Stand Together Ventures Lab

✨ New Year, New Opportunities! ✨ As we wrap up 2024, many of our Stand Together Ventures Lab portfolio companies are hiring! These teams are tackling some of society’s toughest challenges and are looking for talented individuals to join their missions. 🎯 A few exciting opportunities include: samaritan - Head of Growth - Partner Engagement Lead (CA based) PadSplit - Outbound SDRs - Account Executives (NC, CA, PA) ForceMetrics - Sr. Full-Stack Dev - Data Engineer - Regional Sales Manager - Product Manager JusticeText - Growth-oriented Marketer …and more. Let me know if I can help connect you to the right folks! Here’s the link with many of the active roles: https://lnkd.in/gXWjZwea. #Hiring #CareerOpportunities #ImpactJobs

We don’t just ask entrepreneurs, “What do you do?”, we ask, “What needs to be done?” Last week, our team came together to reflect on the big challenges we’ve tackled and the bold ideas we’ve championed this year. As we look ahead to 2025, we remain committed to rethinking how we invest: staying close to founders’ unique insights, focusing on the problems that matter most, and backing solutions led by those who understand them best. Wishing you all a joyful holiday season and a happy New Year!

The holidays aren’t always easy, especially for those dealing with mental health or substance use challenges. That’s why we’re excited about what Marigold Health is doing.      They’ve built an anonymous peer support community where people can connect and share openly, without judgment. It’s a simple but powerful idea—using shared lived experience to overcome stigma and empower individuals to access care when they need it.      At Stand Together Ventures Lab, we’re proud to support Marigold because they’re proving that real change starts with listening and being there for one another. During a time of year that can feel especially heavy, it’s good to know resources like this exist.      Marigold is growing, with open roles for peer coaches, software engineers, and more. Check them out to learn more: https://lnkd.in/ghAECvw   

Finding an affordable place to live feels out of reach for so many people, especially as the cost of housing keeps climbing. That’s where PadSplit comes in. They’ve built the largest coliving marketplace in the U.S., redefining housing to provide affordable, dignified options for people like teachers, firefighters, and other essential workers — those who keep our communities running. We’re proud to support Atticus LeBlanc and the entire Padsplit team as they turn a big challenge into a real solution – helping people not only find housing but also build brighter financial futures. Learn more about their work and the impact they’re making: https://lnkd.in/eQJxrmB5.

November is Homelessness Awareness Month, and we couldn't think of a better week to recognize the growing challenges faced by people who don't have a home this Thanksgiving. For many of the ~1 million Americans who will experience homelessness this year, the profound isolation is just as challenging as the lack of stable housing. At Stand Together Ventures Lab, we’re proud to back samaritan (and its team led by Jonathan Kumar), a platform that provides direct financial and social support to empower individuals to escape the street. Samaritan Members receive capital through their samaritan “smart wallet”, bypassing traditional systems that often create delays. Funds are given both unconditionally and as incentives, so that each Member receives funds needed to overcome everyday barriers and reinforce pathways to stability. Samaritan then opens the door for real, meaningful connections between volunteers ("samaritans") and Members, helping to break down the isolation that most of these individuals face. Samaritan is seeing outsized victories daily for Members in their progression towards stable housing, income, and health. Join us in empowering Americans to rebuild their lives with dignity. Give directly to Samaritan Members financially via https://lnkd.in/egHyir5E or relationally through https://lnkd.in/eKQ86SFp.

When Kelly Smith noticed his daughter disengaging from school, it sparked an “aha” moment: What if education could be different? Driven by this idea, Kelly launched the first Prenda microschool in his home with just seven neighborhood students. Prenda has since grown into a full K-8 learning experience, offering small, learner-driven environments guided by “learning guides” who nurture curiosity and problem-solving. What started as a simple idea in Kelly’s living room is now transforming education for thousands of kids across the country. We support Prenda because it provides inspiring adults with the structure and support needed to empower young learners to reach their full potential. Discover how Prenda is shaping the future of learning: https://lnkd.in/e_qMSqY2.

Had a great time visiting the Stand Together headquarters today and catching up with some of our first investors in Assemble.FYI. I saw a powerful quote in one of the hallways that truly resonated with me: "The people closest to the problem are usually best suited to solve it." Charles Koch This reminder is central to the work we do in ed-tech—ensuring solutions are informed by the lived experiences of students, educators, and communities. Excited for what’s ahead! I also got a chance to catch up and bump into a few good people! Sihyun Choi Jacob Rabinowitz Brian Hooks Stand Together Ventures Lab

The holiday season can be tough for so many of us. It’s a time of joy for some, but for others, it can bring added stress and loneliness. With nearly 60 million Americans living with a mental health condition and traditional systems stretched thin, finding support isn’t always easy. That’s why we’re excited about the potential of Aura Health, one of the companies we’re proud to support. Aura is like the "Spotify of Mindfulness," offering guided meditations, life coaching, cognitive behavioral therapy, and more. As its co-founder Steve Lee says in this video, AI is being utilized by their app to personalize what you need when you need it. As we head into the holidays, we hope this sparks a conversation about the tools and resources that can make a real difference in mental wellness. If you’re looking for something to help you or someone you love this season, Aura might be the perfect place to start: https://www.aurahealth.io.

Through Amy Wu’s own experience of trial and error — from meditation and journaling to therapy — she recognized the need for a more cohesive, accessible toolkit for emotional wellness. That’s why she created Manifest: more than an app, it’s a movement to change how we engage with mental health. Manifest’s AI-powered insights deliver personalized guidance, and its strong community focus makes mental health support more accessible and engaging. All it asks of you is to improve “1% every day,” encouraging positive habits and offering rewards for progress. Our team is proud to support innovators like Amy, whose passion and personal journey have inspired a new solution to the challenges many people face. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gHgQPVar.

JusticeText Co-founder Devshi Mehrotra’s journey began with a drive to support public defenders facing overwhelming amounts of digital evidence. Today, JusticeText is pioneering AI solutions to help public defenders quickly identify key moments in complex video and audio data, making it possible to deliver stronger, faster support for their clients. JusticeText helps build case timelines, surface inconsistent statements, and inform trial strategy across an entire case’s worth of digital evidence, prioritizing ethics, transparency, and trust, especially in underserved communities. Devshi’s dedication to this mission resonates deeply with us at Stand Together Ventures Lab, where we believe in empowering founders who drive meaningful change. We’re excited to see all the ways JusticeText will continue making a difference. Learn more about Devshi and the JusticeText team’s journey to transform our legal system for the better: https://lnkd.in/gdBcCC7u. #StandTogetherVenturesLab #JusticeText