Forbes 30u30 honoree

I HELP FIRST-TIME FOUNDERS TURN IDEAS INTO FUNDED STARTUPS

Raised $800K+ for my own startup while building it profitably with my sister. Now I share the playbooks that took us from zero to nearly $1M in ARR with other first-time founders.

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ABOUT ME

young man standing in front of a building
young man standing in front of a building
young man standing in front of a building

I'm the co-founder of Chezie, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and someone who's passionate about making entrepreneurship accessible to first-time founders.

My sister and I built Chezie from nothing – no Silicon Valley connections, no family money, just two siblings figuring it out as we went. We raised over $800K, built a profitable company approaching $1M in ARR, and learned every lesson the hard way.

Being a founder completely transformed who I am. It pushed me to overcome fears and develop skills I would never have gotten otherwise.. Building a company isn't just about building a business – it's about building yourself.

That's why I'm obsessed with helping first-time founders navigate their journey. I've worked dozens of founders, partnered with accelerators like Headstream, spoken at universities including Spelman and UNC, and partnered with brands like Notion, Nike, and Morning Brew to reach founders who need this guidance most.

I share everything I've learned because I believe if you have what it takes to be a founder, you deserve access to the knowledge that can make your journey successful.

No gatekeeping, no fluff – just real insights from someone who's been exactly where you are.

TESTIMONIALS

Some very kinds words from people I've worked with 😊

Work With Me

Jessica R. Hale

Santi Dewa Ayu

Senior Program Manager, Headstream

"Toby supported the full cohort of companies through workshops on helping navigate if and when venture funding is a good fit for your startup and how to send effective investor and stakeholder updates. From large group workshops to office hours sessions, Toby has provided valuable insight through sharing the tools and systems that he has developed through conversations with diverse groups of founders to support other founders and founding teams. Through his experience as a founder and his genuine passion for supporting other founders he cultivated a welcoming community where founders were encouraged to ask questions and share their experiences, all of which contributed greatly to overall cohort learnings."

Jessica R. Hale

Santi Dewa Ayu

Senior Program Manager, Headstream

"Toby supported the full cohort of companies through workshops on helping navigate if and when venture funding is a good fit for your startup and how to send effective investor and stakeholder updates. From large group workshops to office hours sessions, Toby has provided valuable insight through sharing the tools and systems that he has developed through conversations with diverse groups of founders to support other founders and founding teams. Through his experience as a founder and his genuine passion for supporting other founders he cultivated a welcoming community where founders were encouraged to ask questions and share their experiences, all of which contributed greatly to overall cohort learnings."

Jessica R. Hale

Santi Dewa Ayu

Senior Program Manager, Headstream

"Toby supported the full cohort of companies through workshops on helping navigate if and when venture funding is a good fit for your startup and how to send effective investor and stakeholder updates. From large group workshops to office hours sessions, Toby has provided valuable insight through sharing the tools and systems that he has developed through conversations with diverse groups of founders to support other founders and founding teams. Through his experience as a founder and his genuine passion for supporting other founders he cultivated a welcoming community where founders were encouraged to ask questions and share their experiences, all of which contributed greatly to overall cohort learnings."

EQUITY SHIFT

Your shortcut from idea to funded startup. I've bundled everything I learned raising $800K+ into resources, guides, and frameworks that first-time founders actually use to close their rounds.

Join now for FREE!

Join now for FREE!

Join now for FREE!

Octavia Goredema

Octavia Goredema

CEO at Fire Memos and author of Prep, Push, Pivot

“[The CREAM Ebook] is a must-read for any founder navigating the fundraising journey for the first time. Toby shares so much within 58 pages, with actionable insights, advice and memorable stories. His guidance is on point and this is a resource you’ll return to again and again."

Octavia Goredema

Octavia Goredema

CEO at Fire Memos and author of Prep, Push, Pivot

“[The CREAM Ebook] is a must-read for any founder navigating the fundraising journey for the first time. Toby shares so much within 58 pages, with actionable insights, advice and memorable stories. His guidance is on point and this is a resource you’ll return to again and again."

Octavia Goredema

Octavia Goredema

CEO at Fire Memos and author of Prep, Push, Pivot

“[The CREAM Ebook] is a must-read for any founder navigating the fundraising journey for the first time. Toby shares so much within 58 pages, with actionable insights, advice and memorable stories. His guidance is on point and this is a resource you’ll return to again and again."

Resources

Learn the fundamentals of building and funding a startup that actually sells and converts customers.

Community

Join 2,500+ founders getting tactical insights every week through my newsletter Equity Shift.

Content

Follow my LinkedIn for daily insights on fundraising, scaling, and the real founder journey.

INTERESTED IN PARTNERING?

Whether you're looking for a speaker who knows the real founder journey, or you're a brand wanting to put your product in front of 23k ambitious founders and people in tech, let's collaborate 🤝🏾

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