“Let there be spaces in your togetherness.”
— Kahlil Gibran
Hi, Karen:
In January and February, I shared what we built in 2025 and what we’re building toward in 2026. This month, I want to make that direction practical by sharing the three structured collaboration lanes we’re focused on this year: Access, Capital, and Experience.
These are not “logo-on-a-flyer” partnerships—they’re working relationships built around shared outcomes: better-prepared entrepreneurs, fewer preventable mistakes, and more durable small business ownership. Please see below for more information.
Warm regards,
Karen
Three collaboration lanes for 2026
1) Access (Scholarships + Onramps)
There are entrepreneurs with the talent—but not the proximity—to the right knowledge and networks. We’re building partnerships that broaden access through:
- Scholarships or sponsorships (individual or cohort-based).
- Universities and educational institutions creating onramps to acquisition entrepreneurship.
- Community-based pilots rooted in local ownership and wealth-building.
We began this lane through scholarships with Live Oak Bank’s Search Fund Lending Center and through our partnership with the Association for Black Economic Power. We’re expanding partners in this area in 2026.
2) Capital (Investor-Ready Searchers)
Equity partners win when entrepreneurs are truly prepared—when they can communicate clearly, lead through ambiguity, and operate with discipline from Day 1.
As the ecosystem grows, investors have less time for the informal mentoring that used to happen over months. At the same time, many new entrants have enthusiasm—but less exposure to the pitfalls that derail early progress.
Our focus is straightforward: help searchers show up investor-ready, with a phase-by-phase cadence for getting the right support as new challenges arise—especially around narrative, diligence decisions, and early CEO judgment.
3) Experience (Turn Stories into Usable Learning)
So much of the best entrepreneurial knowledge lives in stories: what worked, what failed, and what you’d do differently. But stories only help when they equip people with insight in the moment decisions are being made.
That’s the vision for VAULT: entrepreneurial equipment. It helps entrepreneurs:
- Build pattern recognition faster.
- Sharpen judgment before decisions get expensive.
- Gain wisdom without paying full price in the “school of hard knocks.”
Note: Some sections are intentionally lighter. Sustainable performance requires both inspiration and recovery.
Partnership Note
If you’re actively building in one of these lanes and think there may be alignment for a structured collaboration in 2026, reply with Access, Capital, or Experience. We can discuss a quick fit check to confirm goals, timeline, and the simplest next step.