Road to Success: How LGBTQI+ Entrepreneurs Can Secure Funding
<p>Putting enough capital together for a business can be a huge challenge for any entrepreneur. The challenge can be particularly daunting for members of the LGBTQI+ community, however, owing to the fact that the law doesn’t offer protection against some kinds of discrimination. For instance, members of the community are only protected in a handful of states against discrimination by lenders.</p>
<p>If you’re a member of the LGBTQI+ community and plan to either start a new business or expand an existing business, where do you find lenders who are likely to give fair consideration to your application?</p>
<h2><strong>Join StartOut</strong></h2>
<p><a href="https://startout.org/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">StartOut</a> is a nonprofit whose mission is to help entrepreneurs from the LGBTQI+ community. It has an investor portal that entrepreneurs are able to use to connect to investors. All you need to do is to sign up for a membership that costs about $125 a year and post your business plans on the portal to connect with investors. StartOut even offers mentorship and other resources to help LGBTQI+ entrepreneurs learn how to find capital.</p>
<h2><strong>Find an LGBTQI+ angel investor</strong></h2>
<p><a href="https://gaingels.com/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Gaingels</a> and <a href="https://pipelineangels.com/about-pipeline-angels/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Pipeline Angels</a>, among other angel investors, specifically work with the National LGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce (<a href="https://nglcc.org/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">NGLCC</a>) to provide businesses started by members of the LGBTQI+ community access to capital and training. Businesses that have a member of the community on the board are eligible, as well. When entrepreneurs apply to Gaingels, at a minimum, they receive feedback on their applications and other help, even if they don’t actually win financial help.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs/road-to-success-how-lgbtqi-entrepreneurs-can-secure-funding-25f2ac66418c"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>