Community Newsletter #48
What’s new: Halle Tecco fireside, Seattle Tech Week, "Forged in Fire" buzz, and Founder Hub launch
Hey there, and happy summer! 👋☀️
This newsletter might look a little different today (peek Founder Hub at the bottom 👀), but the mission remains the same: real insights, fresh updates, and the tools you need to build what’s next.
Our goal? To bring founders and trends out of the dark.
This month, we’re showing up for founders on every front:
Tomorrow! Halle Tecco joins GP Leslie Feinzaig for a fresh fireside chat on healthcare, impact, and staying grounded
Seattle Tech Week is almost here, and we can’t wait to meet up IRL!
A look at how Forged in Fire is resonating across the ecosystem 🔥
PLUS — the G&W Founder Hub is officially live! Founders, this is your go-to space for tactical resources and curated funding opportunities to help you navigate the early stage (and messy middle) with grit and grace. We’re kicking it off with an exclusive small-group G&W office hours 🎙️ on the topic “Should I Raise VC?”.
Let’s get to it 👇
🔥 Fireside Chat: Leslie Feinzaig x Halle Tecco
Halle Tecco is the co-founder of Rock Health, one of the first digital health venture funds, Natalist, a consumer health brand reimagining fertility and pregnancy essentials, and The Heart of Healthcare Podcast.
📍 Thursday, July 10 at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET
👉 RSVP here!
🥂 Seattle Tech Week: We Can’t Wait to See You!
We’re thrilled to be hosting Seattle Tech Week’s marquee women’s gathering: the Women Founders and Funders brunch at the iconic Pacific Science Center courtyard. See you there!
📍 Tuesday, July 29 at 10 AM
👉 RSVP here!
📣 Forged in Fire: The Stories Are Yours. The Ecosystem Is Listening.
Last month, we released Forged in Fire: Insights from 180 Female Founders Building in 2025. The report is a treasure trove of data, and reveals the personal, structural, and economic weight that female founders carry every day.
To bring the findings to life, we hosted a private conversation for survey participants and G&W LPs with Tiffany Dufu, President of the Tory Burch Foundation. From founder exhaustion to the pressure to outperform to caregiving, the conversation was raw and deeply personal, energizing and inspiring.
We worked our butts off on this research and report. And the response has been extraordinary.
📣 First, the press took note.
GeekWire, Fortune and Forbes all featured the report in stories that spotlighted its central paradox: while funding for female founders has decreased, optimism and resilience are on the rise. And today, Fast Company picked up Leslie’s OpEd on the findings she was moved by. These pieces helped bring your stories to a broader audience, showing that founders are pushing forward despite any and all headwinds.
💬 Then, founder voices echoed across LinkedIn.
It was a proud moment to see this labor of love ripple across the ecosystem — trickling onto screens, surfacing in comment sections, and reminding us just how powerful it is to feel seen.
This post from Svetlana Kazantseva, CEO of Strawberry Health, captured that spirit perfectly. Her honest reflection on the challenges of fundraising struck a nerve for us, and for fellow founders who recognized themselves in her words.
📩 And finally, our inbox filled up.
We’ve received dozens of personal notes from folks who felt seen through this research. One wrote:
“I just forwarded it to my husband with a note saying ‘SEE!!!’ I think my Berkeley politics weren’t prepared for how hard this was actually, really going to be.”
That is exactly why we did this: to give founders a voice, grounded in truth and backed by data.
📖 Download the full Forged in Fire report.
Let’s keep the conversation going.
New on our website: Meet your new home for funding, programs, and resources built to help you navigate the early stage and messy middle with grit and grace. First up:
🧠 The 0 to 1 Guide, Part 1: Should You Raise Venture Capital?
Venture capital is one way to build a business, one that shapes your goals, timeline, and day-to-day reality as a founder.
Not every startup needs it. Not every founder wants it. Do you?
Our first 0 to 1 Guide post will help you figure out whether this path is right for you.
🎙️ Live Office Hours: “Should You Raise VC?” Edition
BONUS: Join GP Leslie Feinzaig for a small-group Zoom where she will walk through the key frameworks from "Should You Raise Venture Capital" and answer your specific questions about early stage funding.
📍 Thursday, July 17th at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET
💸 Funding, Grants & Accelerators Roundup
For years, we’ve sent founders a monthly roundup of opportunities from across the ecosystem… and now, your favorite resource list lives here! Same content, easier to find, and always up to date 🚀
Sneak peek at some current standouts:
UpScaleX S’25: offers $500K on founder-friendly terms to startups reshaping the future of AI and digital commerce, with strategic partnerships, 1:1 mentorship, investor access, and product/growth workshops.
Betaworks AI Camp: Interfaces: supports early-stage startups rethinking the human-machine boundary through new interface paradigms like ambient agents, voice-native tools, multi-modal or invisible I/O, and sophisticated prompt-based design.
Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech: honors breakthroughs that will shape the future over the next 5 years—highlighting tech, products, features, or research with positive consumer, business, or societal impact. Apply by June 30.
Shorty Impact Awards: celebrates purpose-driven orgs and individuals creating meaningful change through social impact initiatives. Apply by Aug 14.
Head over to our blog for the full list, currently at 21 live opportunities!
Until next time 👋
Graham & Walker is an early-stage venture fund backing extraordinary founders and ideas that break the mold.