Crowdfunded Capital for Black and Brown Women Founders How to Win the BGV Pitch Grant and Community Support

If you are a Black or Brown woman building a company in the United States, you already know the stats are brutal: tiny fractions of venture capital, constant “come back later” from banks, and an endless parade of pitch panels where you are the only one who looks like you.

Black Girl Ventures looked at that reality and said: absolutely not.

Instead of waiting for traditional investors to suddenly become generous, they built their own machine for funding and visibility: BGV Pitch, a live pitch + crowdfunding experience where the audience decides with their dollars, and where founders walk away not just with money, but with community, coaching, and a platform.

Typical winners pull in around $10,000 in crowdfunded capital, plus tech credits, visibility, and long-term support. Some local cohorts, like BGV Pitch LA, have offered $30,000+ in cash prizes across finalists.

This is not a dry, fluorescent-lit pitch in front of four grim-faced VCs. Think packed room (or Zoom), DJ energy, people rooting out loud, and a crowd that actually wants you to win.

If your business already generates revenue and you are ready to pitch live, this is an opportunity worth clearing your calendar for.

BGV Pitch at a Glance

What This Opportunity Actually Offers

Strip away the buzz and this program offers three things most early-stage founders are starved for: capital, visibility, and credible support.

First, the money. Unlike equity investors, BGVs model is more like a grant plus crowdfunding hybrid. The audience donates through BGVs Raisify platform in support of the founders they love. The person with the most votes (not necessarily the most dollars) wins the top spot, and BGV often matches or amplifies funds for the top finalists. Past winners have walked away with around $10,000 or more in crowdfunded capital they can use flexibly for inventory, marketing, hiring, or whatever their business needs.

Second, the program builds your pitch muscle. You are not thrown onstage cold. Selected founders go through a structured pitch program where you:

• Craft and refine a tight 3-minute pitch for your business
• Participate in two practice sessions with feedback
• Get input on your pitch deck, storytelling, and delivery

If you have ever thought, “I know my business is good, I just need help explaining it quickly,” this is basically a mini boot camp designed for that exact problem.

Third, and maybe most underrated, is the BGV universe you gain access to as an alum. This includes:

• A nationwide network of other Black and Brown women founders
• Intros to mentors, professionals, and sometimes investors
• Access to future capital opportunities, corporate partners, and exclusive offers
• Ongoing community, events, and visibility

You do not just pitch once and disappear. BGV treats alumni as long-term partners, not props for a one-night show.

If you are used to being the one doing all the pouring into others, this is a rare program that pours back into you.

Who Should Apply (And Who Should Wait a Bit)

This is not a “napkin idea” competition. BGV Pitch is built for founders who are already in motion.

You are a strong fit if:

• You identify as a Black or Brown woman (or woman-identifying) founder.
• Your business is registered in the United States.
• You are already generating revenue. You do not need six figures yet, but this is for businesses that have moved beyond concept and are actually selling.
• You can pitch live (in person or virtually, depending on the cohort) and are willing to engage your community to vote.

In many BGV cycles, they also emphasize ventures that are:

• 51 percent or more owned by under-resourced women
• In good standing (not riddled with legal issues or compliance problems)
• Past the “we might launch eventually” stage and into real operations

The kinds of businesses that tend to show up and do well are all over the map: beauty brands on Target shelves, tech-enabled services solving real community problems, food and beverage companies, wellness products, education platforms, and social enterprises reinvesting in their neighborhoods.

If you are at zero revenue and still figuring out product-market fit, this might be aspirational for now. You could spend this year validating your offer, getting paying customers, and then come back ready to compete in a future cycle with receipts in hand.

On the other hand, if you have:

• A Stripe dashboard that actually shows payments
• Customers who send you love notes
• A story that ties your lived experience to the problem you are solving

then you are exactly the kind of founder this program was built for.

How the Pitch Works (And What That Means Strategically)

BGV gives each founder three minutes to pitch and two minutes of Q and A. That is it.

This format is fast by design. It forces you to trim the fat and say only what matters. The audience is not reading your 20-page business plan; they are deciding whether they believe in you and your business enough to vote with their wallets.

The twist: votes, not total dollars, decide the winner. Someone who raises a smaller amount from a high number of people can beat someone who gets a few big donors.

Strategically, that changes the game:

• You are incentivized to mobilize a broad community, not just find one wealthy friend.
• You benefit from making your pitch and your mission widely understandable so casual listeners can say “Oh, I get this, I want her to win.”
• You need a clear, specific ask: “With $10,000 we will do X, Y, and Z” so people feel their vote moves you toward something tangible.

Because this is live and high-energy, charisma and clarity matter. But they are not looking for a TED Talk performer; they are looking for founders who are real, prepared, and connected to their “why.”

Insider Tips for a Winning BGV Application and Pitch

You are not here to be “considered.” You are here to win. Here is how to behave like it.

1. Treat the Written Application Like Round One of the Pitch

Your answers on the form are not admin trivia; they are your first impression.

Explain the problem you solve in one or two plain-English sentences.
Avoid jargon. “We help Black mothers find culturally competent therapists” hits harder than “We are a digital-first wellness platform leveraging AI.”

Back it up with traction: revenue to date, key customers, growth over the past 6–12 months. Mention press, partnerships, or awards only if they are real; they care more about operations than hype.

2. Make Your Founder Story Do Real Work

BGV cares deeply about who you are and why you built this business.

Do not give them the watered-down LinkedIn version. Tie your background directly to the problem: the discrimination you saw, the gap you experienced, the opportunity you noticed in your own community.

The goal is not a trauma monologue; it is to explain why you are uniquely qualified and motivated to solve this specific problem at scale.

3. Build a Three-Minute Script, Then Cut Ruthlessly

Write out everything you think you should say in three minutes. Time it. Watch it be five.

Then cut.

By the end you should cover, very clearly:

• The problem
• Your solution
• Evidence that it works (traction)
• Who your customer is
• What you will do with the money

Record yourself and listen as if you were a stranger scrolling on your phone. Would you vote after hearing that? If not, keep polishing.

4. Practice Q and A Like It Is a Second Pitch

Those two minutes after your pitch are where you prove you are not just good at reciting lines but actually know your numbers and your market.

Have concise answers for:

• How much revenue you did last year and this year-to-date
• Your primary customer acquisition channels
• Your margins or average order value
• Your next 12 months of priorities

Practice answering quickly and confidently, not “Well, um, I think maybe around…”

5. Treat Community Mobilization as Part of the Work

Because the audience votes, your success partly depends on how many people you can activate.

Start building your list now, even before you are accepted. Collect email addresses at pop-ups, events, Instagram, your website. Those people become your voting base.

If you are selected, have a communications plan ready: countdown posts, email blasts, text reminders, maybe even a watch party where people vote together.

Founders who think “BGV will do the marketing” often underperform. Founders who act like campaign managers and rally their people tend to rise.

6. Be Specific About What the Money Will Do

“Marketing and growth” is lazy.

“$4,000 for inventory to fulfill wholesale orders, $3,000 for ads testing our best-performing market, $3,000 for part-time help during peak season” sounds like someone ready to scale.

When people hear exactly what their dollars will accomplish, they vote more confidently.

A Realistic Application Timeline (Working Backward from March 15, 2025)

You can absolutely apply in a panic the night before. You will just be competing against women who did not.

Here is a saner approach.

By late February (2–3 weeks before deadline):
Have your full application drafted. That means tight answers, clear traction, and a rough pitch outline. Share it with a trusted founder friend or mentor who will actually give critique, not just “Looks great!”

Early February (4–6 weeks before deadline):
Start seriously outlining your pitch. Decide your opener, your key data points, and your ask. Do rough timed run-throughs, even if they are messy. At the same time, clean up your website and social media so they match what you describe in your application.

January:
Get your numbers together: revenue by month, basic profit and loss, key metrics like average order value or retention. These will feed both your application and future Q and A. Begin testing how you tell your founder story in short form – at networking events, on social, in DMs.

Right now:
Check your eligibility, pick the regional or national cohort you want, and block out time on your calendar. Make a simple tracker: application tasks, pitch prep, and community-building actions. Treat this like a real project, not a side quest.

Required Materials and How to Prepare Them Well

Exact forms may vary by cohort, but you should be ready with:

• Basic business info: legal name, registration state, website, social handles, founding date, ownership breakdown. Make sure everything matches public records as much as possible.

• Founder profile: a short bio, your role in the company, relevant experience. Focus on what makes you effective at running this business, not your entire career history.

• Business summary: what you sell, who you serve, and what problem you solve. Aim for 3–5 sharp sentences in normal language.

• Traction and revenue details: total revenue to date, revenue last year and this year, user or customer numbers, growth highlights. If you have recurring revenue, say so clearly.

• Impact narrative (formal or informal): how your business benefits Black and Brown communities or other under-resourced groups, through hiring, supply chains, access, or outcomes.

• Links or supporting visuals: product photos, press coverage, short videos if requested. Choose assets that make it obvious what you do, even on mute.

Before you hit submit, read your application from the perspective of a busy reviewer: Can they tell what you do in 10 seconds? Can they find evidence that you are real and operating? Do you sound like a person they want to root for?

If the answer is yes, you are on the right track.

What Makes a BGV Application Stand Out

BGV is not just picking “cool ideas.” They are looking for builders.

Applications that rise to the top usually show:

Real traction.
That could be steady revenue, a growing waitlist, strong retention, or powerful testimonials. “We launched last month and have 10 paying customers already” can be compelling if the story is tight.

Clarity.
If reviewers cannot re-explain what you do to someone else after reading your application once, it is too fuzzy. The best applicants are clear enough that a stranger could pitch them in an elevator.

Alignment with BGVs mission.
They care about Black and Brown women building wealth and power. If your business circulates dollars in your community, hires locally, addresses inequity, or creates access, say that directly and with numbers where you can.

Coachability.
You do not have to be perfect. In fact, a bit of humility and readiness to learn goes a long way. If your application shows you have been acting on feedback and making progress, that is attractive.

Energy.
This is not a beauty pageant, but it is a live event. Founders who feel alive on the page – original, thoughtful, a little bold – usually bring that same presence to the stage.

Common Mistakes That Sink Otherwise Strong Founders

Let us save you from the avoidable errors.

1. Being vague about revenue.
Saying “we are growing fast” means nothing. Give numbers, even if they feel small. Honest specificity beats inflated fluff every time.

2. Writing like an investor pitch deck instead of a human.
Stuffed, formal sentences full of buzzwords are forgettable. Clear, direct language makes you sound confident and in control.

3. Waiting until selection to think about your audience.
If you are accepted and only then start figuring out who will vote for you, you are already behind. Community-building is not a task for “later.”

4. Ignoring your online presence.
Reviewers and audience members will Google you. A broken website, dead Instagram, or confusing brand story can undercut an otherwise strong pitch. You do not need perfection – just coherence and basic professionalism.

5. Cramming too much into three minutes.
Running out of time and getting cut off mid-sentence is painful to watch. Simpler, sharper pitches almost always land better than frantic information dumps.

If you recognize yourself in any of these, that is good news. It means you have very fixable work to do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to be an experienced public speaker to apply?
No. Many BGV founders deliver their first formal pitch on this stage. The program includes practice sessions and coaching. What they care about most is your commitment, your clarity, and your willingness to prepare.

Is this only for tech startups?
Not at all. Consumer products, brick-and-mortar, online services, social enterprises, niche brands – they all show up. What matters is that you have customers and a path to growth, not that you are building the next unicorn app.

Can I apply if my business is pre-revenue but “almost there”?
BGV explicitly focuses on revenue-generating ventures. If you truly have zero revenue yet, it may be better to use this year to get to first dollars and apply in a future round when you can prove traction.

How many founders are selected to pitch?
Typically, a small final group (around seven) founders is chosen for the live competition. That means selection is competitive, but the cohort is intimate enough to get real attention and feedback.

What if I am not based in a major city?
BGV often runs both regional (city-focused) and national cohorts. If your local city is not on the list, look for national options where founders from anywhere in the US can participate virtually.

Do I give up equity or ownership?
BGVs pitch model is structured around crowdfunding and grant-style support, not traditional equity investment. Always read the latest terms on their site, but generally this is not a “we take a chunk of your company” situation.

What happens after the competition?
Whether you win or not, you join the BGV alumni network if you pitch live. That means ongoing events, intros, opportunities for more funding, and visibility. Many founders say the long-term network is more valuable than the initial check.

If I am not selected this time, can I try again?
Yes. Founders often reapply in future cycles, especially if they have grown their revenue, clarified their model, or strengthened their pitch. Use the gap to improve, then come back stronger.

How to Apply and What to Do Next

If you are even half considering this, treat that as your sign to move.

1. Confirm eligibility.
   Make sure you are a Black or Brown woman-identifying founder, your business is registered in the United States, and you are generating revenue. Check any regional restrictions for your target cohort.

2. Mark the deadline.
   The current published deadline is March 15, 2025. Put it in your calendar with reminders two weeks and one week before.

3. Gather your information.
   Pull together revenue numbers, a short business summary, your founder story, and your best links (website, socials, press). Draft these in a doc first so you can edit freely.

4. Start building your voting community.
   Even before acceptance, begin treating your audience as future voters. Collect emails, show your work publicly, and let people know you plan to pitch.

5. Submit your application.
   When you are ready, apply through the official BGV Pitch page:

Ready to apply? Visit the official opportunity page:
https://www.blackgirlventures.org/bgv-pitch

Follow their instructions to access the application form (BGV often uses Airtable or a similar platform for submissions). Submit at least a day or two early to avoid last-minute tech drama.

6. Prepare as if you are already in.
   While you wait to hear back, keep refining your pitch and tightening your numbers. If you are selected, you will not be scrambling; you will be polishing.

You are building something in a system that was not designed for you. BGV Pitch is one of the rare stages where that fact is not a disadvantage but the whole point. If your business is real, your community is ready, and you are willing to be visible, this program can be a serious accelerant.

Take it seriously. Then go get your votes.