Impact Report 2025

Reimagining fundraising and investing through education, community, and access.

Building informed founders, prepared funders, and durable ecosystems

Year in Review

From Experimentation to Infrastructure

2025 marked Sengo's official platform launch and first grant cycle
Transitioned from research and pilots (2024) to repeatable, technology-enabled programs
Introduced readiness tools that help founders assess, prepare, and decide if and when to raise
Served founders, funders, and partners across the U.S. and internationally

Core shift: From "access to capital" → readiness for capital

Key Metrics

Headline Impact

600+

Members across Explorer, Founder, Funder & All-Access tiers

8,000+

Email subscribers (from 157 in Jan 2025)

$31,250

Grants deployed to founders

$5M+

Follow-on capital influenced by supported founders

29

Events hosted globally

Data & Trends

Charts & Breakdown

Grant Deployment Breakdown

Standard Grants 76.8% Pitch Competition Awards 12.0% Micro / Mini Grants 11.2%

Programming Mix

55.2%

Virtual

44.8%

In-Person

Strong engagement across programs

Data & Trends

Charts & Breakdown (Continued)

Email engagement across 2025 campaigns

90,678

Emails Delivered

42,150

Emails Opened

46.5%

Open Rate

Open rate significantly above the industry average of ~21.33%*

*Source: Mailchimp Email Marketing Benchmarks, 2024 — average open rate across all industries: 21.33%

29 Touchpoints

Events for Learning, Alignment & Trust

Virtual Events (14 + 2 partner)

Welcome to Sengo Webinar — May 21

Debt vs. Bootstrapping Series with IFundWomen — Jun 3

Debt vs. Bootstrapping Series with IFundWomen — Jul 15

Founder Meetup: Social Enterprise & EdTech — Jul 22

Ask an Angel with Mandy Bynum — Jul 31

Practice Your Pitch with Sarah Anto — Aug 12

Preparing to Raise Capital with Forecastr — Sep 4

Private Markets 101 (Part 1) — Sep 9

Founder Meetup: Angels & VCs — Sep 18

Virtual Pitch for $1,000 — Sep 25

Demystifying CDFI Funding with Isaiah Coleman — Oct 14

Pitch Prep with Amiah Shepherd — Oct 23

Virtual Pitch for $1,000 — Oct 30

Virtual Pitch for $1,000 (CPG Edition) — Nov 20

Building to Scale/Sell with Brianna Arps — Dec 4

Build Your 2026 Pitch Strategy with Dana Ammons — Dec 11

In-Person Events (13)

Dallas Galentine's Wine Club — Feb 21

Barcelona, Spain Entrepreneurs Mixer — Mar 13

Dallas Brunch Wine Club — Mar 15

San Bernardino Founder/Funder Fireside — Mar 28

Dallas Sip Into Spring — Mar 30

Dallas Wine Club — Apr 9

San Bernardino Funded & Fearless Workshop — Apr 26

New York GirlMath x Sengo at NY Tech Week — Jun 4

Massaguel, France "The Village Retreat" — Jun 10–15

Los Angeles Fashion x Futures — Jun 28–29

New York Fashion x Futures — Jul 26–27

Los Angeles Spill the Tea: AI & Tech Week — Oct 14

Los Angeles Fashion x Futures — Nov 8–9

Key Insight: Events are most effective when they lead into readiness tools and structured next steps.

Thank You to Our 2025 Partners and Sponsors

+ more

Success Stories

Case Studies

We funded 18 founders in 2025

Versed Wellness

Founder: Jasmine Bowie | Grant: $500 Micro-Grant

Concept → physical prototype
25 new customers acquired
Revenue increased post-grant
Founder chose not to raise capital prematurely

Why it matters: Readiness includes knowing when not to fundraise.

Satlyt

Founder: Rama Afullo | Grant: $3,000 Standard Grant

10 new customers acquired
Operational capacity expanded
$3M raised post-Sengo
12 new hires

Why it matters: Prepared founders convert early support into scalable outcomes.

Real Founders, Real Impact

In the News

Published Media & Press

Our work has received international recognition and press.

Press & Features

+ more

Speaking & Panels

Thought Leadership

How We Work

Readiness-First Capital Infrastructure

Sengo is built around preparation before participation.

Tech-enabled Education:
Fundraise scoring, readiness tools for investors, generated fundraise roadmap, compliance tools, and resource sourcing along with live education

Community:
Meetups, events, peer-learning, and recorded education

Access:
Dealflow to investors, combined with visibility for founders

Technology

Community

Readiness

Education

Result: Better decisions, stronger outcomes, and healthier capital relationships.

Why It Matters

How Readiness Drives Impact

1

Inputs

Education · Readiness technology · Community spaces · Grant capital

→

2

Activities

Assessments · Roadmaps · Workshops · Advisory support

→

3

Outputs

Prepared founders · Informed funders · Clear next steps

→

4

Outcomes

Increased fundability when appropriate · Reduced premature fundraising · Stronger alignment

→

5

Long-Term Impact

Increased participation and educated stewardship of capital within private ventures

What We Run Today

Core Programs

01

Fundraise Readiness Technology

Self-guided assessments, customizable plans, and compliance tools

02

Membership Platform

Education, tools, and community access

03

Events

Connection points for founders, funders, and partners

04

Investment Community

Funders pledge capital for investment in our founders, and founders can pitch directly

05

Nondilutive Programs

Flexible grants and pitch opportunities for catalytic capital

Reflections

What 2025 Taught Us

What We Learned

01 Readiness before access

02 Events without follow-through aren't progressive

03 Founders value clarity over volume

04 Pay-to-play limits discovery of strong builders

05 Small capital, deployed intentionally, creates outsized outcomes

Our Response

→ Fewer, clearer programs

→ Free readiness tools for members & non-members

→ Deeper 1:1 support at critical moments

Looking Ahead

Deepening the Infrastructure

1 Expand readiness technology & impact tracking
2 Increase investor participation through meetups
3 Scale repeatable programs with partnerships
4 Strengthen longitudinal data on founder outcomes
5 Continue prioritizing clarity, timing, and alignment

Get Involved

Build With Us

Sengo is reimagining the way communities invest in each other.
Join us on the road to maximizing our 2026 impact.