What does StartOut do?

Our goals are to educate, to inspire and to support entrepreneurs. We also strive to foster LGBT leadership in the business community. StartOut does this through a variety of methods, including:

• Creating programming opportunities that build entrepreneurial skills and knowledge - we create a wide range of programming to help people develop and build businesses, thereby increasing the prevalence of entrepreneurship in the LGBT community;
• Providing role models for LGBT young professionals and youth - through our Major Speakers, StartOut University, and media visibility programs, as well as our school-based presentations about entrepreneurship, we introduce LGBT youth (as well as the broader LGBT community) to successful entrepreneurs and the concept of entrepreneurship as a career as they contemplate their career opportunities;
  
• Connecting mentors with members of the LGBT community starting their own companies - our mentorship program connects new LGBT entrepreneurs with experienced professionals who can provide support and advice to help them build, fund and grow their businesses;
• Delivering resources, products and services to entrepreneurs from relevant and experienced service providers and other supportive companies, thereby providing entrepreneurs with tools to help grow and expand their businesses;
• Promoting equality and strengthening the LGBT community through economic empowerment - by helping to create the next generation of LGBT entrepreneurs, we are empowering a new community of leaders in the business world who will in turn have both the economic resources and the personal access to support and strengthen the LGBT community;
• Combating discrimination through visibility of LGBT entrepreneurs in the business media - through our media visibility efforts, we are working to introduce the general public to successful LGBT entrepreneurs, thereby working to create positive images of openly gay entrepreneurs and eliminate discrimination that still faces openly gay entrepreneurs who are building their businesses;
• Building a community where LGBT professionals can help each other - StartOut brings together members of the LGBT community - as well as supporters of the LGBT community - with a common interest in entrepreneurship and who are at various stages of building their entrepreneurial careers. We bring together individuals to help each other collectively - through networking, mentorship and other forms of support - and in doing so, we help members of the LGBT community - and its supporters - benefit in their entrepreneurial path.
  

Why Was StartOut Created?

StartOut was organized with a view towards promoting equality and combating discrimination in the business world by (1) providing positive role models for the LGBT community by providing a platform for successful LGBT entrepreneurs to share their experiences, (2) providing mentorship opportunities whereby successful entrepreneurs can mentor LGBT youth and others who could learn a great deal from their own business-building experiences and (3) providing educational information for aspiring LGBT entrepreneurs in order to give them the tools to be able to successfully start and/or grow their own businesses. We believe that, by providing these resources, StartOut will have the effect of helping to end discrimination against LGBT persons in the business community by helping foster a new generation of business founders and CEOs, and thereby breaking through the barriers that currently inhibit the corporate success of many in America’s LGBT community.

StartOut’s Organization Structure

StartOut is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Its activities are overseen by a national Board of Directors, and is guided by a Board of Advisors who have made significant contributions to the field of entrepreneurship and are supportive of the success of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. StartOut is also assisted by an Executive Committee comprised of professionals with unique skill sets to help support the organization.