On Wednesday, the CFDA hosted the first session of its new webinar series, “An Introduction to Funding Disparities for Minority Owned Businesses,” a virtual conversation providing insights into opportunities and resources that minority-owned businesses can utilize to navigate the challenges of raising capital.

The webinar was moderated by Felita Harris, Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Founder of Raisefashion. Panelists included Sutian Dong, Partner of Multitudes; Shane Kelly, CEO & Founder of Cinematica Labs; Dr. Jonathan Michael Square, Assistant Professor of Black Visual Culture at Parsons School of Design, and Ibada Wadud, Assistant Professor, Strategic Design & Management at Parsons as well as Executive Consultant, Sustainability & Equity, Founder & Head of Impact of LULAH.

The conversation covered topics such as the historical challenges in obtaining financial resources, the biggest misconceptions about funding disparities, the challenges designers of color are facing, as well as the ways in which individuals/brands can approach the VC landscape.

Watch the full conversation above or on Youtube here.