Issue #10
In partnership with
EDITOR'S NOTE
Happy November!
The First Check community is open, and every channel now has a quick survey to help personalize your experience.
This issue is short on purpose. It's a map of the community: each channel and the one thing to do there. Pick out two or three that fit your needs and start there.
Natalie Boykoff
STEP ONE
Join the community
It's free for every subscriber. Use the same email you get this newsletter at. If you subscribed before today, you're one of our founding members, and your Founding Member badge shows next to your name once you join.
Tip: turn on notifications for the channels you care about so you see replies even when you're not in the app. Downloading the app is totally optional and you can use a browser instead.
THE CHANNELS
Where to go, and what to do there
Introductions
Say hi in three lines: who you are, where you're based, and what would help you most right now. Want me to personally connect you with 2-3 members who fit what you're working on?
First Check Live
Our monthly live sessions for members. Links, slides, replays and Q&A land here, and registration for the first session goes up here first. Experts and speakers, pitch a session and earn the Speaker badge.
Partnerships & Collabs
Find co-hosts and collaborators. Brands that want to reach women building and backing health: sponsor an issue, offer a member perk or host an event.
Wins & Milestones
Closed a round, launched a feature, landed a pilot or a grant? Post it, even if it feels small. Want it featured in the newsletter too?
Ask the Room
The questions you'd normally text three friends: a regulatory consultant, a CRO, a fractional CFO, a gut check on your pricing page. Answering someone else's question is the fastest way to earn the Connector badge.
Founder Wellness (new)
Weekly Thursday check-ins for the person behind the company, plus member wellness activities I'm planning now. Tell me what you'd actually show up for.
Betas, Pilots & Focus Groups
Recruiting testers, a pilot site or study participants? Post it, and tell me if you want it in the next issue.
Member Events
Post the events worth the trip. Heading to a conference? Tell me which one and I'll look for group discounts, room shares and members going too.
Deadlines & Opportunities
The running list of grants, accelerators, pitch competitions and calls for speakers, each with its deadline. Three are being added this week. Know one I should add?
Hiring & Career Opps
Jobs, fractional work, advisor roles and board seats in health. Hiring? Send me the role, pay range included, and I'll round up the best in the newsletter.
Service Providers
One post per provider: what you do, who it's for, how you price. Want your service considered for the newsletter?
First Check Issues
Every issue lands here so the conversation keeps going in the comments. Help me pick what comes next: which companies, founders and topics should I feature?
Feedback & Suggestions
Tell me what's working, what isn't, and what you'd love to see next.
Every feature is picked for fit and space, and I'll always check with you before anything about you or your company runs.
MEMBERS-ONLY ROOMS
A private room for honest feedback on your raise, deck, pricing and go-to-market. Premium includes every paid kit as it launches, a members-only briefing in each issue, and a 1:1 with me on quarterly and yearly plans.
First Cohort of monthly meetups, mentorships, pitch prep & diligence checklist will be included with first 10 premium members.
Already Premium? Tell me what you need most.
Deal Room and VIP
Founder-approved listings in women's health for investors I approve, plus VIP investor dinners and salons. Nothing is listed without the founder's OK.
FROM THE SHOP
Tools for the raise
The Capital Pack ($9). 13 investors writing checks into women's health, 9 grants and accelerators with deadlines, and 6 databases for finding more.
The Investor Outreach Kit ($12). 10 copy-and-send investor emails, from the cold email to closing the round.
Diligence Prep Session ($150). 60 minutes 1:1 with me to pressure-test your deck, data room and raise plan before investor diligence. All premium members get discount. Yearly premium members get one of these sessions free.
The Regulatory Pathway Guide (free). A plain-English breakdown of 510(k), De Novo and PMA, with a 4-question framework to find your pathway.
Member perk: MoodEater. Doctor-vetted takeout matched to your cycle, wearables and goals. Any meal for $10 with code FIRSTCHECK10.
BRING SOMEONE IN
Earn the Connector badge: refer 3 friends who are building or backing health.
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Explore the investment opportunity
See you in the community. Reply to this email if there's someone you want to meet. Intros are my favorite part of this.
Natalie