Are you a full-time tech founder? Be our guest! During COVID, we’re making our events available to tech founders everywhere. Enjoy a complimentary ticket to come learn from fellow tech founders, partners and investors. Already used your complimentary guest pass? Request an invite to see if you qualify for membership.
This year has placed a national spotlight on the Black experience, and it’s more important than ever for successful Black founders to share their experiences, insight, and advice. Oppti founder Khiry Kemp is joined by Tiffany Dufu, CEO of The Cru and author of Drop the Ball, to discuss overcoming adversity, facing your respective challenges, and what founders and investors alike should know about Black entrepreneurship.
Join Khiry and Tiffany for unique insights on:
Khiry Kemp is the Chairman of Black Founders Initiative at Founders Network.
After a brief career in Management Consulting, Khiry Kemp has completely dedicated his time to helping high school students with college and career readiness. Khiry co-founded Oppti, a software platform with the largest database of internships and volunteer opportunities for high school students. He’s also the co-author of “Starting Your Own Microbusiness,” a book that helps young people explore, initiate, and execute business ideas. He also helped launch a nonprofit, Building BLOC, that provides youth mentorship services for college and career development.
Tiffany Dufu is founder and CEO of The Cru. Their algorithm matches circles of women who collaborate to meet their personal and professional goals. She’s also the author of the bestselling book Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less. According to foreword contributor Gloria Steinem, Drop the Ball is “important, path-breaking, intimate and brave.”
Named to Entrepreneur’s 100 Powerful Women and Fast Company’s League of Extraordinary Women, Tiffany has raised nearly $20 million toward the cause of women and girls. She is a frequent speaker on women’s leadership and has presented at Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit, MAKERS and TEDWomen. She was a launch team member to Lean In and was Chief Leadership Officer to Levo, one of the fastest growing millennial professional networks. Prior to that, Tiffany served as President of The White House Project, as a Major Gifts Officer at Simmons University, and as Associate Director of Development at Seattle Girls’ School.
Tiffany is a member of Women’s Forum New York, Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc. and is a Lifetime Girl Scout. She serves on the board of Girls Who Code and Simmons University and lives in New York City with her husband and two children.
Founded in 2011, Founders Network offers lifelong peer mentorship to over 600 tech startup founders globally. Our platform, programs and high-touch service facilitate authentic experience sharing, warm introductions and long-term professional relationships. Additional benefits include over $500k in startup discounts and promotion to 2,000 newsletter readers. Members are located in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, London and other tech hubs. Each month our Membership Committee admits a new cohort of full-time tech founders who are nominated by an existing member. Learn more at https://foundersnetwork.com
All information shared within Founders Network is strictly confidential. We are built on a foundation of trust, and the community takes confidentiality seriously. Investors, members, and staff all share experiences and opinions off the record. In this roundtable forum, we continue to model our fnValues of Reciprocity, Humility, Authenticity and Inclusivity.
"If you don't have a cohort group in something like Founders Network that you can develop long-term relationships with and discuss the same topics that come up with people that you already know, you're probably missing out on something very important."David Plonsky
"The number one advantage is the law of compound interest. The longer you stay in a very high-quality network the strong and more authentic relationships you build."Chaitanya Vaidya
"We know each other's business and we know each other's struggles. Having a personal relationship with other founders that is completely confidential and completely authentic gives you a lot of great advice."Doug Lessing
"FN manages my network for me by connecting me with other founders in my specific industry sector. I've been able to explore business development opportunities, partnerships, etc."Becky Splitt
"We just saw the first Mexican unicorn come to life this same week which is a fantastic idea. Being part of the Founders Network makes a lot of sense. We see that the Mexico City chapter is growing substantially."Max Linares
"There's a lot of great stuff going on even now in San Francisco. I've found Founders Network has been a great resource for me and for all of the founders I know during these tough times."Jarie Bolander
"It allowed me to meet people who had done this before that had the experience. I was able to explain an issue very briefly and they were able to give me a very detailed response on how they addressed it."Terence Finn
"I've used the platform to discover advice, connections, resources, discounts, on important services, connections to investors, and practice on how to pitch. The kind of conversations you can't get anywhere else on youtube or google searches."Alexandra Greenhill
"I see Founders Network as one of those necessary resources in the Chicagoland area."Jason Jacobsohn
"The Black Founders initiative allows me to shape this program where we can inspire, engage, and support Black Founders."Khiry Kemp