The Battle Isn't Against Flesh and Blood

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Welcome to the 20th edition of The Good News Newsletter—proudly serving over 3,376 founders! Here, we break down the latest insights from our weekly Investor Office Hours sessions and equip you with tools to help you secure capital, customers, and talent for your business.

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INTRODUCING - FEATURE DAY: Founders Uncut Convos (Tulsa Tech Week)

Date: Tuesday, September 23
Where: Gradient
Hosts: Darrel Frater & Rodney Walton
Presented with support from: Tulsa Innovation Labs, Regent Bank, Visible Hands, and more

We’re bringing candid, no-fluff conversations with standout founders who are building real companies in and beyond Tulsa. Expect unfiltered lessons, practical playbooks, and the connections to move your venture forward.

What to expect

• Founder spotlights and live “uncut” interviews

• Tactical sessions on fundraising, sales, and growth

• Real stories from the Tulsa ecosystem — wins, losses, and what’s next

RSVP: https://lu.ma/igu9sdid
Nominate a founder: During registration, submit your pick for Founder of the Year—or email me directly at [email protected].

Interested in Pitching During Feature Day? Let us know in your registration or message me directly.

Special thanks to Tai Nehisi for leading the charge on Tulsa’s first Tech Week. You don’t want to miss it.

— Darrel Frater

P.S. If your company wants to partner or sponsor a segment, reply to this newsletter and we’ll connect.

Funding Resources:

💰 Resources of the Week:

WomanUp & Pitch Competition - Up to $10K | Deadline: 9/19/2025

BGV Pull Up & Pitch DC - Up to $10K | Deadline: 9/20/2025

2048 Ventures Biotech Pitch Competition - $100K | Deadline: 9/20/2025

Purina 2026 Pet Care Innovation Prize - $25K | Deadline: 9/21/2025

LIFT Beauty Accelerator - $10K | Deadline: 9/22/2025

Character Labs - $150K | Deadline: 9/24/2025

Poker Power x IFW Small Business Grant - $100K | Deadline: 9/26/2025

a16z speedrun - $1M | Deadline: 9/28/2025

DoorDash Local Business Disaster Relief Fund - Up to $15K | Deadline: 9/29/2025

Cornerstone Grant by Square - $10K | Deadline: 9/30/2025

She's Connected by AT&T - Up to $50K | Deadline: 9/30/2025

Catalyst by Beemok - Up to $1M | Deadline: 9/30/2025

Agora Venture Competition - $10K | Deadline: 9/30/2025

Fat Tire: Take the Year Off Content - $100K | Deadline: 9/30/2025

HBCUniverse Brunch HTX - Pitch Comp - $2,500 | Deadline: 10/10/2025

The Tools Competition - Up To $300K | Deadline: 10/15/2025

NAACP Powershift Entrepreneur Grant - $25K | Deadline: 11/1/2025

Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA) - $150K | Deadline: 11/3/2025

Techstars: NYC Accelerator - $220K | Deadline: 11/19/2025

Strategic Supply Chain Initiative - Up to $5M

Tulsa Remote - $10K | Rolling

💸 Alternative Funding Sources:

Access up to $2M in non-dilutive debt financing. Request information here.

Raise up to $5M in equity capital through a Community Round. Request information here.

Interested in 1 on 1 support from Darrel? In preparation for launching my own fund, I will be working 1 on 1 with select founders as an advisor. Interested founders can learn more and consider submitting their company here.

🎙️ Podcast of the Week: How I Invest with David Weisburd - E210: How Startups Can Avoid Being Disrupted by OpenAI w/Eric Olson

Summary:
Eric Olson, co-founder and CEO of Consensus, unpacks how vertical AI startups can thrive despite the dominance of OpenAI, Meta, and other hyperscalers. He explains why focus and speed are the real moats for startups, why even OpenAI’s product launches have left room for specialized players, and how customer-obsession creates stickiness that big companies can’t replicate. Eric also dives into Consensus’s approach to building an AI-native search engine for academic research, shares insights on balancing user requests with visionary product bets, and explains why speed of execution and capturing mindshare are more important than ever in this hyperscale AI market.

Why I recommend it:
This episode is essential listening for founders building in AI or any competitive market. Eric reminds us that your greatest advantage isn’t a secret moat — it’s your relentless focus, ability to move faster than incumbents, and willingness to take calculated risks. If you’re worried about getting “eaten” by a giant, this conversation is a blueprint for how to build products so deeply aligned with user problems that you become irreplaceable. You can listen here.

✨ Inspiration

💬 Tweet of the Week

🎵 Song of the Week

🙏🏽 Scripture of the Week

That’s all for this week’s edition of The Good News Newsletter. We hope you found these insights valuable as you continue your journey to securing funding.

What’s next?

Join us the this Friday for more amazing guests joining us for Office Hours.

​​​​​For session #1 we have Jason Jacobsohn, Founder & Managing Partner at Propellant Ventures.

​Propellant Ventures is a Chicago based seed stage venture capital fund that invests in companies building in leading-edge B2B industries such as healthcare, future of work, supply chain, fintech, and edtech.

For session #2 we have Ashutosh Kumar, CEO & General Partner at Expert Dojo.

Expert Dojo is one of the most active VC fund & growth accelerator based in California.

If interested in joining and/or pitching, please register here.

You can see the full list of past and future VCs on this Calendar.

Be on the lookout for our newsletter next week where we’ll bring you more actionable advice, resources, and success stories.

Let’s All, spread ‘The Good News’

Best,
Darrel Frater
Co-Founder
The Frater Family Foundation
Linkedin | Twitter/X | 609-804-5999

P.S. - If you enjoyed this newsletter, forward it to a founder you know who could benefit from these insights!

P.S.S. - Got ideas or suggestions for The Good News? Shoot me an email at [email protected] for us to discuss!

About TFFF: The Frater Family Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the family office of Darrel and Roselly Frater, dedicated to promoting human prosperity through entrepreneurship. To learn more, reach out to Darrel Frater directly.