It is fitting that this investment in the end of life will be MergeLane’s last. We are excited to announce our recent investment in After, an online cremation planning and fulfillment service.
We are excited to announce that MergeLane will be accepting its first class of women-led startups in February of 2015. After years of running, mentoring and investing in startups, Sue Heilbronner saw a need for this and I am so thankful she convinced me to join her. After becoming increasingly...
Today is the first day after applications closed for our initial cohort at the MergeLane accelerator for female-led companies. There is far more to do, but I awoke this morning at 4:30am in the quiet space of reflection. The last six months of nurturing the idea for this concept have called to...
Startup accelerators are growing in numbers in the US and the world. I’m not going to bore you with the granular details of the economics of these programs. Generally the objective is as follows: Make great investments in great companies Offer something special enough to the community that...
It’s hard to believe, but we are in Week 8 of the 12-week inaugural MergeLane program. We could not be more delighted with how things are going, and we could not be more appreciative of all of your support. Here are the highlights numerically:
We hear it all the time from Silicon Valley VC firms, corporate boards, and the C-suite. It goes something like this: “We WANT to have more women in our ranks, but we just can’t find enough great candidates.” The perception on diversity in pipelines is entrenched, and so long as the seekers...
The shortage of tech talent is a challenge for perhaps every company with which I’ve worked. Since this is a constant topic of conversation not only among startups, but companies at every stage, MergeLane has invited experts from three innovative companies at totally different growth stages to...
The accelerator for companies with at least one female in leadership welcomes a dynamic batch of new companies. MergeLane, the investment accelerator for companies with at least one female in leadership, today announced its 2016 cohort of ten exceptional startups. MergeLane’s 2016 program...
Most transformative ideas over the past 15 years have come from startups. The freedom to experiment creatively and to fail quickly produces true disruption. Leveraging combined decades of experience by the MergeLane founders in working with leaders on innovation, MergeLane is launching a new...
2016 Demo Day was kicked off by the formidable, brilliant, and inspiring poet Azure Antoinette. We hope this poem helps to keep you going when your entrepreneurial journey gets tough.
MergeLane, the accelerator and fund for high-growth startups with at least one woman in leadership, is now accepting applicants for its 2017 accelerator. This program will pair a select cohort of startups with industry-leading mentors and CEO coaches to dramatically increase the startups’ growth...
This post, written by MergeLane co-founder Sue Heilbronner, first appeared at her site. This policy also applies to all MergeLane activities, including our November Women’s Leadership Camp. We wanted to be sure to share her thinking (our thinking) here as well. As of today, I’m formally enacting...
This episode of the Real Leaders podcast features Elizabeth Kraus and Sue Heilbronner, co-founders of MergeLane, the investment fund and accelerator targeting companies with at least one female in leadership. Here Elizabeth turns the tables on Real Leaders Host Sue by asking her about her goals...
This is a guest post by Alex Niemczewski, CEO of BallotReady, a graduate of the 2016 MergeLane accelerator. BallotReady is an online non-partisan voter guide that helpers voters make informed decisions all the way down the ballot. If you live in Illinois, Colorado, California, New York, Ohio...
This is a guest blog post by Allie Janoch, CEO of Mapistry, MergeLane Alumni 2015. Mapistry, a 2015 MergeLane alumni, is in the business of industrial stormwater. We’ve created an easy to use and affordable software to combat the challenges of stormwater regulations.
This is a guest post by Fran Dunaway, CEO of TomboyX, a graduate of the MergeLane 2015 Accelerator. TomboyX manufactures and sells clothing and accessories by and for “tomboys.” Over the last year we’ve learned we are more than just a great brand. Our MergeLane experience was a game changer.
Just like we believe that investing in women-led companies isn’t just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do, we believe that investing in girls is key to #ChangingTheRatio. According to the White House, “Ensuring that a nation’s girls are educated unlocks human potential...
If you know me personally or through my blog or Facebook, you know that I grapple with how to balance my life with the number of requests I get for in-person meetings. I’ve written about this before, but it was time for a new plan. I’ve landed on a new approach. The issue is that there…