It was the spring of 2022, and I was finalizing the first sponsor deck for SheFi.

And I was crying.

Confused, Jon asked me why I was so upset. After sorting through a thousand different emotions, I finally realized that these tears were coming from a very specific place:

A fear of rejection.

Asking for money to support your vision is terrifying. There’s the uncertainty of its success, the worry of asking for too much or too little, and, of course, the potential for complete rejection after pitching your life’s work to a potential sponsor.

The thought of rejection was almost too much to bear.

When I started SheFi in 2019, I didn’t monetize it. But after 3 nonstop years of building with over 500 women in 2022 signed up for Season 7, I knew SheFi’s finances were no longer sustainable. SheFi was at an inflection point — more women than ever wanted to learn Web3, most of them needing scholarships.

So we needed sponsors.

Wiping the tears away from my eyes, I did it scared. I hit send.

And I kept hitting send, on countless emails, day after day, facing my fear of rejection head-on.

If I was lucky, I would get one positive response back. The response wouldn’t always turn into a sponsorship — sometimes it’d be a conversation that would improve the value proposition or the structure of the deck.

I was rejected. And rejected. But I kept going. Sure enough, after a little bit of time, rejection hurt less and less.

I probably sent over 100 emails to potential sponsors for Season 7. I knew someone out there had to believe in our mission. I hoped that if I just kept trying, everything would fall into place.

Finally, to my surprise, a sponsor said yes. I felt immense relief — there was a path forward for SheFi.

Since 2022, we’ve worked with over 20 of the most prominent names in crypto. These amazing partners are values-aligned, making it possible to achieve our mission of bringing 4 billion women onchain.

The truth I had to get comfortable with was that no one was going to notice SheFi on Twitter and offer me money. I had to learn how to ask for it, accept rejection, never give up hope, and most importantly, learn how to persist, hitting send through the tears.

It only takes one “yes” to change everything.

Celo Sponsors SheFi Season 12

Hello Celo 👋 

We’re delighted to announce that Celo is officially sponsoring SheFi Season 12!

In case you haven’t heard, Celo is scaling Ethereum with real-world solutions for everyday users.

Together, we’ll onboard thousands of women to Web3.

Here’s why we’re excited:

🌎 Why Celo? Celo’s mission aligns perfectly with ours—bringing financial tools to those who need them most. It’s built for the real world and designed for fast, low-cost payments, making global finance accessible to everyone, everywhere.

We’re building a better, more inclusive future. 🫶 

💡 Unique Use Cases: Celo’s focus on mobile-first, financial inclusion enables decentralized apps that are accessible to anyone with a smartphone. It’s built for the 6 billion smartphone users, creating real-world solutions on a global scale. 🌐

Empowerment at your fingertips. 📱

🔗 Tech That Scales: Built for Ethereum compatibility, Celo’s blockchain ensures smooth integration with existing systems, while its stable assets (USDT, USDC, cUSD, cEUR, cREAL & more) power real-world financial use cases. 💡

📝 How It Works: Members will receive scholarships and gain in-depth education on Celo, complete quests, and learn hands-on through the SheFi community. This isn’t just learning—it’s doing! 🤩

🤝 Why This Matters: This partnership supports our shared mission to bring real users into blockchain, amplify women’s voices, and foster a more inclusive Web3 space. Purposeful, permissionless, prosperity for all.

🤝 Join Us on this journey with Celo for SheFi Season 12 and be part of a movement that’s more than just tech—it’s a revolution of opportunity and impact.

SheFi Community Wins

• Victoria will speak at ETHSafari on "Web3 Crisis Comms - It's a Jungle Out There."

• Joana is the new Legal Counsel at Algorand Foundation.

• Diane has relaunched her innovative digital fashion solutions.

• Celia introduced Celo's first music NFTs after her Pride remix contest on Iridescent Wave.

• Chic launched Higher FM, an onchain radio station.

• Abieyuwa's project, Baba Shop, was curated into season 4 of the Artizen Fund.

  👉️ Share your wins so we can celebrate them 👈️

SheFi Events 🌎

Going to Token2049 or Devcon? Join our Global Events Telegram Chat: https://t.me/shefisummit

• 9/12 Austin: GRWM: Networking & Career Prep for Women: RSVP here

• 9/12 Ciudad De Mexico: Nohbek Woman Day: "Retos de la Inclusión. Más Allá del Discurso y las Tendencias": RSVP here

• 9/16 Honolulu: Hawaii Blockchain Summit 2024: RSVP here

• 9/17 Singapore: SheFi Summit Singapore (Web3 & AI): RSVP here

• 9/21 Singapore: Regenerative Network State Social: RSVP here

• 9/25 Virtual: SheFi Investment Cluster Discussion Series: RSVP here

• 9/26 & 27: ETHMilan: Free Tickets for SheFi Members: Claim here

• 10/1 SF: AthenaDAOLabs Pop-Up: RSVP here

• 10/15-17 London: Meridian 2024: SheFi members promo, use SHEFI199M24

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