What We Learned, What We Changed, What’s Next
From real-time surprises to six-figure signals — and unexpected support along the way.
We did it.
On January 30, The FundWave went live in the wild for the first time at the LIFT Incubator Demo Day, hosted by the Center for Black Entrepreneurship at Morehouse College. And it was wild — in the best way.
I was in the audience when Khadijah Robinson got on the mic to welcome everyone and let folks know we were piloting The FundWave during the event. Our QR codes were up on the screen. People started downloading the app right away — and Android had just gotten approved in time, so we were good there.
I had built a basic admin panel on the backend, so I could see people signing up in real time. Downloads were coming in. The event hadn’t even started yet, and things were already moving.
Then something hilarious happened.
A woman from Invest Atlanta — someone I’d previously spoken to on Zoom but hadn’t met in person until that night — turned around to me and asked:
“How are all these pitches being rated? Nobody’s even gone up yet!”
I panicked for a second. Is the app broken? But no — it turns out we hadn’t gated anything. So friends and family just… started rating. Probably dropping five stars for the people they came to support, before any pitches even happened.
We laughed about it. But it gave us real insight.
What We’re Fixing (And Why It Matters)
We added a few new items to our roadmap immediately after:
- Gating access so people can’t rate pitches before they’re actually presented
- Clarifying the hypothetical investment question. Several people walked up to me at intermission to say they loved the app, but skipped the pledge question because they thought we were about to ask for a credit card. (We weren’t. Just vibes.)
We’ll reword that screen so it’s more clear — and less intimidating.
Kevin Couldn’t Make It, But I Wasn’t Alone
My cofounder Kevin wasn’t able to attend. He lives in Houston and works in education, and his schedule has been nonstop lately. I really thought I was going to have to hold it down by myself.
But then my friend Kerry Schrader showed up. She previously founded Mixtroz, which raised over $1M in venture capital for a platform in the event space. Now she’s an experienced coach and trusted advisor — helping founders walk proven paths to success. She drove a few hours just to support me — to talk to people, help explain what we were doing, and keep the energy high. She even snapped a photo of me at the event. That kind of support? I don’t take it for granted.
The Numbers Were Better Than I Expected
We captured over 150 ratings. Nearly 70% of participants left written feedback. The leaderboard was active. The feed was flowing. People were really engaging with the startups.
And the app surfaced over $100,000 in hypothetical investment interest.
That’s not just clicks. That’s intent. That’s potential.
Real Momentum, Real Lessons
I talked to a lot of people that night — founders, attendees, ecosystem builders. I left with two new leads for future pitch competitions and a whole new appreciation for how live use can reveal what needs to be improved, refined, and rebuilt.
It’s clear that real-world testing isn’t just about “proof of concept.” It’s about connection. It’s about momentum. And it’s about showing people — in the room, on the spot — what’s possible.I’m not sure what’s coming next. But something’s coming.
And we’ll be ready.