Out Now! New paper onearly-stage startup funding

We kicked off the F20 Seed Accelerator this past weekend and the teams came ready to work!

We have a driven and diverse group of startups that showcase innovation across the region. From UA students to graduates and faculty. Read more about the cohort here.

We're excited to announce that the community-based white paper, of which FORGE led the development, Early-Stage Funding: Options, Sources, and Consequences is out now!!

Check out the introduction below or click here to read the paper in full.

At the earliest stages of company formation, access to capital is repeatedly cited by aspiring entrepreneurs as the single greatest challenge._[1] In the startup world, these funds help launch a project, moving from “someone with a good idea” to “something real” -- a prototype or minimum viable product (MVP). Armed with an MVP, a startup leaves the idea stage ready to pitch to someone with the financial resources to help propel the startup to the market.

Aspiring entrepreneurs also list access to networks and connections as the second biggest challenge. For them, not only do they not know how to access seed funds, they do not know who to talk to to find out. As if this weren’t difficult enough, aspiring entrepreneurs also encounter a lack of inclusion based on race, ethnicity, gender, income, or other factors three times as much as established entrepreneurs. And existing laws and incentives are heavily tilted in favor of larger, established businesses with more resources to chase after those funds and programs.

While we can’t change policy or remove systemic biases with a white paper, we do hope that this can provide a bit of hope for aspiring entrepreneurs – especially those who have encountered discrimination.

Along the way, we will tell the stories of a few founders and benefit from their hard-earned wisdom. We will also bust a few myths and misconceptions, especially those that cause early-stage founders unwarranted downstream grief.

You can read this in its entirety, but each section stands on its own. We know this document is incomplete. We invite you to contact us with additions and corrections. Most importantly, we invite you to share and join our efforts to build a nationwide entrepreneurial ecosystem builders guild.

Click here to read the white paper in full and keep an eye out to hear more from our F20 cohort!

[1] Looze, J. and Desai S. (2020) “Challenges Along the Entrepreneurial Journey: Considerations for Entrepreneurship Supporters,” Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Kansas City.