Most startups fail because they spend too much time on the wrong things. Don't let that be you.

Welcome to the 20th edition of The Get Funded! Newsletter—proudly serving over 2,589 founders! Here, we break down the latest insights from our weekly VC Office Hours sessions on Twitter/X and equip you with tools to help you ‘Get Funded’.

Missed this session? Listen to the recording here.
Want to join the next session? Check out the full list of past and upcoming VCs here.

1. Overview:

This week, we hosted one insightful session with our fantastic guest investor:

• Sukone Hong, General Partner at BlueBrown Partners

  BlueBrown is an early-stage venture capital fund that source and invest in technology companies run by young innovators; writing $50K - $500K checks at the Pre-Seed & Seed stage.

2. Office Hours Recap:

Key Takeaways from the VC Office Hours:

• Session #1 - Sukone Hong, General Partner at BlueBrown Partners
  Stage: Pre-Seed & Seed

  Industry: Agnostic but likes Deep Tech, AI, and university spinouts
  Check Size: $50K - $250K initial investments, with follow-on through SPVs
  How to Apply: Reach out Sukone on Linkedin or email the team directly at [email protected].
  Key Takeaways from Session:

  • Founder-Centric Investment Approach: Sukone prefers backing young, technical founders and values personal stories in pitches. He focuses on the why behind a founder’s startup journey rather than just the business metrics.

  • Strong Academic and Network Ties: BlueBrown Partners leverages its deep connections with Harvard, MIT, and top-tier investors to identify high-potential founders working on cutting-edge innovation.

  • Pre-Investment Process: While the fund has yet to deploy capital, it actively conducts due diligence on 10-15 deals per month and aims to invest in one to two companies monthly starting Q2 2025. The process includes Zoom calls, in-person meetings when possible, and a structured two-week decision window post-final pitch.

3. Funding Resources:

Resources of the Week:

• Latitud Fellowship

  An 8-week program designed to be a launchpad for turning ideas into reality - fast; providing a $25K investment.

  Deadline: 2/17/2025

• Bronze Valley Investment Accelerator

  The Bronze Valley Accelerator $100K invests in five high-growth startups per cohort led by female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color.
  Deadline: 2/23/2025

• The Blue Dot Creative Residency by CÎROC

  An opportunity for storytellers to bring their passion projects to life with up to $200K in funding support.

  Deadline: 2/24/2025

• Black History Makers Grant

  Citi Trends is providing $5,000 grants to acknowledge Black entrepreneurs that are making history in their community.

  Deadline: 2/28/2025

• CTIA Wireless Foundation Catalyst 2025

  A competitive grants program for ambitious social entrepreneurs who have developed mobile-first solutions that enhance our lives and address pressing challenges in American communities; receive up to $100K in grant funding.

  Deadline: 3/4/2025

• Orlando Magic Venture Challenge

  The challenge will provide up to six companies the opportunity to gain up to $200K in funding, partnerships and mentorships.

  Deadline: 3/5/2025

• VOA Futures Fund Community Health Incubator

  A 14-week accelerator with partnership opportunities for ventures in community health that provides a $15K grant and business training to help you scale.
  Deadline: 3/5/2025

• The Builders + Backers Idea Accelerator

  A free, virtual, idea-stage program that takes aspiring founders from concept to first launch, providing $5K in funding.

  Deadline: 3/11/2025

• Money Moves Summit Pitch Competition

  Compete for a share of the $10K prize pool during the Money Move’s Summit.

  Deadline: 3/14/2025

• Headstream Accelerator

  The Headstream Accelerator provides $30K in support to entrepreneurs to scale the most promising digital solutions that positively impact youth mental well-being.

  Deadline: 3/16/2025

• OHUB’s Climate Tech Bootcamp

  A 10-week pre-accelerator program for climate tech and new energy entrepreneurs from around the country that have an interest in building in or expanding to South Louisiana; opportunity to receive a $100K investment.

  Deadline: 3/28/2025

• The MSP Equity Accelerator

  The MSP Equity Accelerator sponsored by Allianz invests $100K each into five high-growth startups founded by undervalued entrepreneurs.

  Deadline: 4/25/2025

Podcast of the Week:

• FinTech Leaders - Episode 168
  John Waldmann, Founder & CEO of Homebase, shares how his company scaled to serve over 150,000 small businesses and 3.8 million workers. He dives into the power of early cultural choices, high-velocity decision-making, and why AI will create more small business owners rather than replace them. Waldmann also explains why consensus-driven decision-making slows execution and how Homebase fosters a culture of ownership and accountability.

• Why I recommend it: This episode is a masterclass in building a company with strong culture, speed, and mission alignment. Founders will gain insights into making bold cultural decisions, empowering teams to move fast without bureaucracy, and leveraging AI to enable more entrepreneurship. If you're scaling a startup or thinking about leadership, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways. You can listen here.

Alternative Funding Sources:

• Access up to $2M in non-dilutive debt financing. Request funding here.

• Raise up to $5M in equity capital through a Community Round. Request information here.

Serac Ventures has made 8 investments in 2024 and is actively reviewing investment opportunities for our 2025 pipeline. We are looking to invest $250K - $500K initial checks into 8-10 companies building in FinTech, SaaS, and the Future of Work in 2025. Learn more and consider submitting your company here.

4. Tweet of the Week:

That’s all for this week’s edition of The Get Funded! Newsletter. We hope you found these insights valuable as you continue your journey to securing funding.

What’s next?

Join us next Friday for two more amazing guests joining us for Office Hours.

​​For session #1 we have Bryce Johnson, Investor at Primary Venture Partners.

Primary is New York’s leading early stage firm, with a billion in assets under management and 50 full time employees; writing $1M - $8M checks to lead rounds at the seed stage.

​For session #2 we have Marina Girgis, Principal at Precursor Ventures.

​Precursor Ventures is an early-stage venture firm focused on classic seed investing; writing $50K - $250K checks at the pre-seed & seed stage.

If interested in joining and/or pitching, please feel free to register here.

You can see the full list of past and future VCs on this Calendar.

Be on the look out for our newsletter next week where we’ll bring you more actionable advice, resources, and success stories.

Let’s All, Get Funded!

Best,
Darrel Frater
Investor at Serac Ventures
Twitter/X | Linkedin | Preneur

P.S. If you enjoyed this newsletter, forward it to a founder you know who could benefit from these insights!

P.S.S. Got ideas or suggestions for Get Funded? Shoot me an email at [email protected] for us to discuss!

About Serac: Serac Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that targets companies at the pre-seed and seed stage writing initial checks between $250K - $500K. Our core sectors include fintech, SaaS, and Future of Work. Learn more at SeracVentures.vc.