Lightship Foundation

Founded in 2006, Techstars began with three simple ideas - entrepreneurs create the future, collaboration drives innovation, and great ideas can come from anywhere. Today our mission is to make innovation accessible to everyone, everywhere. We do this by connecting startups, investors, corporations, and cities to create a more sustainable and inclusive world. Since 2006, Techstars has invested in more than 2,200 companies and today has a market cap of $27 Billion.

We envision an inclusive economy that thrives with innovation by realizing the value and potential of each of us. Our Mission: Building the Future Together We aim to transform people, companies, and industries in order to build a more equitable and inclusive economy. We work with today’s leaders to create long term growth by integrating diverse perspectives and dismantling personal, organizational and systemic barriers to inclusion. We are creating a new class of companies by investing in the next generation of inclusive ventures We believe that an inclusive economy thrives with innovation by realizing the value and potential of each of us. We build an inclusive economy alongside companies and people like you. We believe in the possibility of a brighter future. Let’s Build The Future Together We pledge to build a brighter future. We envision an equitable, entrepreneurial future, and we come alongside diverse leaders to build that future together.

z21 Ventures fuels its early-stage tech investments with a unique community engine. Diverse members within this network generate a constant stream of promising deals, while a thematically focused approach ensures backing the most impactful opportunities. Initially, the focus will be on the India-US corridor, empowering companies to tap into India's vast talent pool or unlock the booming Indian market. But funding is just the first spark. Early startups crave the sage advice of seasoned veterans to illuminate their path. z21 Ventures bridges this gap by building a robust community of experienced advisors, personally invested in the fund and eager to guide your journey. We identify promising gems, nurture their growth with the power of our community, and stay by your side as your success story unfolds. Who do we partner withSTARTUPS: Technology focused companies at Pre-seed and Seed stage. z21 Ventures fosters a vibrant community-driven ecosystem designed to empower early-stage startups with strategic guidance, expert mentorship, and invaluable connections. INVESTORS: Investors across the world who are interested in investing in early stage companies. z21 ventures enables them to easily diversify their portfolio by investing in a broad array of purposeful startups with exceptional teams that are supported by a powerful network of LPs, advisors, VCs, accelerators, and industry specialists. Become part of a community fostering innovation and driving success. Our differentiation z21 Community: z21 Community is going to be one of the largest communities of entrepreneurs, executives, and innovation enthusiasts that will be available to help the companies on specific problems and scale. We already have a community of over 120 advisors who are experts across the spectrum. z21 Leadership Summit: Held at the SF Bay area every year,z21 Leadership Summit will get portfolio leaders across the world to come meet executives from hundreds of tech companies. z21 Investor Partnerships: z21 will have partnerships with hundreds of later stage investors and will facilitate introductions for later stage investments. z21 Corporate Partnerships: z21 will have partnerships with hundreds of Corporate Development teams across the world to facilitate partnerships for portfolio companies.

Visible Hands is a venture capital firm on a mission to highlight and invest in the limitless potential of overlooked founders. We envision a world where talent and execution - not race or gender - are the key predictors for success. Our Manifesto Our world is changing. Our communities are changing - they are becoming stronger and more vibrant in their diversity, and face fresh possibilities and challenges as a new generation looks increasingly different from the last. We believe that as new opportunities arise, anyone should have the chance to seize them. The best solutions come from those closest to the problem - as our problems evolve, so should the problem-solvers. We believe that investing in women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups is key to creating a more prosperous and equitable future for everyone. We celebrate the bold, the curious, and the irrational. We applaud those with big dreams, and who choose the harder, riskier path in relentless pursuit of pushing forward what is possible. We also acknowledge that being a risk-taker often comes from a position of privilege - opportunity and wealth gaps persist along racial and gender lines, and access to financial and social capital too often determines which ideas are nurtured to grow. We believe that we must first acknowledge that the playing field was built to be unequal in order to change it. We know that we must change it. High-growth entrepreneurship should not be reserved for the privileged few. We need to shine a light inwards on our collective blindspots, and cast out a wider and more inclusive net to find and support existing talent. Instead of relying on unseen market forces, we’re taking matters into our own hands. No one should have to look a certain way to be deemed deserving; great entrepreneurs are all around us but we must choose to see them. By sharing our privileges with those not born into it and manufacturing fairness where it doesn’t yet exist, we can fundamentally change access to wealth and opportunity in this generation. This is our open call for anyone who feels stuck on the outside looking in: We see you. We value you. We need you. Your perspective is unique, your lived experience is invaluable, and your potential is limitless. Never doubt that your voice matters and that you deserve to be heard, even if it can feel like it doesn’t. We believe that good ideas, regardless of who or where they come from, should rise to the top, and we will fight alongside you to get them there.

Falak Startups’ mission is to find and empower talented and ambitious seed-stage tech startup founders and help them thrive in the region’s rapidly changing entrepreneurship landscape. Our sector-agnostic offering focuses on improving startups’ product-market fit; fine-tuning their business, operating and revenue models; growing their customer base; and raising follow-on investments. We arm entrepreneurs with the necessary tools, resources, and networks to develop their strategies and scale up their businesses. Our offering entails equity investment, growth hacking, networking, mentorship, training, and a wide variety of perks and benefits. After meeting the needed KPIs, our founders are able to showcase their startups on our Virtual Stage platform, a tool for connecting with potential investors, policymakers, stakeholders, and partners. Our support is ongoing through the startups’ journey. We are a constant advisor and advocate for all our portfolio companies. Falak Startups is offering an unrivaled ticket size of up to 2,000,000 EGP and provides the support startups need to gain momentum and accelerate their growth. Falak also supports its portfolio of startups in securing follow-on investments from venture capital firms, angel investors, and/or corporates.

We leverage the Duke network to help: Our investors find innovative early-stage companies with great teams, and Our entrepreneurs find access to smart capital to fuel their growth. Our mission is to support the global Duke entrepreneurial community with an angel investing platform and co-investment fund (the Duke Innovation Fund) that engage and leverage the unparalleled Duke network. The strength of the Duke community across the world offers a uniquely powerful opportunity for networking and guidance from industry experts and successful entrepreneurial leaders. Duke Angel Network engages and matches experienced Duke alumni with portfolio companies to support their growth and success. Our members invest in companies in which a founder, executive, or board member is a Duke University alumnus, faculty member, staff member, student, or parent. They then work actively to connect their portfolio companies with the Duke network to foster collaboration and further success.