Episode Summary 81% of Black & ethnic-minority founders find raising startup capital difficult — vs 56% of white founders. Cecil Adjalo (COO, Foundervine) reveals the hidden structural barriers, the power of community economics, and why Black founders who reach the same milestone have already proven 10× resilience. Discover the free programmes, corporate partnerships, and mindset shifts closing the multi-billion funding gap.Chapters [00:00] Intro & Cecil’s Role at Foundervine [00:56] Wray Forward: Supporting 4,000+ Black Founders Since 2021 [02:19] The Shocking 81% vs 56% Funding Gap [02:48] Structural Barriers: Networks, Wealth, Bias & Bank Lending [04:16] Power Book 2025 – 25 Stand-Out Black UK Founders [06:09] Doing More With Less: Beard Surgeon Hits £1.7M Sales [07:34] The Power of Buying Black & Circulating the Pound [09:54] Closing the Knowledge Gap (Free Programmes vs “10× Courses”) [14:06] Confidence Crisis: Why Black Men Ask for Money Less [16:32] Banks Reject Ethnic-Minority Firms Nearly 2× More (49% vs 32%) [18:54] Corporate Partnerships That Actually Work [20:23] The One Thing Lenders Must Understand About Black Resilience [21:50] Resources & Close Key Discussion Points <ul><li>Black UK household wealth is up to 9× lower → less friends & family funding </li><li>Ethnic-minority firms 49% loan rejection rate vs 32% overall (British Business Bank) </li><li>Black founders operate ultra-lean, turning £100–£300 into million-pound businesses </li><li>Wray Forward (Foundervine + Wray & Nephew) has supported 4,000+ founders for free </li><li>Confidence gap: 53% of Black founders held back by fear of asking</li></ul>Key Takeaways <ul><li>Resilience is the hidden superpower: Black founders who reach the same point have jumped higher hurdles </li><li>Community economics works — keep the pound circulating inside before it leaves </li><li>Free, high-quality programmes beat paid “guru” courses every time </li><li>Corporates get better ROI by funding community-led organisations, not running their own schemes</li></ul>Notable Quotes <ul><li>“When a Black founder looks the same as a white founder on paper, they’ve already overcome 10× more barriers.” – Cecil Adjalo </li><li>“If communities don’t buy and sell from each other, they can never grow large.” – Cecil Adjalo </li><li>“We turned hundreds of pounds into £1.7 million in sales.” –<a href="https://beardsurgeon.co.uk/"> Beard Surgeon</a> example</li></ul>Actionable Insights for Businesses & Investors <ul><li>Lenders: Create dedicated funds or policies that score resilience & barriers overcome </li><li>Corporates: Partner with (and fund) grassroots organisations like Foundervine instead of direct programmes </li><li>Black consumers: Buy Black first — every pound spent multiplies inside the community </li><li>Founders: Join free programmes like Wray Forward for mentorship, finance access & community</li></ul>Resources <ul><li>Wray Forward programme & Power Book 2025 → <a href="https://www.wrayandnephew.com/wray-forwards">https://www.wrayandnephew.com/wray-forwards</a></li><li>Foundervine programmes → <a href="https://www.foundervine.com/our-programmes/wrayforward-pitchandrumpunch">https://www.foundervine.com/our-programmes/wrayforward-pitchandrumpunch</a></li><li>Free events, grants & community → foundervine.com</li></ul>The Cashflow Show can be reached here:Website: <a href="http://www.thecashflowshowpodcast.com">www.thecashflowshowpodcast.com</a> <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/WhctKKZGTxBSHmxFBFZTZplRtGfhwDzlrpHtwxzKbdKqqnKTbWRxRrFGSpJThZKHDpCQhFQ?compose=fwmvGMBmCbZDMngDDpPjGDzpkZlZjphFLWBPkspbnNdlnfFJnLrXhCGDSnFXGmXKfjRjGRwSVSbsxrbBLrtppXDBCTShmGpzWcxCttjDdWGGvxtdNMFVmailto:thecashflow">Email: thecashflowshowpodcast@gmail.com</a>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thecashflowshow">https://twitter.com/thecashflowshow</a> Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thecashflowshowpodcast">https://instagram.com/thecashflowshowpodcast</a>To sponsor or advertise on The Cashflow Show Podcast, contact us at <a href="https://dashboard.transistor.fm/shows/the-cashflow-show/episodes/newmailto:thecashflowshowpodcast@gmail.com">thecashflowshowpodcast@gmail.com</a>Clayton M Coke can be found here:LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiNlc7Y0v3jAhVTT8AKHfLpBtAQFjAAegQIBhAB&url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claytoncoke&usg=AOvVaw2SpfsRoINDPTGYq3qjGngQ">https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claytoncoke</a>Website: <a href="https://www.prmsltd.co.uk">https://www.prmsltd.co.uk</a>Email: <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/WhctKKZGTxBSHmxFBFZTZplRtGfhwDzlrpHtwxzKbdKqqnKTbWRxRrFGSpJThZKHDpCQhFQ?compose=fwmvGMBmCbZDMngDDpPjGDzpkZlZjphFLWBPkspbnNdlnfFJnLrXhCGDSnFXGmXKfjRjGRwSVSbsxrbBLrtppXDBCTShmGpzWcxCttjDdWGGvxtdNMFVmailto:info@prmslt">info@prmsltd.co.uk</a> Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/prmsltd">https://twitter.com/prmsltd</a> Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/prmsltd/">https://www.instagram.com/prmsltd/</a> Our theme music is called "The Mediator - aka Theme from The Cashflow Show" [PRS] and "Better Call Clayton" [PRS] “What are YOU like?”, “60 Second Shoot-Out” &"What About The Tech?" are all intellectual properties of Dialogue [London] Ltd(c) Clayton M Coke/PRMS Ltd/Dialogue [London] Ltd | All Rights Reserved 

 <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thecashflowshow" rel="payment" title="★ Support this podcast ★">★ Support this podcast ★</a>

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

Why 81% of Black Founders Can’t Raise Capital (and How to Fix It) – Cecil Adjalo, COO Foundervine

The Cashflow Show: Entrepreneurship Insights for Founders, CEOs and Business Leaders

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews