Crunchbase

• Earnest , a fintech company empowering students to maximize their financial futures, today announced the appointment of Shanee Ben-Zur as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
• Her deep expertise in brand, product-led growth, demand generation, lifecycle, and product marketing will bolster Earnest's thoughtful approach to growing its portfolio and serving more students.
• A seasoned marketing veteran with a deep understanding of the entire customer lifecycle, she most recently served as Chief Growth and Chief Marketing Officer for Crunchbase.
• Prior to that, she held senior marketing and growth positions at major tech brands like Dropbox, Salesforce, and NVIDIA.

• These demands can take a significant toll on someone’s mental health.
• Since entrepreneurship is the backbone of economic growth, the importance of mental health support for entrepreneurs cannot be overstated.
• Recognizing and addressing mental health is not just a matter of compassion, but also an essential investment in society at large.

The ‘founder’s dilemma’

• Many are drawn to entrepreneurship, but few manage to thrive commercially.
• Out of financial self-preservation, some founders fall into a cycle of constant fundraising to get them out of debt.
• The quixotic drive to balance short-term financing with long-term operational excellence can drive any entrepreneur into distress.

Mounting pressure

• The pressure that startup founders face today is more intense than it has been for two decades.
• During the first half of 2023, global venture capital funding slid by 48 per cent compared to last year.
• In this high-interest rate, scarce money, no-exit environment, startup founders are facing a financial and mental health crisis.

Addressing mental health challenges

• First, outside investors in private ventures need to be qualified not only in terms of net income or net worth, but also on the basis of their commitment to population health in general, and mental health in particular.
• The pledge aims to de-stigmatize mental health and treat it as a business expense, including therapy, coaching and group support.
• This strategy can build investor awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health challenges.
• This would be another important step in the uphill battle to de-stigmatize mental illness and steer founders toward mental health supports.

• MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Brown Venture Group LLC , a Black-owned venture capital firm formed to fund Indigenous, Black, and Latinx technology entrepreneurs, has committed significant financial resources to foster the growth of Big Navajo Energy, which is a Navajo-owned and operated company focused on the development and deployment of clean and renewable energy solutions for tribal and rural communities.
• "Big Navajo Energy has spent the past decade bringing clean energy solutions to tribal communities throughout North America and this investment by Brown Venture Group will assist us in continuing to build that self-sufficient ecosystem in order to address energy challenges faced not only by our communities but by rural areas overall," said Dory Peters, president and CEO of Big Navajo Energy.
• "Big Navajo Energy has spent the past decade bringing clean energy solutions to tribal communities throughout North America and this investment by Brown Venture Group will assist us in continuing to build that self-sufficient ecosystem in order to address energy challenges faced not only by our communities but by rural areas overall," said Dory Peters, president and CEO of Big Navajo Energy.
• "Indigenous nations are one of the most underfunded communities with the most upside potential of any group of contributors in America and Brown Venture Group is excited to support the innovations of Big Navajo Energy," said Paul Campbell, co-founder and managing partner of Brown Venture Group.

• Today, social impact venture Him For Her announced Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, has joined its board of directors .
• Khosrowshahi brings a wealth of experience and visionary leadership, as well as a strong and demonstrated commitment to board diversity.
• Prior to Uber, Khosrowshahi was CEO of Expedia, which he grew into one of the world’s largest online travel companies.
• He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Expedia and Catalyst.org and was previously on the board of the New York Times Company.