Welcome back to the DO GOOD X podcast. As we celebrate the holiday season, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes with Devin Baptiste, a serial entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder/CEO of GroupRaise. GroupRaise is a marketplace that facilitates large group charitable bookings at restaurants, with over 10,000 restaurant clients in 500+ cities. In this episode, Devin opens up about his entrepreneurial journey, the growth of GroupRaise, and the importance of validating ideas quickly. He shares valuable lessons learned from both his successes and unresolved challenges as an entrepreneur. The conversation dives into the unique hurdles underrepresented founders face in securing funding, effective mentorship, and how mentees can grow from their mistakes. Tune in for insights on technology, wellness, faith, and legacy to reflect upon as we wrap up 2024.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [1:46] Meet Devin, who discusses his upbringing and why he started GroupRaise, and he is transparent about his entrepreneurship.
• [12:27] The steps Devin took to position his business for growth and the overnight growth he experienced as an entrepreneur.
• [18:48] Effective tactics to assist underrepresented founders in securing funding and principles he has learned and what qualities represent good candidates for entrepreneurial ventures.
• [29:37] Discussion of mentees learning from their mistakes and the mentor/mentee relationship in the context of entrepreneurship.
• [34:48] Devin discusses technology, wellness, faith, and legacy, emphasizing how each relates to the life of an entrepreneur.
• [41:53] Stephen shares the technology he has found effective in his work, and Kimberly shares her favorite financial tracking system, which is crucial for any entrepreneur.

Key TAKEAWAYS:

• Being an entrepreneur takes work. You need to have done your homework. Know that there is a reward, but there is also hard work involved
• Expansion and growth can be good things, but they also require a lot of revenue up front, and the yield takes time. Fast growth can be exciting but strenuous.
• There are some principles that are tried and true for a startup, but they may not translate to underrepresented communities because they face hurdles that others don’t

RESOURCES:
Devin Baptiste - LinkedIn
GroupRaise - Website

GUEST BIO:

Devin Baptiste is a serial entrepreneur and investor who is the co-founder/CEO of GroupRaise, a marketplace for large group charitable bookings at restaurants, active in over 500 cities with 10,000+ restaurant clients. He has raised venture capital and investment from investors such as Techstars Ventures, Magma Partners, Kapor Capital and various top-tier angels. As an advisor, Devin has translated the lessons he’s learned to help founders raise just over $50 million for their companies. The vast majority of these have been underrepresented, and emerging market founders are getting their first and second checks. Devin speaks from his experience attempting to raise money three times unsuccessfully and then the lessons he learned raising money six times successfully. Devin is passionate about supporting the startup ecosystem and helping underrepresented and emerging market founders get unfair advantages in bringing their impact and visions to life. He lives in San Juan with his wife and four children. #entrepreneur