Many aspiring entrepreneurs, from developers to service professionals, are starting many side projects but never completing them. Myself included.

Recently, I came across the startup 12-month challenge popularized by Pieter Levels. And also decided to give it a try. However, I want to build on this and refine it for my specific needs.

So what is this challenge?

The original idea is to launch a new startup monthly for the next 12 months. The goal is to get used to building things quickly and promptly instead of getting fixated on creating the perfect product that never ends up seeing the light of day.

DIY challenge modifications

The focus is building around what I already have toward short-term product development for quick revenue generation. The goal is to dust off the proverbial dust from the brands I’ve been baking on and off over the past few years to #BuildBackBetter by the end of 2023.

Change 01: Rebuilding the core business components (e.g., business model, product portfolio) for each brand. If I want each brand to have its POC to help run operations, then they need to become self-sustaining and have a focus on sustained YoY growth outcomes specific to the brand.

• Massive Transformative Purpose
• Business Model
• MVP

Change 02: Launching intentional experiments and building out a dedicated team. Since my zone of genius is in #RevOps (GTM Strategy and Operations), I’ll be developing an async workflow and leveraging staff on demand for capacity building to #DoMoreFaster.

• Team Structure
• LEAN Sprint

Change 03: Focusing each quarter on a [H] brand development sprint with related OKRs. I work off contractual projects now and have a baby debuting in February 2023. To make this roadmap achievable, I’ll cascade the brand items across the quarters to narrow the focus with some relevant Objectives & Key Results (OKRs).

• OKRs
• Execute, Execute, Execute

Sprint 1 focus

Next, I’ll define the first sprint timeline as a quarter (3-months) to timebox my efforts.

Stage 1: Problem/Solution Fit (PSFit)

• Understand Problem (Insights)
• Define Solution
• Craft Offer
• Build MVP

And I’ll bake in the tried and true Techstars method of executing numerous experiments for greater outcomes.

LEAN Sprint method

• Expose Problems
• Define Solutions
• Short-list Solutions
• Test Solutions
• Decide on Solutions

Note: while I have timeboxed the first stage/sprint, it is a means to an end and not the end itself. I am also baking in the Founders Institute focus on achieving $1MM ARR within 18 months. In this way, Sprint 1 (PSFit) will tee up Sprint 2: Product/Market Fit (PMFit).

Defining Progress

While learning is a key activity, it’s the results that matter.

— Ash Maurya

There’s a lot of waste in the startup journey. To be the right kind of busy, we’ll follow Ash Maurya’s six-step meta-framework (Scaling Lean), or the ‘GO LEAN’ mnemonic, to effectively define, measure, and communicate progress.

Goal
Observe and Orient
Learn, Leverage, or Lift
Experiment
Analyze
Next Actions

👁‍🗨 Traction is the rate at which a business model captures monetizeable value from its users.

Traction will be the main protagonist of our business model narrative. I lean towards concentrating on repeatable actions users take (leading indicators) to extrapolate future business model growth.

👁‍🗨 Customer throughput is the rate at which nonpaying users are processed into paying customers.

I’m also leaning towards measuring customer throughput (people) as more tangible and actionable than measuring throughput (fuzzy revenue number) at this early stage. This single measurement goal will help me focus on my mission to build products that matter (successful products).

Sprint 1 Objective: Build a working business model

• Key Result1: Define traction
• Key Result2: Map out five customer factory steps
• Key Result3: Run 4 LEAN Sprints
• Key Result4: Produce a validated traction model

I’ll update the list below with the different startups as I go along.

[H] The Hibernating brands

These are my brands that have been incubating over time.

#H1 STVNRCO — My personal brand

I have a personal brand, something I’ve been maintaining diligently so that I never lose my identity when parting ways with a job or title. There’s some potential, so let’s see how we can shape it.

• Status: Launched
• URL: https://stvnr.co
• Read the [project debrief] here (coming 12/16)
• Brand affiliations: 1 Million Cups Organizer, CMX Hub B2C Professional of the Year, CUNY Startups Mentor, FoundersBoost Chapter Director, Founders Institute Mentor, Global Entrepreneurship Week US Delegate, InterNations Organizer, HireRunner Operator, iNNPulsa Colombia Mentor & CEmprende Ambassador, Kauffman FastTrac Facilitator, OpenExO Ambassador/Sprint Coach, Right To Start Ambassador, Rutanio Ambassador, Solana Collective Ambassador, Startup Huddle Facilitator, Techstars Mentor, Techstars Startup Weekend Facilitator, WeWork Labs Mentor.

#H2 SUEGO — An amalgamation of everything I’ve been doing across community building since 2015

I needed a vehicle to house startup programming and event funding over the years. And I’ve shaped it more thanks to a fantastic cast of rockstar [advisory board] members over the past year. But now it’s time to be serial about making this a more singular pursuit and focal point in 2023.

• Status: Incorporated LLC
• URL: https://suego.co
• Read the [project debrief] here (coming 12/16)
• Brand affiliations: 1 Million Cups, BOGOWEEK, CMX Connect, ExO Meetup, Freelancer’s Union SPARK, FoundersBoost, Global Entrepreneurship Week, InterNations Bogotá Entrepreneurs Group, Kauffman FastTrac, National Entrepreneurship Week, Startup Huddle, Techstars Startup Weekend.

#H3 BloomShift — A dba under SUEGO that has strong connections to HubSpot and the community challenge around Digital Marketing

The initial market problem identified turned into a digital agency experiment that sustained me during an Eastern Europe remote work sprint in 2019. Then it took a backseat as I went on to support Techstars and 1863 Ventures as an employee. I’ve kept it intact with the official HubSpot Solutions Provider certification.

• Status: Certified DBA (Doing Business As)
• URL: https://www.bloomshift.com
• Read the [project debrief] here (coming 12/16)
• Brand affiliations: Lemlist, HubSpot, Sprocketeers.

#H4 Innovate Coalition — A nonprofit to dovetail the fundraising efforts of SUEGO

As I received funding across the startup programs from SUEGO, it became apparent that a non-profit might be more receptive to donor tax incentives.

• Status: Incorporated Non-Profit
• URL: https://innovatecoalition.org (broken site currently)
• Read the [project debrief] here (coming 12/16)

[P] The Partnered brands

These are collaborative brands that have been incubating over time and with other partners. These are ongoing across the year.

#P1 OrangeUP — An outsourced talent marketplace

Connecting LatAm (Colombia) talent with driven U.S. operators.

• Status: Incorporated C Corp.
• URL: https://orangeup.biz
• Affiliated brands: Techstars Startup Weekend, Founders Institute, Santander X.

#P2 CrowdWork — A cooperative focused on government grants

Building on-ramps for government contract opportunities.

• Status: Incorporated LCA
• URL: https://crowdwork.coop

#P3 ExI — Professional development for humans

Educational programming and events for mass professional development.

• Status: Launched
• URL: https://exponentialindividuals.io
• Brand affiliations: Boston ExO, OpenExO.

#P4 1Exponential — A festival and conference series

Building high-impact brand activations across the entrepreneurship sector.

• Status: Launched
• URL: https://1exponential.com
• Brand affiliations: OpenExO.

[B] The Icebox brands

These are other brands that we don’t have any time for in 2023.

#B1 BRIJX — Community development for young professionals

Educational materials around insights and experiences for mass benefit.

• Status: Launched
• URL: https://brijx.co

#B2 TradeTrip — An investor travel agency for LatAm

Travel agency services for investor relations across Latinoamérica.

• Status: Baking
• URL: https://tradetrip.org (broken site currently)

Resources

• Scaling Lean by Ash Maurya
• Measure What Matters by John Doerr
• 10 Pitch Slides by Guy Kawasaki
• SWOT Analysis [Mind Tools] [HubSpot]
• A Leaner Lean Canvas by Ash Maurya
• Top Startups & Scaleups advancing the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by StartUs Insights
• What Week Is It by Misja.com

This is a work in progress. Share any ideas on how to improve along the journey!

Subscribe (for free) to receive my articles directly in your inbox and a special gift. If you enjoy this article, please consider becoming a Medium member by using this link and have access to premium, unbiased content from authors not tied to big media.

Steven A. Rodríguez is the founder of SUEGO, creator of the channel BOGOWEEK, and rising author.

Web3 es un término creciente del que es probable que escuches más este año. Algunos lo llaman la próxima etapa evolutiva de Internet, donde la tecnología digital se está construyendo sobre blockchain, lo que permite la descentralización y las economías basadas en fichas.

Hay bastante que aprender para los recién llegados. Sin embargo, no temas, estamos aquí para ayudarte. En el mundo de Web3, puedes adquirir tokens. Una vez que tengas la posesión, podrás intercambiar las fichas por un resultado. ¿No sabes qué es un token de utilidad? Lee este útil artículo para explorar un poco más la tokenómica.

Los tokens de utilidad existen en el blockchain como el medio descentralizado para intercambiar valor entre las partes. Este token es un medio de trueque, ofrece tokens a cambio de un servicio o toma un trabajo a cambio de tokens. ¿El beneficio? Se incentiva el intercambio de valor entre pares y se produce más trueque para aprovechar mejor las habilidades y capacidades de una comunidad.

¿Quieres explorar los beneficios de los tokens de utilidad en empresas y emprendimientos? Rutanio tendrá un salón virtual de la $RUTA token, la primera experiencia de servicio de soporte de blockchain y tokens de este tipo en BOGOWEEK. Únete a la Celebración BOGOWEEK para explorar formas de unirte a la economía de la innovación y recibir $RUTA por asistir.

¿Qué es Rutanio? Rutanio acelera y conecta globalmente comunidades y personas alrededor de la innovación, el emprendimiento y la creatividad.

¿Cómo puedo comunicarme con Rutanio? Puedes hacerlo aquí.

English

What is a Utility Token: Attend the Rutanio Token Bar Activation at BOGOWEEK

Web3 is a growing term you are likely to hear more of this year. Some are calling it the next evolutionary stage of the internet where digital technology is being built on the blockchain allowing for decentralization and token-based economies.

There’s quite a bit to learn for newcomers. Fear not, though, we are here to help. In the world of Web3, you can acquire tokens. Once you have possession you are able to then exchange the tokens towards an outcome. Don’t know what a utility token is? Read this useful article to explore tokenomics a bit more.

Utility tokens exist on the blockchain as the decentralized means to trade value between parties. This token is a means of bartering, offer tokens in exchange for a service or take a job in exchange for tokens. The benefit? Peer-to-peer value exchange is incentivized and more bartering occurs to better leverage the skills and abilities of a community.

Want to explore the benefits of utility tokens in business and startups? Rutanio is spearheading the $RUTA token hub, the first of its kind blockchain and token support service experience at BOGOWEEK. Join in the BOGOWEEK Celebration to explore ways to join in the changing innovation economy and receive $RUTAs for attending.

What is Rutanio? Rutanio accelerates and globally connects communities and people around innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity.

​How can I reach out to Rutanio? You can do that here.

Qué es un Token de Utilidad: Asiste al salón virtual de Activación de Tokens de Rutanio en BOGOWEEK was originally published in SUEGO Community Journal on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The FoundersBoost Washington, D.C. chapter has graduated the 2nd cohort (FBX2) for its pre-accelerator for early-stage tech-enabled entrepreneurs. The 6-week program accelerated seven ventures, majority of which are minority-owned, to prepare founders for accelerators, investment, and revenue.

This past spring, the pre-accelerator transitioned towards a virtual experience to ensure safety for the founders amidst pandemic safety concerns. This cohort of fellows spent six weeks engaging with mentors and strategic topic experts, and refining their pitch for the Demo Day capstone. The free pre-accelerator runs twice a year and concludes with a global demo day. Following the program, the cohort will continue to have access to SUEGO’s alumni network and guidance from experts across its programming and events throughout the year.

Here’s who graduated the latest cohort:

• Maya Halihan, founder and CEO of Ewedded
• Shams Zaidi, founder and CEO of Genus Hotels
• Scott Myers, founder and CEO of Giggzy
• Daniel Salehy and Joseph Sutton, cofounders of Hangouts Social
• Stan Podolski, founder and CEO of HundredGraphs
• David Levine, cofounder and CEO of Scoby
• Arun Mallikarjunan, founder and CEO of Symbiosis

This mission stands out as being especially relevant for 2022: The founders behind Hangouts Social allows people to find community by making it easy for them to meet up with groups of people around them same-day or for future events based on shared interests. A unique social app like this not only alleviates stress when meeting new people, but it further catalyzes quick and safe engagement in a more real-time scenario to strengthen community and reduce pandemic isolation residuals.

For descriptions of the rest of the ventures, check out the FoundersBoost Demo Day On Demand. The pre-accelerator is launching applications for the next cohort early January, so be on the lookout.

What is SUEGO? SUEGO provides community, resources, and tools for early-stage New Majority founders, funders, and friends.

​How can I reach out to SUEGO? You can do that here.

​Where are you tuning in from? Check out the global map here.

Meet the 7 ventures in FoundersBoost’s latest pre-accelerator program this fall was originally published in SUEGO Community Journal on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

SUEGO, an exponential organization committed to accelerating sustainable human innovation, today announced the formation of its Entrepreneur Support Organization (ESO) advisory board. Members of the non-fiduciary ESO Advisory Board (ESOAB) will help provide non-binding strategic advice on company vision, innovation, risk management, and profitability.

Inaugural members include:

• Cecilia Wessinger, chairperson and founder of Mass Collaboration and former consultant of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation;
• Buke Cuhadar, vice president of global operations of the Global Entrepreneurship Network and former director of marketing communications of Endeavor;
• Debbie Irwin, executive director of the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund and member of the Virginia CDFI Coalition;
• Eric Patel, chief innovation officer and founder of Boston ExO and former advisor of Purpose Alliance;
• Flor Liévano, chairperson and founder of OrangeUP and global facilitator, Techstars;
• Jerónimo Pérez, director and founder of DIVRGNT and chief marketing officer of Rutanio;
• Joey Arora, vice president of growth of The Outpost and former director and co-founder of ecosystem development at AFWERX of the United States Air Force; and
• Monica Wheat, venture partner at Backstage Capital and executive director and co-founder of Venture Catalysts.

“We are extremely fortunate to have this distinguished group of community & ecosystem builders join us in our mission of accelerating inclusive innovation,” said Steven A. Rodriguez, Founder & Board of SUEGO. “These deeply experienced individuals bring unparalleled expertise in ecosystem building and economic development, and we are excited they see that our vision is both doable and an important step forward for the future of exponential startup communities.”

Buke Cuhadar
Buke Cuhadar serves as Vice President of Global Operations for the Global Entrepreneurship Network, a year-round platform of programs and initiatives created by the communities that celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week each November. Aimed at creating one global entrepreneurial ecosystem, GEN helps people in 160 countries unleash their ideas and turn them into promising new ventures. Buke has primary responsibility for coordinating the leaders of national networks in each of those countries while strengthening the collection of organizations that support them.

Prior to joining Global Entrepreneurship Network, Buke was the Marcom and Outreach Director at Endeavor Turkey, an affiliate of a global organization to catalyze long-term economic growth by selecting, mentoring and accelerating the best high-impact entrepreneurs around the world. While at Endeavor Turkey, Buke led the GEW Turkey campaign building a successful initiative and Board engaging more than 200 players across the entrepreneurship spectrum in Turkey.

Cecilia Wessinger
Cecilia Wessinger is an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder and founder of Mass Collaboration. Her work is centered on collaboration, equity and community culture. As a certified Cultural Competency and Unconscious Bias facilitator, she moves conversations beyond diversity and inclusion to connecting, engaging, and belonging. Her entrepreneurship path led to winning start-up competitions, a consulting role as ESHIP Community Activator with the Kauffman Foundation supporting ecosystem building practitioners, SXSW Pitch Advisory, SBA and GIST judge, and a multiple year delegate to the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. In addition, she serves on the board of the Institute for Work and the Economy and executive board of Startup Champions Network.

Debbie Irwin
Debbie Irwin is a Virginia native that discovered her love for entrepreneurship and small business during her time at James Madison University. Her senior thesis focused on Founder’s Syndrome and her research defined the path she would take for her career. How can we help more businesses avoid failure? How can we show our communities that small business is the cornerstone to the communities that we want to live, work and play in? These questions have framed the mission not only for her career path, but also for the organization she works with. Since her time at JMU, Debbie has worked in digital marketing for numerous small businesses and at the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce, but eventually found her home at the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund, formerly known as the Staunton Creative Community Fund. She became Executive Director of the organization in January of 2019 and helped SCCF dig deep into entrepreneurial ecosystem building. She thrives on big thinking, collaboration, and watching people turn their “someday dream” into reality.

Eric Patel
Eric Patel serves as Chief Innovation Officer at BostonExO, New England’s first Exponential Organization (ExO) incubator which helps companies thrive through continuous business model innovation. We leverage exponential technologies along with an abundance mindset to help organizations stay in business, disrupt their industry and achieve exponential valuation. Our MTP is global exponential mindset transformation.

Eric holds certifications in QA, project management, agile, scrum, ExO and innovation. He is the founder of innovation initiatives at Staples, Perkin Elmer and Binx Health. Eric is a Project Coordinator for OpenExO, a member of the OpenExO Economy Core and Treasury Teams and serves on the board of SUEGO Entrepreneur Support Organization (ESO) and X-Ponential. Eric also serves as a coach/mentor for Company Builder TransferenciAP, the CYCLES Remote Innovation Management Certification Program, the MIT COVID-19 Challenge and the Humanitarian Innovation Hackathon. In addition, he was a contributor for the new Purpose Launchpad, serves as an advisor and organizer for Purpose Alliance Challenges, an ambassador for OpenExO, Purpose Alliance and Rutanio, a chapter curator for the upcoming 2nd edition of Exponential Organizations, and is co-leading the new Exponential Individuals (ExI) initiative this year.

Flor Liévano
Flor is a person who believes in empowering people’s dreams as the best way to turn traditional into exceptional. She combine over 10 years of experience in accounting, administrative and finance to help businesses improve and increase their impact. Flor currently runs OrangeUP in Colombia and the USA, where she support individuals and organizations to grow and accelerate.

Jerónimo Pérez
Jerónimo Pérez is passionate about change and transformation, being part of them across communication, marketing and innovation. He is convinced that success in change is achieved through Cultural Transformation. Jerónimo loves to help organizations communicate better. In a hyper-connected world, everything communicates and as such must be managed. Jerónimo is founder of DIVRGNT Comunicaciones, an agency focused on promoting a better communicated future. He is CMO of Rutanio, a startup that promotes the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem through the use of blockchain, and consultant for exponential organizations.

Joey Arora
Joey is currently a Chief Scaling Officer working to streamline and scale operations for a government software program (DoD Platform One) designed to get commercial software authorized for use on Department of Defense systems in days and weeks instead of months and years.

He is an Air Force Veteran, currently an Air Force reservist and has served as an Airfield Operations Officer in the US and in Afghanistan. During the second half of his Air Force career, he led innovation efforts and co-founded AFWERX (Air Force Innovation Program) to connect innovators and accelerate results for Air Force culture change and technology adoption. He scaled the government organization from 5 to 350+ people, they engaged over 100,000 Airmen, funded over 1,700 companies with $529M which led to 530 prototype projects and 21 scaling to serve the strategic needs of the Air Force. He was responsible for shaping the strategy around how the Air Force invests in small businesses.

Joseph has started 3 companies, facilitated Startup Weekends, been a 1 Million Cups organizer, and is a grassroots ecosystem builder. He is passionate about innovation in government, mission-driven, cares deeply about entrepreneurship, enjoys legos, working out, getting outside, and making stories. He believes change happens when you create a movement where people can get involved in building the future we want to be a part of.

Monica Wheat
Monica Wheat is a Strategist, Educator, Investor, and Venture Developer. A self-proclaimed #CapitalistCrusader, Monica is Founder and Executive Director of Venture Catalysts, a non-profit venture, and ecosystem development group focused on investor/founder education, an innovation hub, and large-scale entrepreneurial initiatives for over 40,000 attendees. She serves as a Consultant for Backstage Capital, co-producing their multi-city live investment tour and was the Managing Director of the Backstage Capital — Detroit Accelerator, a 4-city, global tech accelerator in investing 3 months and $100,000 in scaling startups for underrepresented founders. She is the Managing Director of Techstars Equitech Accelerator and Founding Co-Director of FoundersBoost Detroit, a global Pre-Accelerator.

SUEGO™ is a trademark of SUEGO LLC

Media Contact:
Carolina Palacio
media@m.suego.co

SUEGO Announces Formation of ESO Advisory Board was originally published in SUEGO Community Journal on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is the world’s largest collection of events, competitions, and activities across more than 170 countries, reaching millions of people of all ages and backgrounds. The only way it could get any better is to bring more Washington, D.C. to it! D.C. is still the capital of inclusive innovation, isn’t it?

That’s why we’re excited to rejoin as a D.C. Community Organizer for 2022!

Going hybrid (in-person and online) is a change to reach even MORE entrepreneurs across the D.C. wards working on solving all kinds of problems. That’s where YOU come in. We need your help to make sure that D.C. represents and engages the ENTIRE district.

Why Organize?

As a Community Organizer, you have the opportunity to organize and manage any kind of programming that is relevant to your community — keynotes, panels, hack-a-thons, startup showcases, or something new. It’s a great opportunity to show off your startup community and get the message out to new people who might not have been exposed to entrepreneurship before.

You also get to leverage the global network to bridge the trust gap with high-profile talent, to bring to the D.C. area and help raise local efforts on the international stage. There’s branding and marketing resources and many more perks and benefits involved, you just need to get involved in some way.

If you’d like to be a part of the “GEW Crew”, apply here to represent your ward or neighborhood. Email us at gew@m.suego.co or Ellen Bateman at ellen@genglobal.org with questions.

Exploring Disruptive Innovation

In addition to helping to promote all of the great GEW programming across the district, SUEGO is hosting Web3 and Disruptive Innovation programming and events in conjunction with GEW and using our position to further connect and elevate the inclusive innovation ecosystem across D.C.

We are going to host a Town Hall in early early Q2 to celebrate the organizers and volunteers who are joining in the planning of #GEW2022, and engage the broader community to grow a diverse support network.

Get your ward on the list! Organize a simple panel discussion or a whole week of programming. You can figure out what’s the best fit for your community.

Because it takes a village to raise a startup.

GEW Confirmed Partners

Email us to add your name to the list!

Ward 1

Ward 2

• BloomShift
• Innovate Coalition

Ward 3

Ward 4

Ward 5

Ward 6

• SEED SPOT

Ward 7

Ward 8

Regional, National & Global Organizations

• OpenExO
• OrangeUP Inc.
• Rutanio

Regional, National & Global Communities

• 1 Million Cups
• CMX Connect
• Startup Grind
• Techstars Startup Week
• Techstars Startup Weekend

​​What is SUEGO? SUEGO provides community, resources, and tools for early-stage New Majority founders, funders, and friends.

​How can I reach out to SUEGO? You can do that here.

Where are you tuning in from? Check out the global map here.

Calling all startup community organizers across the D.C. Region for #GEW2022 was originally published in SUEGO Community Journal on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

After a brief sabbatical, my focus in the year ahead is to help grow and accelerate 1863 Ventures’ mission of catalyzing wealth for the New Majority (traditionally underrepresented groups).

1863 Ventures

It should come as no surprise that my next career move is across the proverbial startup community pond. The ecosystem builder space is nascent and rising, after all. And my work and career trajectory are starting to speak for themselves.

After securing the globally renown B2C Community Award for Techstars, my passion has niched towards the Latinx community specifically since then. There are a lot of resources…in English. But what about our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters?

Director of Latinx Programs

I’ll be working in tandem with an elite cast of seasoned and passionate entrepreneurs, from Melissa L. Bradley, Ade Omitowoju, and Art Stevens to Emmanuel Kaska and Daniel Wright. A critical juncture in the company’s efforts to better support the Latinx community, we will be intentional about Spanish-friendly resources to grow and accelerate the good work to date.

And in true company fashion, I’m humbled to be a hispanic helping the hispanic community. As the proverbial saying goes, nothing about us without us.

Anyone working at the intersection of Latinx + Entrepreneurship, I would love to connect and engage as we map out the journey ahead to better support the Latinx community around entrepreneurship and business growth and scale.

I appreciate and am thankful.

It comes with a very heavy heart to leave, which I will do in 24 hours.

I’m going to spend some time off to re-charge and begin the next adventure.

Anyone who knows me is probably thinking what I will do or where I will travel to next. In short, likely travel abroad in LatAm or across the U.S. at some point, and likely during warm weather as suggested in this map.

This whole experience at Techstars, and across Washington, D.C. and New York City (where I have lived for three decades) have been near perfect. I’ve learned. I’ve grown. I’ve helped.

To answer some questions:

• Techstars is fantastic, absolutely nothing bad to say about them. Class act, amazing people doing the world a huge amount of good.
• Some of the Washington, D.C. programs I’ve launched like Techstars Startup Week and 1 Million Cups, or helped grow like Techstars Startup Weekend and Freelancer’s Union Spark, live on without me, the committees are going to kick ass like they usually do. The Washington, D.C. community is amazing and will step up and fill any void with ease.
• I’ll still stay involved in the Washington, D.C. ecosystem as reality allows through some community catalyst organizations like 1863 Ventures, SUEGO, Innovate Coalition Inc. and CrowdWork.Coop (among others) to continue co-building inclusive innovation across the Greater Washington, D.C. Region.
• I am venturing abroad again and don’t know how long I’m going to travel. I’ve had a booked schedule since my University days, so having something open like this is very, very scary.
• I may work on something full-time, but am open to serendipity.
• I think I will come back to Washington, D.C., but am honestly unsure. Life is comfortable and amazing here in New York, and might need to find some adventure elsewhere.

MY BIG ASK

1. If you were to go out for an adventure, what would it be?
2. If you wanted to travel, to co-create a memorable journey, how would you plan it?
3. What are wilderness areas that should not be missed?
4. If you know of any resources/ trips / groups doing good that need help please let me know in the comments.

I’m busy planning and training. Drop a note if you want to meet up or say hi before I take off.

As colleague Andrew Hyde shared from experience, Edward Abbey said it pretty well:

One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast….a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive.

The definition of adventure is the outcome is unknown.

— Unknown

This outcome is unknown, and I’m looking forward to that.

Washington, D.C. — Startup Boost Washington, D.C.’s upcoming pre-accelerator program will provide industry insights, hands-on mentorship, guidance and validation to early-stage start-ups.

Startup Boost Washington, D.C. has made a final call for applications for its upcoming spring pre-accelerator program, which will take place fully remotely due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The pre-accelerator will begin on April 8th and the team behind it will spend six weeks working with pre-seed and seed-stage start-ups to develop, support and build on their business ideas. The startups accepted into the program are not charged any fees and have no equity is taken.

Since the Startup Boost program was launched in 2017, it has received more than 3,600 applications from around the globe and has selected 265 start-ups across Europe, North America, Canada and Africa, with a combined $56m funding raised to date. Startup Boost made its Washington, D.C. debut in the annual SUEGO #GiveFirst Town Hall, alongside other high profile area programs like Founders Institute, Startup Leadership Program and Kauffman FastTrac.

Steven A. Rodriguez, Washington, D.C.’s co-director at Startup Boost, said: “Inclusive Innovation is core to Washington, D.C. and our nation’s economic success, particularly today. Startup Boost delivers a powerful six-week program to prepare early-stage start-ups for an accelerator and investment, providing a critical bridge for New Majority founders to their next level growth.”

The Spring Program

Eight pre-seed/seed stage tech teams in the Greater Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia Region will be selected to take part in the program. Prerequisites include a comprehensive business model, a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), and market validation or traction.

Working in tandem with keynote speakers, the Startup Boost City Directors offer industry insights alongside hands-on mentorship, guidance, validation and the necessary resources for building traction.

Stephen Beauchamp, Washington, D.C. co-director, said: “We are thrilled to bring the Startup Boost playbook to the DMV and support a cohort of diverse and innovative founders. We’re actively recruiting experienced mentors and partners to help our founders take their businesses to the next level.”

The event will culminate with a demo day, where participants will be given the opportunity to pitch and connect directly with investors and accelerator directors.

Companies also get promoted to investors globally through the Startup Boost Global Investor Day, which occurs six week after the program to allow investors from around the world to view pitches online for a two-day period.

Founding member of the pre-accelerator, Gene Murphy, said: “The benefit of Startup Boost is that it brings a program to help pre-seed stage startups, a stage widely known to be under-supported, make the next big step to be prepared for accelerators, investment and, most importantly, revenue generation.”

“Right now, as the economy is under threat from the fallout of Covid-19, programs like Startup Boost are critical in helping act as a stepping stone for future entrepreneurs to start their journey.”

Applications are now open to all pre-seed/seed stage startups for Startup Boost 2021 Spring at startupboost.org/washingtondc. Applications to the program close on March 22nd, 2021.

Contact: Steven A. Rodriguez
Contact Info: StevenRodriguez@startupboost.org // WashingtonDC@startupboost.org

About SUEGO

SUEGO is a business development program designed to mobilize the mindset and culture of entrepreneurship in the Industry 4.0 era, as well as to develop skills and abilities for entrepreneurs, helping to break down barriers in the creation and growth of companies through the crowdsourcing of knowledge and entrepreneurship. It is focused on potential and current entrepreneurs, teachers, students and anyone interested in learning.

About Startup Boost

Startup Boost is a global pre-accelerator program with a mission to lead pre-seed & seed-stage startups towards Accelerators, Investment, and Revenue. Our mentor-driven program seeks to meet the unique needs that startups face in this early stage. We partner with accelerator programs to screen & prepare startups for their programs. We prepare our teams for investment through business model refinement & connections. We help put our startups on a scalable revenue trajectory. We charge no fees and take no equity. We are able to operate through the support of our strong partners and sponsors, as well as the time donated by our passionate mentors and facilitators.

WASHINGTON — 1863 Ventures announced Daniel Wright has been named its new Chief Operating Officer. The DC based nonprofit is devoted to generating $100 billion in new wealth, by and for New Majority Entrepreneurs — individuals that have been historically marginalized and disinvested.

Wright joins 1863 Ventures as the organization embarks on an extraordinary journey to help 1,500 New Majority entrepreneurs build and scale their businesses this year as a response to COVID-19.

“As we enter our fifth year of service, I am thankful to our funders as we invest in our internal capacity to achieve our vision of $100B of new wealth, by and for New Majority entrepreneurs by 2030. We are excited to have Danny join our team to help us accomplish this amazing goal,” says Melissa L. Bradley, 1863 Ventures Founder and Managing Director.

Wright’s background uniquely positions him to assume this position, having co-founded one of the fastest growing non-profit organizations in the country, GOODProjects. Wright joins 1863 Ventures after spending 5 years serving as CFO and Chief Strategy Officer of GOODProjects, a non-profit organization working to alleviate poverty on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis. In addition to Wright’s entrepreneurial experience, he serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, aiding both undergraduate and graduate students in scaling their business models.

Wright shared, “I am honored and humbled to join 1863 Ventures and its ecosystem of New Majority entrepreneurs. In a time of high awareness for the racial and social inequities people of color continuously face, the work of 1863 Ventures could not be more important. Although I am elated with the opportunity to bring my experience in the entrepreneurial and social impact space to this amazing organization, I am even more eager to put my head down and get started. Our communities need real tangible economic opportunity. 1863 Ventures is leading the pathway forward. I appreciate Melissa Bradley for providing me with the opportunity to be a part of this tremendous impact.”

Danny has been featured on the Call to Unite, CNBC Business, NBC, Fox News and Comcast Newsmakers as a young entrepreneur, innovating the social entrepreneurship landscape and inspiring the next generation of leaders. He has received recognition on DC Inno’s 25 under 25 list, is the recipient of City Year’s Idealist of the Year award and NBC4 Working for the Community Award 2020. Danny sits on multiple nonprofit boards and serves as a grant reviewer for District of Columbia Government. Danny holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government with double minors in Economics and Environmental studies from Georgetown University College, a graduate certificate in Occupational and Environmental health from Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, a professional certificate in Budgeting and Finance from Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies, and a Nonprofit Executive Management Certificate from Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy.

Contact: Steven A. Rodríguez
Contact info: steven@1863ventures.net

About 1863 Ventures

1863 Ventures is the #1 national business development nonprofit for New Majority Entrepreneurs; individuals who have been historically marginalized (e.g. BIPOC). The DC based non-profit organization’s mission is to create $100 billion in New Wealth, by and for New Majority Entrepreneurs, by 2030. The organization was founded by Melissa Bradley, entrepreneur, VC investor and Georgetown University associate professor. This year, 1863 Ventures will support over 1,500 New Majority entrepreneurs across the United States, through programming and grant support.

1863 Ventures Names Daniel Wright Chief Operating Officer was originally published in 1863 Ventures on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

There is the criticism of ‘that’s wrong’ and ‘don’t be a fool’. And the criticism of ‘yes, but what if…’ and ‘another way to look at it is…’. We can perceive criticism in many ways, and it depends on our default attitude.

Criticism can be a doorway into the unknown, of alternate realities that we haven’t thought of yet. They need not be taken so personally, when one sets the right attitude towards its application.

And when we encounter unsolicited criticism, one has a unique opportunity to understand someone else’s reality. Right or wrong, good or bad, it’s a tidbit of knowledge to help learn more about the world around us.

And how we react will shape the path you out on. Learn, asses, and react more effectively. Only you can determine your path ahead. And as Seth Godin quips, “go make a ruckus.”

But how difficult criticism is! Not a single word has the same meaning for two people. As for being helped in one’s own work, I have given up all hopes of it. Blame is unpleasant, and praise pleasant, but neither has any bearing on what one is doing — However, as I always maintain, it is the pleasure one has oneself that is the only guide, and that is leading me at present to plan four more books.”

– Virginia Woolf