CEO - Founder: College Cash. Techstars Payments '23 A Ronin in a world of mercenaries Heavy on the I.S.W.I.S.
Everywhere I need to be.
Joined February 2022
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Didn't think this would still be a thing but here we are, soooo....
For the love of all that's good and right in the world, STOP asking underserved founders if we raised a "Friends and Family" round.
Yeah, we did...and here's how it went, a 🧵:
One of the best people doing some of the best things!
My Chicago folks definitely should tap in!
RT and share please🙏🏾
I want to raise $ for @TechRiseChi and underserved founders this holiday szn.
Anyone in chi want an invite to a holiday @kampevents party dec 23? Open bar, food, panels, karaoke and fun! $150
The proceeds from tix sales go to them.
Plz DM for invite soon. And RT plz for reach!
Saying the quiet part out loud today:
Being transparent / "building in public" for founders is always pushed until that transparency is "I'm on the verge of breaking/etc."... then it's "don't talk about that because it could hurt your raise/biz/etc.
smh.
Weekend Thoughts:
This "founder life" sh*t is hard and it can be a dark AF place at times.
Notice when you see someone starting to crack...touch base with them, & be a safe space of light to offset whatever darkness they are dealing with NOW instead of posting regrets later.
Look, founders are people too...and regardless of how bad ass you may feel they are, they could be fighting like hell against the darkness of depression and intrusive thoughts.
Everyone is strong till they break...so check on your people and be a safe space for them...ok?
I’m fully aware this could hurt my fundraising efforts & work, but hopefully it’s worth the share to help others.
It’s been several tough months for people, financially, life & world events.
I’ve dealt with something I haven’t before, depression.
A few nights ago, a loved one had to call cops and mental services on me because I was in a dark place.
Whats crazy is the fact you cant even SEE A LINE on the chart for us black founders in Q2 or Q3...
Guess when folks say they are funding "underserved" founders the "underserved" only counts if they're not...nah, nevermind.
It’s with great pleasure that I get to announce that College Cash has been accepted into the first Amazon Web Services (AWS) Global FinTech Accelerator and I’m honored to be a part of the program as one of the selected CEOs and Founders for this great cohort!
The program hand-selected companies developing innovative fintech solutions in Europe, Middle East, Africa, North America, and Latin America, and we were one of those selected!
Looking forward to continuing the journey of helping reduce the burden of student loan debt!
#AWSFinTechAccelerator
If you've been blessed in any fashion to have enough or even "just enough"...remember there are people that don't.
And in my life I've been one of those people...so trust that it can happen.
So, I spoke to people getting food at a food bank and here are some things I learned from those in need:
1. Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter which is hard to get from regular food banks.
2. Boxed milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal which they also get a lot of.
3. Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles.
4. They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup unless you put a can opener in too or buy pop tops.
5. Oil is a luxury but needed for Rice a-Roni which they also get a lot of.
6. Spices or salt and pepper would be a real Christmas gift.
7. Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care.
8. Sugar and flour are treats.
9. They fawn over fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores.
10. Seeds are cool in Spring and Summer because growing can be easy for some.
11. They rarely get fresh meat.
12. Tuna and crackers make a good lunch.
13. Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef.
14. They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not sandwich bread.
15. Butter or margarine is nice too.
16. Eggs are a real commodity.
17. Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child’s birthday cake.
18. Dishwashing detergent is very expensive and is always appreciated.
19. Feminine hygiene products are a luxury and women will cry over that.
20. Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing.
In all the years I have donated food at the Holidays, I bought what I thought they wanted, but have never asked. I am glad I did. If you are helping a Family this Christmas, maybe this can help you tailor it more. It does for me!
So many times as founders we feel we have to have all the answers, but it's completely ok to say the following three words...
"I need help..."
So many events in the SAME cities and folks wonder why they're not engaging with new founders or seeing new startups, but everyone is fishing in the same lakes...try expanding to new areas maybe?
For example, being in TX...everything is always in Austin, but rarely in Dallas.🤦🏾♂️
Another trip around the sun...and another year to try and make a difference.
And I got ballons on my page...lol
Year 52 it is then.🙏🏾🔥👏🏾
They got us competing with each other for not even a piece of the pie, but actually just crumbs...but get on here and drop "think-pieces" and "how to" posts as if everything is equal and open opportunity.
Yeah...ok.
One day you're gonna quit smiling and playing in our faces.
But everyone is all about "underserved founders"...as long as they're not...sigh, nevermind.
Facts are facts, and people are gonna people.
Things have gone from bad to worse for Black founders in VC, raising just 0.13% of all VC funding in Q3.
By comparison, funding for all founders fell 50%.
For Black founders — it fell 20x.
techcrunch.com/2023/10/20/bl…
I'm usually pretty chill and sometimes even funny, spending my days on my startup to help student loan debt, but I swear everyday I see views & opinions that ignore the concept of human decency and make me wanna just scream...
"WHAT THE F*CK IS WRONG WITH SOME OF Y'ALL?"🤦🏾♂️
Here's some additional context:
Total Student Loan debt: $1.77T
New forgiven amount: $9B
So he forgave roughly 0.5%
And THIS is why we built College Cash....to at least try and help people with the remaining 99.5%.
TheFinTechRonin retweeted
Founders, I'm giving you my ultimate guide to building your pitch deck.
👉 Slide-by-slide process
👉 50+ killer slide examples
👉 Curated list of templates
In return, I only ask: like & comment this post so another founder can find it! 💪💪💪
openvc.app/blog/startup-pitc…
TheFinTechRonin retweeted
I'm building a "Fundraising 101" for founders.
Do you agree with the categories below? What would you change?
College Cash has partnered with Moneygram to help reduce the financial strain of sending money home internationally! Use the link below to send money internationally from the US with $0 fees on the first transaction!
moneygram.pxf.io/c/4792156/1…
(feel free to share as well!)
Coming Soon...eliminate out of pocket transfer fees by using College Cash!
Ujamaa Financial Joins Forces with College Cash to Accelerate Financial Empowerment for Students.
Ujamaa Financial has announced a new collaboration with College Cash (Techstars '23) Cash, a recently launched disruptor in the student debt repayment solutions space. This strategic partnership aims to combine the strengths of both companies to further accelerate financial empowerment and prosperity for college students and recent graduates, especially those in disadvantaged communities.
With student loans going back into repayment after a three-year pause, and October being Student Loan Awareness Month, the timing of this collaboration reflects the urgency to provide relief to young people shouldering crushing debt burdens.
By integrating Ujamaa's customized digital banking tools, financial literacy content, and compassionate coaching tailored for minority communities with College Cash's student debt repayment capabilities based around utilizing various forms of everyday behavior, the two companies will now offer a powerful ecosystem to help young people efficiently repay loans, build credit, and create wealth. Additionally, the recent partnership of College Cash and MoneyGram will allow a "community support" aspect to addressing student loan debt by utilizing MoneyGram International locations as cash-in/cash-out points for their users.
Ujamaa Financial's social platform will allow College Cash users to easily share their repayment journey with friends and family and unlock motivation through community. Users will also benefit from Ujamaa's immersive financial literacy education through AI-powered gaming and personalized avatar experiences making complex money topics accessible.
College Cash's innovative use of everyday purchases and cash back rewards to drive incremental debt payments are a perfect complement with Ujamaa's solution. “This alliance was the perfect blending of our visions to help those most affected by the student loan debt crisis. This sets us up to becoming a future leader in the consumer debt reduction space.” said Demetrius Curry, CEO of College Cash. The combined offering provides flexible new mechanisms to conquer student debt as a community starting as early as the first year of high school.
Dana Fry, CEO of Ujamaa Financial, shared "By joining forces with College Cash, we can accelerate financial justice and economic mobility for more diverse graduates nationwide. Together, our innovations uniquely provide the technology, knowledge, and social empowerment needed to create lasting change."
This collaboration represents the next evolution in culturally competent fintech solutions designed to dismantle systemic barriers and build generational wealth, with users at the center.
#studentdebt #generationalwealth #studentloanawarenessmonth #blackwealth