The best companies make a product that users love so much they want to own part of the company themselves. I get asked all the time about the difference between a WeFunder Community Round and an AngelList RUV. Let's dig into the difference:

The 2022 numbers show that nothing has changed. Black founders raised 1% of VC funds last year, and women raised 1.9%. All out of more than $200 billion allocated last year. Tomorrow we're chatting about why it's time for investors to #CutTheCheck.

Wefunder is now live in Europe! 🚀🇪🇺

Part #1 of our Y Combinator W23 founders dinner series! Starting off strong last Monday with Dev Tool founders 🛠 The energy was incredible. This batch is looking very good 😎 @raisecapitalize @joshuadwebster @wefunder

In a few years' time, it will be normal (dare I say, expected) for B2C startups to let their customers invest 10-20% of every round, alongside VCs.

Today we’re opening up a community round so that writers can invest in Substack and own a piece of the company. We want writers to share in the benefits of building the Substack network – including the financial upside. This round is one way to do that.

Today we’re starting a process that will let writers invest in Substack. You can find the full details of this community round, which will also be open to non-writers if there is room, and make an investment here: wefunder.com/substack

Our children deserve a safer Tennessee. Join me and add your voice to the chorus of support for reasonable, responsible gun safety measures. #SaferTN safertn.org/?ms=FTN_GVP_Co…

I will vote to name Justin Jones back into the State House to represent my constituents in House District 52.

The condescension of Brentwood Rep Bulso towards Rep. Gloria Johnson on display at #tnleg today. Gino & his TNGOP colleagues don’t like uppity women & young black men. As Rep. Bob Freeman said earlier, the #Tennessee3 make reps like Bulso uncomfortable. #sexism #racism #ageism

Community Rounds enable founders to raise capital from their customers and community, as well as rich people. They can be "stand-alone" rounds (e.g. David Shaner raised $2M for Offline). Or part of a larger VC-led round (e.g. Replit ⠕, Mercury). communityround.com

This is embarrassingly poor writing - and a terrible take. The Tennessee GOP still can't figure out how to respond to a little scrutiny of the terrible way it has been running this state.

Who doesn’t want a reason to visit Scotland? The Roadies Nashville SC check this out.

It would be cool if Men in Blazers got behind community ownership of US soccer. Seems very on brand for roger bennett!!

1/ Here's why every founder should let their community invest alongside VCs. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research says: "After a customer receives a stock grant, their weekly spending increases by 100% as customer ownership drives brand loyalty."

Bad Idea, Alex Burch's wine bar, opened its doors in East Nashville. This would not be possible without the 159 locals who invested $725k in their community round. For them, this investment wasn't just about returns. It was also about passion. This is why Wefunder exists.

Building community is at the heart of Wefunder. In 2024, we want to run more and more cool events with founders. This is a picture from our Community Roundtable in Louisville last week. Such an awesome collection of founders, investors, and partners Which city should be next?

Community Rounds in a nutshell: 💸 can raise $5M per year 😍 everyone can invest, not just rich people 📢 can publicly promote the fundraise 📜 one SPV on your cap table

"The traditional VC model has failed to adequately support diverse founders, perpetuating systemic inequalities within the startup ecosystem." I agree. Excited to partner with Mel Ochoa and Landmark Ventures to get more capital flowing to diverse founders. digitalfirstmagazine.com/unlocking-capi…