Fundraising 101 with Stefanie Sample of Fundid

Headshot size for WP (5)

When Stefanie Sample woke up one day, mid-pandemic, and read an article that mentioned the huge gap in PPP loans for women and minorities, she knew she wanted to be part of the solution. So she spent the next few months learning all she could about small business lending. Then she launched Fundid. 

In today’s episode, we talk with Stefanie Sample, founder of Fundid, a business capital company for women and minority business owners. She chats with us about the previous businesses she’s had, how to profitably sell your business, all about raising capital, and so much more. If you have any fundraising questions, this is the episode to tune into! 

“Venture funding to women actually decreased quite significantly, and it was only at 2% to begin with. So it’s like, Oh, my God, how is even possible that this could decrease. And I was just really pissed, and I turned to my husband, and I’m like, I’m not going to be on the sidelines on this, like, I have to do something, I have to be part of the solution.” – Stefanie Sample

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

  • Stefanie talks about her background and how she found herself as an Entreprenista (3:06)
  • Stefanie shares about her many previous businesses (5:55)
  • Stefanie gives us the lessons she’s learned from selling businesses (9:02)
  • Stefanie shares about her new business, Fundid (12:34)
  • Stefanie shares the ins-and-outs of fundraising (19:00)
  • Rapid fire questions (37:59)
  • Stefanie talks about how she manages her days as a business owner, while also being a mom (39:10) 
  • Stefanie shares the mantra she lives her life by (43:17)
  • What being an Entreprenista means to Stefanie (44:55)

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “But what I’ve learned about myself now is that I’m a builder, I’m a zero to one.” – Stefanie Sample
  • “I lucked out in that I’m really not capable of being anything but authentic and transparent.” – Stefanie Sample
  • “I had a really amazing experience raising, I never felt like my gender was an issue in any way with males or females, like, at the end of the day, a VCs job is to return their funds and make money. If you can do that, they don’t care who you are.” – Stefanie Sample

Connect with Stefanie Sample:

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join our Entreprenista League community of women founders! You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded Entreprenistas who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!

Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Become An Entreprenista!

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast – the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Radio | GooglePlay

Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and for more exclusive content, tips, and insight, join the Entreprenistas Facebook group and visit the SocialFly website.

Share it!

Posted in
Tags

Leave a Comment





Entreprenista Julia DeNey on Elavating Sensory-Friendly Clothing through Sense-ational You

Hi Julia! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: I attended Cornell University, where I majored in Fashion Design. In my junior year, I began an independent study on clothing for autistic children after volunteering at a local special education preschool led to many parents and therapists asking if I knew the…

5 Reasons to Apply for the E100 Awards

As a founder, you know the late nights, early mornings, and countless sacrifices it takes to make your vision a reality. Through it all, you’ve persisted — and now you have an incredible company to show for it. But sometimes, recognition can be hard to find as a founder. Awards and “top entrepreneur” lists are…

Find Your Passion and Make it Profitable with Kara Venus

  “Just just do it, get your LLC created, get your website created, do all the pieces.” – Kara Venus  In today’s episode of Startups in Stilettos, Carlyn flies solo while sitting down with Kara Venus, an author and the owner of Stella’s Way Marketing, a full-service small business consulting firm that helps small travel businesses launch…

Getting Investors to Fall in Love with Your Business with Katie Shea

““You’re not trying to convert the skeptics, you’re looking for the believers.” – Katie Shea Raising capital can feel like the ultimate courtship process and Katie Shea has all the tea on making your business the belle of the ball every fundraising season. Before having an investment portfolio valued at over 6 Billion USD, Katie…

Build A Reputation and Watch Your Business Grow with Whitney Lee

“ You don’t just step out into the business world and say, I’m the best. I’m the smartest, I’m the nicest, I’m a good person, and everyone believes you overnight. No, you have to prove yourself, you have to consistently put in the work to show your true colors. And over time you build that…

Finding Solutions for Diversity and Inclusion in the Beauty Industry with Maude Okrah

“We’re terrified of making a mistake, because of public reputation. And what we recognized is that, with all these conversations happening in silos, we had to bring everyone together. We had to break down the silos and try and figure out a solution that worked.”  – Maude Okrah If you or someone you know has ever…

Founder of La Pausa Consulting, Adair Vilella, on Building a Business Tailored to Your Unique Needs

Hi Adair! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: I am a business sales consultant that helps women owned businesses double their revenue through sales and data visualization! I will work with you to dive into the foundation of your business and develop customized consulting solutions tailored to your unique needs, enabling…

Co-Founder of The Fertility Resort, Bryant Liggett, on The Career She’s Always Dreamed Of

Hi Bryant! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hello, friends! My name is Bryant Liggett and I’m the Co-Founder of The Fertility Resort. Born from the ashes of years of infertility and loss, I created The Fertility Resort in hopes of eliminating “I didn’t know what I didn’t know” from the…

It’s All About the Lens with Dionne Ellison: Founder of Vuliwear

Hello Dionne! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: My name is Dionne Ellison, and I am the Founder/Creator of Vuliwear. Vuliwear is an exclusive line of luxury eyewear inspired by nature that exposes hidden beauty unseen with the naked eye; specifically the awesome colors and patterns of insect eyes. Each custom…

Creative Problems Require Creative Solutions with Libra Riley

“If you’ve created something, get it out there, get it prototyped. Get it patented if it makes sense to patent because not every product needs to have a patent, but just get going on something.”  – Libra Riley  In today’s episode, we are joined by Libra Riley, the Founder and CEO of SWOOP™ Hanger, a patented…

Building a Bad Bitch Empire with Lisa Carmen Wang

“A woman steps into HER FULL POWER not when she is finally given permission to do so, but when she realizes she never needed it in the first place.” – Lisa Carmen Wang If the world is going to label you a bitch, you might as well be a bad bitch according to Lisa Carmen Wang. …

Sonia Narvaez on Launching Operation QQL to Provide Exceptional Support to Her Clients

Hi Sonia! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hello! I am the owner and Operations Strategist at Operation QOL, a BIPOC- and women-owned and operated business that supports altruistic entrepreneurs on their path to greater impact and a higher quality of life. My approach is to assimilate with an organization as…

Grants You Need to Apply to For Your Business!

The FedEx® Entrepreneur Fund Who can apply? Entrepreneurs who have a connection to the military and/or entrepreneurs with disabilities. What you could receive: $10,000 Deadline: October 6, 2023 15th Anniversary Entrepreneurship Who can apply? Any entrepreneur who submits an engaging pitch of up to 1,000 words highlighting your business and how it would benefit from…

How to Plan for the Unpredictable with Emily Cisek

“You want to do everything you want to be everything to everyone. You want to be the perfect founder, but the perfect founder doesn’t exist you need to be authentic and true to yourself and the type of leader you are.” – Emily Cisek Named the 2021 Women Who Mean Business Honoree by the Houston Business…

Courtney Boyer on Starting a Biz of Her Own to Elevate the Dialogue Around Women’s Health and Sexuality

Hi Courtney! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hello! I am a relationship and sexuality expert. I was trained as a mental health and sex therapist, life coach, and Reiki Practitioner. Recently, I published the book, “Not Tonight, Honey: Why Women Actually Don’t Want Sex and What We Can Do About…