Cherae Robinson just raised over $1 million in venture funding – here’s how she did it and her advice for entrepreneurs

Money is one of the prime reasons why most startups fail. 

Everyday, people are launching new businesses, but soon run out of runway (aka money) and have to make the tough decision to either close their business, pick up a part-time job so that they can pay the bills, or try to get funding. 

For many people, the latter option is often the most sought after, but the gag is for many underserved founders, especially Black women, accessing the capital they need to invest and scale their companies is incredibly difficult.

Just a few years ago, studies showed that only 34 Black women had raised over $1 million dollars in funding. Since then (thankfully), there has been an increase in funding given to Black female ran businesses.

Cherae Robinson, the founder and CEO of Tastemakers Africa recently joined the $1 million and up club after her recent fundraising round.

From struggling with paying her rent to becoming one of the few Black women entrepreneurs that have raised over $1 million in venture funding, Cherae Robinson is proof that with hard work, persistence, and a product that consumers love, dreams can come true.

Cherae’s startup Tastemakers Africa, is a peer-to-peer tour and activities marketplace committed to changing how the world assigns value to people, places, and experiences. Prior to launching her company, Cheraé bridged the gap between science and people within large international organizations like CIMMYT, CARE, World Bank, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since launching Tastemakers, the entrepreneur life for Cherae hasn’t been as glamorous as social media makes it out to be.

Cherae has had to make uncomfortable sacrifices and has experienced really long days that would make the average person give up and join the unemployment line.

In a recent chat, Cherae shares how she launched her company through social media with no website, the sacrifices she made after pursuing her startup full-time, and the biggest lesson she learned about pitching to investors.

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feature photo credit: https://www.keteka.com/destinations/travel-impact-spotlight-cherae/