PHASE TWO: All Things Legal provided our Alumni Venture Seed Fund founders with essential knowledge and tools for navigating the legal complexities of starting and growing a business. In the first two lessons, the founders learned about key legal frameworks, business entity selection, and equity structuring through engaging workshops. These sessions equipped entrepreneurs with practical insights into forming legal entities, managing equity, and understanding corporate formalities. Lesson 3 focused on the importance of intellectual property (IP) protection, with a special emphasis on how patents, trademarks, and copyrights can safeguard innovations in the tech industry. In Lesson 4, entrepreneurs developed their negotiation skills and learned strategies for enhancing productivity, including tools like Notion to streamline workflows. The final lesson delved into equity, vesting schedules, and capitalization strategies, ensuring founders understood how to align their goals with investors and structure their business for long-term success.
2024-25 ALUMNI VENTURE SEED FUND FOUNDERS
He is deeply passionate about technology and its potential to improve lives. His ultimate goal is to support his community and create a stable and habitable world for future generations. This drive motivates him to establish his own company that will serve as a foundation for these dreams.
I am deeply passionate about technology and its potential to improve lives. My ultimate goal is to support my community and create a stable and habitable world for future generations. This drive motivates me to establish my own company that will serve as a foundation for these dreams.
In addition to his ministerial duties, Glenn is a youth educator at The Hidden Genius Project, where he mentors and guides young people, helping them to realize their potential and develop their skills. As a youth educator, he has received ample opportunities to sharpen his tech skills and has found himself versed in multiple coding languages.
Glenn Ivory’s passion lies in serving the church, preaching the gospel, and uplifting his community. Whether through sermons, community service, The Hidden Genius Project, or personal interactions, he strives to make a positive impact and inspire others to find growth.
Currently serving as a Youth Educator at The Hidden Genius Project, Elijah mentors young adults in technology, entrepreneurship, and leadership. He is also the Founder & CEO of ChurroManCan, where he manages all aspects of operations, emphasizing personalized consumer experiences and strategic partnerships. Elijah brings diverse experience, including an internship at Worksite Labs focusing on research and development. As an athlete in Morehouse Track and Field, he balances rigorous training with academic rigor, demonstrating his dedication to both sports and education. His leadership extends to event coordination as an Event Coordinator at The Cali Club, organizing impactful community engagements.
Click each founder above to learn more about them and their business ventures.
LESSON 1
Entity Selection and Juristiction
FACILITATORS: Brandon Middleton-Pratt and Nikki Smith
The Hidden Genius Project hosted an engaging workshop as part of their legal phase for entrepreneurs, focusing on essential legal frameworks for startup businesses. Led by experts from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, including Nikki Smith Howard and Brandon Middleton-Pratt, the session aimed to provide valuable insights into business entity selection, equity structuring, and legal protections critical for startups. With interactive discussions and practical scenarios, the workshop empowered participants to make informed decisions about their business strategies.
LESSON 2:
Entity Formation and Founder Equity
FACILITATOR: Brandon Middleton-Pratt and Nikki Smith
The Hidden Genius Project recently hosted a dynamic legal and entrepreneurial development session with industry experts Nikki Smith Howard and Brandon Middleton-Pratt from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Designed to empower emerging entrepreneurs, the session provided essential insights into forming legal entities, managing equity structures, and observing corporate formalities. Through interactive quizzes and real-world examples, participants gained a practical understanding of critical business legalities.
LESSON 3:
Intellectual Property
FACILITATOR: Khalil Nobles
In this session, Khalil Nobles, a technology transaction lawyer, shared insights on the fundamentals of intellectual property (IP). The discussion was geared towards entrepreneurs, especially those in the tech industry, to understand the importance of protecting their innovations and how different types of IP — including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets — play a role in business growth
LESSON 4:
Terms of Service / Sales
FACILITATOR: Khalil Nobles
In this dynamic session, participants gained actionable insights into strategic negotiation and productivity enhancement. Facilitated by Khalil Nobles, the discussions focused on mastering the art of negotiation while leveraging tools like Notion to streamline personal and professional workflows.
LESSON 5:
Capital Raise Structures
FACILITATOR: Brandon Middleton-Pratt and Nikki Smith
This session provided an in-depth exploration of equity, vesting schedules, and capitalization, designed to empower founders with the tools to navigate early-stage startup challenges. Facilitated by Nikki Smith Howard and Brandon Middleton-Pratt, the discussion emphasized the importance of aligning founder and investor incentives, structuring equity for co-founders and early employees, and understanding capitalization strategies to attract and retain investors.