, more venture capitalists are putting resources towards supporting founders' mental health. But many in the industry believe more needs to be done." Full article at: https://lnkd.in/gYM6sE5U #mrx #entrepreneur #mentalwellness #venturecapital James Pickles

Founders will face unprecedented levels of mental health crisis! 😰 - Startups face funding logjam, shut IPO window, and ghosting clients as cash runs low and investors encourage returning capital - Predicted epidemic of founder mental illness as struggling startups and economic pressures heighten stress levels - Investors offer support through programs addressing founder mental health, including coaching and therapy services What can we do to support the builders of our future?? 👉🏼 “More investors have spun up programs to address founder mental health and burnout in recent years. Felicis and Seven Seven Six 7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ commit 1% on top of every new investment for founders to subsidize services like coaching and therapy.” Shout out to the The Grand World a startup that provides group coaching as a service to founders. “one of the fast-growing segments of the business is coaching for founders, now that venture firms such as First Round Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Forerunner and Freestyle Capital offer it as a perk to entrepreneurs.” The Grand is a Sunset Ventures portfolio company, and led by Anita Hossain Choudhry + Rei Wang!! Hit them up if your company or fund wants to provide coaching support to your employees / founders! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 https://lnkd.in/gNYVWeWU

Stephen Hays is bringing together some really interesting leaders in mental health to help startups get clear on their message so that they can continue to innovate and impact. If you are running an early stage company, check out “what if” for a space in cohort 10. #mentalhealth #startup

This newsletter is chock full of great information for founders and founders to be.

Startup founders will face an 'unprecedented' crisis of mental health this year, VCs predict   “A funding logjam at the early stages. A shut window for IPOs. Clients ghosting businesses. If the investor warnings are to be believed, struggling startups will face a bloodbath this year as cash runs low and wary investors encourage founders to return the capital.   Now, investors are predicting an epidemic of founder mental illness in Silicon Valley and beyond, the likes of which tech has never seen.   "Sadly, but not terribly surprisingly, it feels as though we are in the early stages of an unprecedented founder mental health crisis," said Brad Svrluga, a cofounder and general partner at Primary, which invests in early-stage startups based largely in New York City.”   https://lnkd.in/gRgzK6My   #empower #mentalhealth Empower Mental Health

🚨 The Tundra Angels' Angle is now live! 🚨 The Tundra Angels' Angle is a weekly newsletter that drops investor insights on how startups can find asymmetric ways to win in the market. It's been in stealth since July last year. By raving demand that I couldn't contain 😉, we are now making it publicly available! 🙌 𝗜 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝘀’ 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝟭𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆𝗅 😀 This content takes a much different approach than others. It's intended to be heavily tactical, using many anonymized company examples from my investor journey as well as insights drawn from the true heroes of the story, the founders of our Tundra Angels' portfolio companies. While Tundra Angels invests in the state of Wisconsin, these insights transcend state or country borders. We believe that startups anywhere can and should find asymmetric ways to win in the market. The next issue comes out THIS Saturday morning! Link is below! Check out the 21 posts since last July. Subscribe, share, and let's execute and invest in public! 👇 👇 👇 ✅ https://lnkd.in/eMiaUx7R ✅ PS: I'm grateful to be along this journey with 50+ other investors in Tundra Angels who are the visionaries that take risks on the future. We have a TON of fun together and the future is bright ☀ ! 🙌 We are grateful to have invested into 17 portfolio companies (and counting) who are making a local and global impact across industries: Adrian Deasy, Charles Kubiak, Carol Hirschmugl, Jeff Moore, Kevin Barnett, Mel Luetkens, Faraz A. Choudhury, Ph.D., Daniel Benjamin, Paul Anton, Lyth Saeed, Justin Seidl, Bre Loughlin, MS, RN, Phil Fonfara, Tyler Waite, Daniel Borkhus, Fariba Assadi-Porter, Jack Heinemann, Brian Wiegand, Aaron Gregory, Danielle Hill, Sal Braico, Pete Johnson, Ben Kvalo, Dustin Conrad, Scott Allen, and Dan Abel! You execute so well day in and day out. Looking forward to sharing your stories on a bigger stage 🎤 !

Connecting Faith, Business, and Potential Welcome to Church for Entrepreneurs - a dedicated space for visionaries, investors, and aspirants to unite under CanaGlobal’s umbrella. As a pioneering faith-driven venture studio, we recognize the need to bridge the spheres of Faith, Calling, RevOps, and Investor Readiness. Each week, via Zoom, we bring together a dynamic community. Thursdays at 10a MST. Get a calendar invite: https://lnkd.in/dQdq2vVJ -Gerald __________________ Our Story Has A Miraculous Beginning! Cana is the location in the Bible where Jesus performed His first miracle — transforming ordinary water into iconic wine. CanaGlobal is a Kingdom ecosystem where investors and founders co-create to build iconic startups. We were birthed out of a faith and freedom movement to transform the marketplace with the Kingdom of God. Today we are mobilizing Godly wisdom, startup expertise, and capital into disruptive ventures and their maverick founders. Unleashing the resources of God, at scale.