Get to know us
History
Funding Breakthrough Lab was started in 2025 by Natalie Pan, as an active way to support founders, while also helping to decrease the funding gap.
In 2024, only 1.9% of funding went to women only startups, while 6.4% of deal counts. For every $100 a men got in funding, women got $30.48.
The Funding Breakthrough Lab is a non-profit and takes no-equity.
People and culture
Diverse Experts & Mentors: Unlike traditional programs with a single lecturer, the lab offers a holistic view with input from VCs, founders, lawyers, and more.
Comprehensive Curriculum: Covers everything from pitch practice to legal frameworks, offering a "fundraising toolbox."
Inclusivity for Women Founders: Tackles the 2% funding gap for women through grants and targeted outreach.
No Equity Required: Provides value without demanding ownership.
Altruistic Capitalism: The culture in our program is to provide founders with information so that win-win situations enable them to thrive and survive.
Vision: To support founders who want to make positive impact in the world.
Daniel Theobald will be doing a talk 'How to Fund Your Startup & Achieve Product Market Fit Before Taking VC'.
Who is Daniel? He's a farmer 👨🌾 and likes to spend his days tinkering away at Rancho San Gregorio... What is he tinkering away at you might ask? He's building robots for sustainable farming for his newest venture Twisted Fields.
He's also the founder of Vecna Robotics the leading automated forklift manufacturer and founded the accelerator MassRobotics. Daniel is a huge advocate for women in tech and this year MassRobotics achieved a class of 50% female founders.
Crazy fact he achieved a perfect 5.0 score at MIT and worked on the Mars rover!
Shawn Flynn is an Investment Banker and also hosts one of the top podcasts in Silicon Valley, The Silicon Valley Podcast, where you can get a window into the minds of the most successful leaders, investors, creators, and inventors. Shawn also managed one of the oldest and most active angel organizations in the valley. He will be doing a talk How to Find, Talk and Forget Angels, in our 3 month program Funding Breakthrough Lab.
Who’s Shawn? He’s a hot pot lover and Korean BBQ lover. Who can blame him, I love those foods too. He’s also very consistent and gets 10,000 steps in before his first work meeting! That alone tells me he’s someone motivated, got drive, cares about his health and has a routine!
Who better to have you practice pitching than Darrell Etherington, the last Managing Editor of TechCrunch? Behind the scenes, he was also responsible for mentoring and getting battlefield contestants ready for their TechCrunch Battlefield pitch.
Darrell Etherington’s background in editing, PR and writing for Apple, Shopify and TechCrunch gives him a diverse perspective of what works for startups to large corporations. Darrell is also the founder of the Angle, a news site on early stage startups and founders. He’s also the Head of Network Development for OMERS Ventures.
Who is Darrell outside of work and tech? He’s a fellow friendly Canadian, who enjoys poetry, photography and video games.
Niamh O'Donnell is an entrepreneurial VC professional with experience across four funds and an MSc from The University of Notre Dame. She currently serves as Director of Programs at Unusual Ventures, a leading early-stage VC firm managing over $1B. At Unusual Ventures, she drives programs supporting investments in Data Infrastructure, AI, Vertical SaaS, and FinTech, with a portfolio that includes Arctic Wolf, Carta, and Vivun. Previously, she contributed to 500 Global’s $2.7B portfolio, which features unicorns like Canva, Reddit, and Twilio. 🚀
She is passionate about innovation, technology, and supporting female entrepreneurship, having guided high-growth startups through pre-seed to Series A investments. 💡
Fun facts: her entrepreneurial journey began at the age of 16 when she founded her first company, earning a National Award at the All Ireland Student Enterprise Awards. 🏆 A dynamic adventurer, she has backpacked 50 miles in the Colombian jungle 🏕️ and won two National Gaelic football championships. 🏐🌟
Rayna Sparkes is an experienced legal counsel specializing in providing strategic guidance to companies ranging from startups to public corporations. Her expertise spans mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, corporate governance, commercial contracts, and cross-border transactions. With a practical approach to legal solutions, Rayna excels at helping businesses scale efficiently while navigating complex legal and operational challenges.
Throughout her career, Rayna has advised on high-profile deals across a wide array of industries. She has collaborated closely with senior executives and boards of directors, leveraging her deep knowledge of corporate law to guide strategic transactions and manage intricate legal landscapes. Known for her meticulous attention to detail and results-driven mindset, Rayna is committed to empowering businesses to thrive in today’s competitive market.
Interesting facts about Rayna, she played musical instruments including flute, clarinet, violin, guitar and piano. She's been a dancer since she was 5 years old and was a fitness instructor from 18 through law school. Her family is also from the Fiji islands!
Marc Ernaga is a seasoned legal advisor with more than 20 years of experience guiding tech and growth companies at all stages, along with the venture capital and private equity firms that invest in them. His expertise spans venture capital, private equity, M&A, corporate governance, and commercial transactions.
Throughout his career, Marc has led over 500 private financing transactions and successfully closed nearly 75 M&A deals, representing both buyers and sellers. Previously, he founded LOOME and spent over a decade at Wilson Sonsini in Palo Alto, in addition to holding roles at top AM Law 100 firms.
Marc’s deep transactional knowledge and strategic insight make him a trusted partner for navigating the complexities of high-stakes corporate deals and governance challenges.
Charletta Jean-Louis is the General Partner at Mighty Oaks Capital Partners (MOCP), a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm dedicated to empowering underrepresented founders at the pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages. MOCP partners with angels, global VC funds, private equity firms, and family offices to provide the capital and guidance founders need to transform innovative ideas into industry-disrupting realities.
With two decades of experience across real estate, technology, security, and SMBs, Charletta is a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs navigating product-market fit, marketing strategy, fundraising, and partnerships. Her expertise lies in identifying potential, building strong teams, and fostering investor relationships to drive startup success.
Charletta’s passion and strategic vision empower founders to thrive, redefine industries, and create transformative solutions that shape the future. Her commitment to diversity and innovation cements her as a vital force in the venture capital ecosystem.
Alexa Baranov is a passionate and results-driven business banker with 10 years of experience in banking and financial management, specializing in lending and cross-functional financial solutions. Previously licensed with Series 6, 63, and a California State Life Insurance License, Alexa has collaborated with large-scale venture capital firms and has a deep appreciation for the transformative power of small business banking. She believes that small businesses are the heartbeat of the banks we work in and the cities we call home.
Growing up in Oakland, Alexa’s commitment to diversity and inclusion has shaped her approach to business banking. She focuses on diversity lending and empowering clients through meaningful banking relationships, ensuring that financial institutions resonate with and uplift the local communities they serve.