Week 18 of Being a Founder

I’ve spent the last 18 weeks building Lima - the first ads platform that connects brands to private communities on WhatsApp, Discord and Slack. My cofounder (Alfredo ????) and I met on Zinc’s Venture Builder which is a pre-team, pre-idea accelerator. And… it’s pitch week!

Highlights from Week 18 ??

This Friday we submitted our “IC Memo” which is a 7 page document that outlines your idea, your traction and your plans for the future. Submitting this felt like a huge milestone for the cohort and therefore this week includes taking a few moments for reflection.

My highlights were:

Final Girly Lunch ??

Over the last few months, the women on the Zinc programme have met for lunch on Fridays. And with the submission we took the opportunity to do something a bit more special and headed to a restaurant. It felt very meaningful and was so nice to celebrate with everyone ??

IC Memo Submission ??

Of course another highlight is actually submitting the memo. I’ll share this post-pitch (on Monday!) so you can see the full spiel on Lima (apologies in advance for the small font, 7 pages isn’t a lot ??)

Family time ??

This weekend was my Dad’s 60th and we got the whole family together. The perfect weekend ahead of an intense week. A combination of big catch ups, good food and colouring with the kids (colouring rules).

Thoughts from Week 18 ??

Heading into next week the main thought on my mind is… look how far we’ve come!

Before joining Zinc, I had decided to close The Funding Crowd having hit some big personal goals, and was looking for my next challenge (but struggling to figure it out). I joined Zinc with an open mind and my aim was to be really intentional in taking advantage of the opportunity. But I ultimately understood that it could have not gone well - I may not have clicked with anyone on the cohort or struggled to find an idea I was passionate about.

Looking back now with an amazing cofounder (big up Alfredo) and an idea I can’t wait to execute feels amazing and I’m hugely grateful for this opportunity and for all those that have supported the journey ??

Now it all comes down to our pitch on Monday (today!) and whether Zinc believe the idea is investable. I’m likely to find out whether we got investment by the 10th October which I’ll of course tell you all about. In the meantime, I’ll also share what each outcome means for Lima but…(spoiler)…these blog posts won’t be stopping anytime soon ??

How You Can Help ??

Only good thoughts and wishes please for today ???Regardless of how the pitch goes I’m likely to be a lot more demanding next week ??

Thank Yous for Week 18 ??

• Sarah and Bhakti for organising the girly lunch ??
• Amy for continued support!
• Clare for valuable advice and thoughts on pitch deck
• To all those that offered to read through our deck - thank you ??

What’s Coming Up ??

Did I mention I’m pitching???

P.s. Look how cute my sister is waving my off ??