Like so many #Blackfounders I've been reliving my own experiences and reflecting on the hurdles we all have to face, especially during the #fundraising process. #VCs saying they like you but only interested in cutting 'low-risk' size checks 1/11

I could do a whole separate thread on everything from the time I was called ‘boy’ by a #VC because he wanted to test ability to respond to ‘stress' or to each time you get the ‘small market’ feedback even when Docsend shows that the investor dropped off on the #team slide. 2/11

But the bind many of us find ourselves in is that 1) we're heads down learning, growing, #building our #startups and it often feels our energy is best channeled towards that and 3/11

2) we still have to hit the fundraising circuit at some point in the future...and #pitch to many of these very same investors who are being called out. So we keep pitching ( @jamailcarter my cofounder does it like the best of them) 4/11

So I instead want to share more about what I'm building—both why it matters and why there's a big opportunity. @VarunaIoT is in the #water quality/digital water space. My cofounder/I/team are focused on the much-needed work to ensure everyone drinks clean water sustainably 5/11

Of course, there's a clear tie-in to what we've all been talking about these past few weeks #blm. There is almost a 1:1 overlap between areas with known water quality violations and areas with predominantly #poc/minorities. Just because your water happens to be clean, 6/11

doesn't mean it isn't a huge problem. #Jersey, #Austin, #Chicago have all had water quality violations within the last year. In Q4 2019, 53M Americans drank water from water systems in violation and 80% of black people worry about their water quality (Pew). 7/11

Additionally, US/EPA water regulations have not updated contaminants for ~25 years even as we’ve created tens of thousands of new #chemicals that contaminate our water. (Read 'Troubled Water' https://amzn.to/38mFkuR ) 8/11

Make no mistake, this isn't charity, a social justice project, or a niche #business. Folk say "no money" or "no market" in water (as they drink it), in reality, there are ~52k US water systems. Increasing violations + COVID wfh impacting 80% of the workforce requires #tech. 9/11

That’s a BIG #opportunity. And we're going after it. If you're a fellow #Climatetech #founder who wants to compare notes or #blackintech leader and want to connect, I'd love to hear from you. If you're an investor/advisor who could be helpful, I'd love to chat. 10/11

Shout out/thanks to the @VarunaIoT @urbanxaccel @ImagineH2O #UrbanUs #citylightvc @MarcMuinzer @allenpenn @JohanSchwind @LizSisson @InveryneFarmer @zpryme_research who've been going hard/side-by-side on this journey with us! 11/11