Talent is a leading differentiator for companies today. Amidst the most competitive talent market in history, fast-growing companies are prioritizing the need for efficient and effective hiring strategies. In alignment with our continuous mission to solve the next generation of talent challenges, Hunt Club is thrilled to partner with InTandem, Google, Creatd, Valence and Myosin, to launch a complimentary mentorship and education-based growth marketing program for startups with founders from underrepresented communities.
The InTandem Program features a proprietary curriculum and actionable growth marketing roadmap to help prime minority-founded startups for accelerated growth as they scale post-series A funding.
The first cohort supports Black Founders who have raised a series A and is dedicated to helping these founders scale their business to Series B and beyond by providing guidance on how to build their growth marketing leadership team and organization, how to implement technology, and tracking to focus on the right KPIs along with messaging guidance on how to tell the right stories to scale.
Fueling Growth for Minority-Owned Startups Through a Focused Curriculum
During the three-month program, Hunt Club will offer strategic guidance on how to successfully build competitive talent strategies that enable companies to scale past new heights. Hunt Club’s curriculum will focus on how to source and hire top-tier talent, expert tips on what to look for in effective leaders, steps to building and growing strong teams, empowering founders to leverage the power of their networks to drive ROI.
“The greatest competitive edge today in business is talent,” said Amanda Price, VP of Marketing at Hunt Club. “People are the DNA of business, and the right talent can drive growth 10x. InTandem’s mission aligns with our core values at Hunt Club and we are thrilled to partner with minority-owned startups, helping them navigate how to build powerhouse growth marketing organizations at scale.”
Hunt Club is among a list of extraordinary technology-based partners who all share a passion for supporting the growth and success of early stage companies and their founders, including:
- Creatd, Inc. (Nasdaq CM: CRTD), InTandem’s premiere sponsor, is a creator-centric holding company focused on helping creators and brands grow through the power of technology and partnership.
- Google is a technology company that specializes in internet-related services and products, including; online advertising, SEO, SEM, YouTube and more.
- Valence is a platform that connects, showcases, and empowers the global Black professional community. It is also participating in the first InTandem program for 2022.
- Myosin delivers performance insights for better, faster decisions using AI to link your brand essence, data sources and media channels.
Closing the Funding Gap for Minority-Owned Businesses
Record-breaking venture capital rapidly fueled startups in 2021. As this momentum continues into 2022, it’s ever more important to ensure equitable distribution across the startup ecosystem. In particular, investors should focus on creating access and opportunity for minority-owned businesses that have faced barriers to their piece of the venture capital pie. While progress is evident, these groups have largely been underrepresented:
- In 2020, only 0.6 percent of venture capital dollars were distributed to Black founders. But these statistics are changing. In 2021, Black founders raised $4.2 billion, a 281% increase year-over-year.
- Black female startup founders had only received 0.34% of the total venture capital spent in the U.S. in the first half of 2021.
- In the first three quarters of 2021, female founded companies only raised 2.2% of all venture funding, which was lower than funding for the previous five years.
- Funding to Latinx founders has increased in dollars—from $1.7 billion in 2017 to $6.8 billion in 2021, but that growth has only slightly outpaced the overall increase in U.S. venture capital investments. Thus, Latinx startup funding has stalled, only amounting to 2% of the overall pot.
Beyond dollars, founders’ success is rooted in establishing strong entrepreneurial, leadership, and business savvy skills. According to Guider, a workplace mentorship hub, mentorship has been proven to be beneficial to businesses and organizations struggling with funding.
To help level the playing field for minority founders, InTandem’s curriculum will focus its efforts on supporting and mentoring Black-founded, Female-founded and Latine/x/a/o-founded B2C startups. The list of participating startups include:
- Valence is a platform that connects, showcases, and empowers the global Black professional community.
- Curastory is an all-in-one platform for creating and monetizing quality video content without compromise.
- WePlayed Sports generates short-form video to satisfy the Highlight Generation’s obsession with quick-hitting content.
- Sixty Four & Hope is a wellness-focused cannabis store rooted in culture that elevates rich, local voices through the collaboration of best-in-class products and immersive sensory events.
- Rebundle’s proprietary braiding hair extensions are made from a non-toxic, biodegradable plant that is better for the scalp and better for the environment.
- Eastside Golf is a lifestyle brand developed to raise awareness about golf among youth and non golfers. We want to inspire the culture, promote diversity and continue to be authentic.
- OUI the People is a modern skincare company rooted in culture & inclusivity. Efficacious products, designed thoughtfully, that help you feel great in the skin you’re already in.
- The Cut is both a Barber CRM platform and an industry marketplace. With 3M+ users and 35M appointments booked, we’re modernizing the barbershop experience.
- Upward Wealth gives instant access to investments without sacrificing liquidity.
ABOUT INTANDEM
InTandem, in partnership with Google, is a complimentary mentorship-based growth marketing program for startups with founders from underrepresented communities. The InTandem program features a proprietary curriculum and actionable growth marketing roadmap to help prime minority-founded startups for accelerated growth as they scale post-series A funding. The program is funded through the generosity of InTandem’s sponsors and industry experts who are invested in accelerating the growth and success of minority-founded startups. For more information, visit: https://intandemgrowth.com/.
ABOUT CREATD
Creatd, Inc. (Nasdaq CM: CRTD) is a creator-first technology holding company and the parent company of the Vocal platform. Our mission is to empower creators, entrepreneurs, and brands through technology and partnership. We accomplish this through Creatd's four business pillars: Creatd Labs, Creatd Partners, Creatd Ventures, and Creatd Studios. For more information, visit https://creatd.com/.
ABOUT HUNT CLUB
Hunt Club is a talent company revolutionizing hiring for fast-growing digital companies. By leveraging the power of relationships, Hunt Club’s technology transforms thousands of subject matter experts into the world’s most powerful talent network. Hunt Club has built a growing professional network of over 6 million candidates and 13,000 business leaders, made up of entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, investors, and team leaders, who help introduce and connect top talent, delivering the most efficient and effective hiring experience for employers and candidates. https://www.huntclub.com/
ABOUT VALENCE
Valence's mission is to create new paths to success for Black professionals. The Valence platform connects, showcases and empowers the Black professional community through professional development and career opportunities, with an eye toward a future where there are generations of Black professionals who are skilled in the art of business. Valence also partners with companies to help them recruit, retain and promote Black talent. Join by signing up at www.valence.community.
Follow along as InTandem helps shape the future of minority-owned businesses.
For more information, read the full press release here.
