Shawn Basak

Earlier this week, I brought my fully remote, distributed team together in Napa for a two-day offsite, where I intentionally stepped away from the typical planning and strategy sessions. Instead, I created space for us to simply connect.🙌 The days were mostly unstructured—a welcome break from the daily grind. We shared great meals, stories, and laughter—lots of it.🤣 Here’s what I walked away with: ✅ Immense gratitude for each person I work with. ✅ Confidence that those two days were time well spent. I truly believe that the supportive, psychologically safe environment we’ve built as a team is a direct result of the time we’ve dedicated to getting to know each other, understanding one another better, and prioritizing playfulness and fun. Too often, leaders underestimate the value of this type of connection, dismissing it as "fluff" or making minimal efforts, treating it as an afterthought. But for me, it’s the foundation of a thriving, cohesive team.❤️ Each smiling face in this photo is a big part of why my career is such a fulfilling and positive force in my life.🙏 #leadership #innovation #mentalhealth #peoplefirst #remote #remotework #wfh #humanresources

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Happy to share ServiceNow’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Report 2024 Throughout the past year, we’ve made great progress to create and update the equitable processes, policies, and practices that allow our people to thrive. We’ve also expanded our impact outside of ServiceNow’s walls through partnerships in the communities where we live and work. Just some of our accomplishments of 2023 include: • Launching ServiceNow.org with the goal to help nonprofits achieve their missions among the communities they serve • Prioritizing skills-based hiring and professional development • Increasing representation of women globally and underrepresented groups in the U.S. • Launching our Employee Empowerment Reward program, which puts the power of charitable giving in the hands of our people • Increasing our diverse supplier spend from 19% in 2022 to 21% in 2023 • Making progress through our RiseUp with ServiceNow initiative to skill one million people worldwide on the ServiceNow platform • Establishing several new strategic partnerships, including with Disability:IN Full report at: https://lnkd.in/gshqEXXx #servicenow #dei

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One of the primary reasons suppliers experience fatigue is the sheer volume of requests they receive. In our NYC Climate Week event all about driving sustainability through supplier engagement we hosted folks from Bank of America, Merck, Clorox, Citi Bank, Ceres, and many more engaging with their suppliers and one thing that kept being brought up was: "How do you avoid supplier survey fatigue?" When multiple departments within a company (like procurement, sustainability, and compliance) send out surveys independently, suppliers may end up receiving redundant requests and get annoyed. This is not to mention that suppliers may also be receiving concurrent data requests and surveys from other companies as well.  ‍ Practical solution: Collaborate internally and consolidate your data requests into a single, well-structured survey and avoid sending out separate surveys for different purposes. ‍ Additionally, consider setting up a clear, consistent schedule for these requests (e.g., quarterly or annually) so suppliers can prepare in advance. This not only reduces the number of times suppliers need to respond but also allows them to focus on providing detailed, accurate information.  ‍ Take a peek at our newest blog for a few more practical take aways --- https://lnkd.in/grkQvrVr

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Transforming Childcare in Seattle: Success Stories from 3 SI In this video, we explore the significant impact of 3 SI in Seattle over the past decade. Discover how strategic initiatives have led to over $150 million in funding for early learning services in underserved neighborhoods, addressing crucial childcare access issues. #ChildcareAccess #SeattleSuccess #EarlyLearning #3SIImpact #CommunitySupport #EducationFunding #AccessDeserts #LocalInitiatives #ChildCareReform #KingCounty

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🚀 Incredibly honored to have been part of Cohort 8 of the Black Venture Institute (BVI)! These past weeks have been transformative, learning alongside 60+ brilliant Black professionals from tech, healthcare, finance, consulting, and legal sectors. What makes BVI truly special is the remarkable leadership behind it. Co-founded by Berkeley Professor Toby Stuart, Leyla D. Seka, Jackson Cummings, and Frederik Groce, this program combines academic rigor with real-world venture capital expertise. Having Professor Stuart at the helm of our curriculum has been invaluable. The caliber of speakers was absolutely phenomenal. We had the privilege of learning from industry giants like Bonita Stewart, Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), JoAnn Price (Fairview Capital), Scott Kupor and Megan Holston-Alexander (Andreessen Horowitz), Mike Smith (Footwork), Lo Toney (Plexo Capital), Jewel Burks Solomon, Barry Givens, moaz ゼ H., and among many others. 🎓 Through the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, we dove deep into venture capital fundamentals - from deal structuring to board participation. The program is more than just education; it's about building a powerful network of Black investors who are reshaping the future of VC. 💫 The impact is real: BVI has already catalyzed the formation of two angel groups, launched over a dozen scouts into the ecosystem, and sparked three new funds. This is what changing the face of venture capital looks like in action. Together, we're ensuring the next generation of venture investors truly reflects the diversity of our world. #VentureCapital #Diversity #BlackInVC #Leadership #Innovation #BVI

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Love the idea of the impact receipt! Lauren McCann (Praxis Business Accelerator Cohort 2024) James Waters Procure Impact is a B2B marketplace that makes it easy for companies to achieve their social impact goals through their everyday purchases — and create job opportunities and economic mobility for our most vulnerable populations in the process. They have thousands of high-demand products in their marketplace, from apparel to bath and body to gourmet food to furniture and art. Each vendor on their platform employs individuals with barriers to work in the USA: individuals with disabilities, refugees, veterans, and individuals who have experienced poverty, mental health challenges, homelessness, trauma, incarceration, and addiction. Each transaction on their platform tabulates the number of shift hours created through your purchase, making it easy to report on impact goals and measure progress over time. https://lnkd.in/dv4gnjQR

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First work trip of the year: cold but sunny NYC! Looking forward to some great conversations on advocacy marketing in 2025! Some off the cuff predictions for the year ahead: - Those who embrace Modern Advocacy will continue to separate from the pack. Legacy advocacy proved it works, but Modern delivers on what leaders actually need and want. - The best companies will have 100% of their C-suite activated on social by the end of the year. Execs are on board. Any remaining hurdles are minor. - The value of advocacy - its connection to revenue, hiring, etc. - will be fully proven for all who invest in it. It’s a new day when it comes to showing advocacy ROI and connecting it with what your CXO cares about most. - Marketers will further embrace the content their people are creating and sharing outside their advocacy tool. This is an extremely rich and exciting frontier! More employees share content outside official advocacy programs every single day. 2024 was another banner year for advocacy but in my view 2025 is going to be THE year. It’s what we and our customers have been working towards for the last 10+ years. Very exciting times!!

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🚀 Great to see Blaze.tech featured in the Black Opal Ventures inaugural impact report! This report provides a great snapshot of the impact of their portfolio companies on driving better health outcomes through innovation.👇

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Women building tech — Here is a database of 1,208 investor resources with 545 supporting women and underrepresented founders! ➡️ Type: fund, accelerator, angel, etc ➡️ Filter by Women focused ➡️ Categorize by industry or vertical ➡️ Direct link to their website In my mission to bringing access to women building tech, cutting down time and money for them to find these resources is really critical. 💰Funds - are you missing from this list? Let me know so I can add you! 🔗 GET THE LIST in comments!! — Hi, I'm Nomiki, Founder & CEO of PDS Lab, a tech accelerator for women. I am on a mission to bring access to women building their first tech solutions through product training, education, resources, and community. Follow my journey as I disrupt the tech ecosystem by bringing ACCESS to women building tech.

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We’re thrilled to unveil our 2024 State of Talent report! Thanks to Matt Schulman, CEO/founder of Pave, for partnering with us. Thanks also to the whole Pave team that helped (especially Frances Mitchell!) The last few years in talent have been, as I was quoted in Fortune this morning, "super weird" - we put together this report to offer a broad view of what's happening, what we expect to happen the second half of this year, and what founders & People teams can do to prepare. 📍 Managing Spend: In ‘23-24, more companies froze merit increases to manage budgets. Despite similar median merit cycle increases, average increases are lower YoY. 📍 Focus on Retention: Attention has shifted from hiring to retention of top performers, with expected attrition increases in H2. The rise in applications per role + the increase in job postings suggest a competitive rest of the year. 📍 Job Postings as Leading Indicators: Job postings can signal future salary changes. Data Science/ML saw a 56.4% increase in ‘23, with salaries rising. Sales, Marketing, and Product also saw significant growth in Q1. SF continued to see more competition than other US areas. 📍 Sales Talent: Top-quality sales talent is more competitive, especially for top percentile talent. Last year, 23% of companies grew their sales teams; 86% plan to expand this year, with 2/3 of those aiming to double their headcount (thank you for the data Bravado!) 📍 AI's Impact on Job Families: Ai disrupts roles like Customer Support, which has the highest apps per job posting and significant salary changes YoY. Though engineers aren’t being replaced by AI yet, the potential automation of roles like sales development raises questions about career ladders. 📍 Managing Equity Burn: To manage burn, companies are limiting equity to certain levels, reducing targets, and exploring new geographies. Equity burn is a major concern, especially for late stage privates and public companies. Companies are concentrating their equity comp towards great leadership and strong, autonomous ICs. 📍 Geography-Based Equity Adjustments: Surprisingly, geography-based adjustments aren't more common. Outside of the top few US tech metros, equity comp can be as low as 50-60% of Tier 1, and even lower internationally. 📍 New Equity Structures: Data shows that late stage private companies see a 60-70% increase in burn with refresh programs. Companies are experimenting with 1- and 3-year grants, backweighted vesting schedules, and other new structures, led by changes in public tech companies. For a deeper dive into these insights and more, check out the full 2024 State of Talent Report here: https://lnkd.in/g_yTTxFz

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Caregiving isn’t just a job—it’s a balancing act between chaos and compassion. Homethrive just snagged $20 million in Series B funding to help unpaid caregivers find that balance and crush the caregiving crisis for good. Co-CEOs David C. Greenberg and Dave Jacobs are leading this charge with a platform that doesn’t just connect dots—it rewrites the map. TELUS Global Ventures (TGV) and 7wireVentures co-led the round, joined by Pitango (HealthTech), HUMAN CAPITAL, and a powerhouse crew of investors who clearly know a winner when they see one. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Chicago, Homethrive is tackling the massive challenge of supporting 37.1 million unpaid caregivers in the U.S. These folks don’t clock in or out, and the stress is real. That’s where Homethrive comes in, offering tools like AI-powered care navigation, 24/7 caregiver assistance, and personalized recommendations that make managing elder care, chronic conditions, and Medicare navigation feel less impossible. And the numbers? They’re proof this isn’t just hype. Homethrive has grown 4x since 2022, helped companies slash employee turnover by 80%, saved caregivers 16+ hours per month, and boosted plan retention by 17%. Oh, and they’ve already locked in 100+ enterprise clients, including heavyweights like Rockefeller Capital Management and Lee Health. If you’re in HR, healthcare, or insurance, take notes—this is how you deliver ROI with heart. Joining the mix is Ismat Duckson Aziz, now on Homethrive’s board, bringing 25+ years of human capital strategy expertise to fuel their next phase. With plans to expand into the Canadian market, scale their AI-powered solutions, and enhance their already stellar tech, Homethrive isn’t just solving today’s problems—they’re defining the future of caregiving. David Greenberg said it best: “Caregiving doesn’t just happen from 9 to 5.” And neither does Homethrive. With this $20 million boost, they’re doubling down on their mission to make life easier, better, and more human for caregivers everywhere. To David, Dave, and the Homethrive team—congrats on building a solution that delivers impact where it’s needed most. And to the investors? You’ve backed a vision that’s reshaping caregiving for good. #Caregivers #Caregiving #HealthCare #HealthTech #HR #Insurance #AI #HealthCareAI #Technology #WellnessTech #VentureCapital #StartupCapital #Technology #Innovation #TechEcosystem #StartupEcosystem #Startups

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Nonprofits are transforming fundraising with Tatango! March of Dimes partnered with Tatango to amplify their #donorengagement and #fundraising efforts. The results? Incredible: - Grew their subscriber list from zero to hundreds of thousands. - Achieved a 32% year-over-year increase in Giving Day revenue. - Texting alone accounted for 10% of their total Giving Day revenue. Text messaging is proving to be a powerful tool for nonprofits to connect with supporters and achieve their mission. If you’re looking to enhance your fundraising strategy and explore the power of texting, let’s chat! #NonprofitFundraising #TextMarketing #Innovation #FundraisingExcellence

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DEI needs to get back on track. After a rapid build-up following the summer of 2020, initiatives have stalled and been slashed or abandoned. Leaders on an SXSW panel titled “The Fight for DEI” suggest the following to bring meaningful movement to DEI programs once again. ⚡Start from a genuine place. Embed the motivation for DEI in the company's values. Investment in the programs needs to be intrinsic, and not forced. ⚡Recognize that DEI is not charity, it’s good business.  ⚡Support your DEI leaders. The work itself is emotionally exhausting, and lack of support from stakeholders multiplies that. https://lnkd.in/gftWYNMu

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It's US Election Day! Let’s remember that voting is not just a right; it's an opportunity to choose leaders who embody the qualities we value most: empathy, resilience, humility, and integrity. In a world where women have only had the right to vote for 104 years, and Black women for just 59, it’s vital that we recognize the significance of our voices. Today, I reflect on my childhood dreams of being “the first female president.” While that dream may not have come to fruition, I am proud to witness women’s names on the ballot for the highest offices in our country, alongside many others ready to lead in various capacities in our local government. 💪🏻 Today, I voted because I refuse to take this privilege for granted and in honor of the sacrifices made before me. 💪🏼 Today, I voted not only for myself but for my daughter, my mother, my grandmother, my sister, my nieces, and all the women and girls who deserve strong representation. 💪🏽 Today, I voted for my sons, so they can witness how each of us plays a role in achieving equality and supporting leaders who bring us closer to a more just world. 💪🏾 Today, I voted for the LGBTQ+ community and for all others who feel marginalized. 💪🏿 Today, I exercised my right to choose leaders who will protect our human rights and champion equality for all. Let us seek out and support those who embody the best qualities of leadership—those who will inspire us and uplift our communities. I'm ready for an Empowerment Era! Whatever your reasons or beliefs may be, make your voice heard. Every vote matters—show up and vote for what you believe in! #Vote #Leadership #Empathy #Resilience #YourVoteMatters #EmpowermentEra

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"Let's stop focusing on number of days in the office, and really double down on what's going to create the biggest impact while aligning the needs of the customer, the company, and the people." 🚀 Amazing Season 2 kickoff episode with Christina Luconi from Rapid7!

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I’m thrilled to announce that Technology for Families In Need has been selected as a finalist for the 2025 Brooklyn Org Spark Prize! Please keep your fingers crossed for us, the winner will be announced early next year. In an age where #technology and #AI are transforming lives, it’s shocking that 24% of low-income households in the U.S. still don't have a computer at home. This stat from the 2021 Pew Research Center report shows the urgency of our mission. At TechFIN, we’re committed to closing the #digitaldivide, and the need for our work has never been greater. Curious to learn more about how we’re tackling this challenge? Want to know how you can help close the digital divide? Visit us at tech-fin.org. #TechFIN #DigitalEquity #NonProfitImpact

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Love this article from Monica (White) highlighting the investment we're making in the Carbon Black portfolio and the eco-system of Partners!

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Inspiration is powerful fuel. When we're inspired by something, we work harder, we're more loyal, we're more energized, we're evangelistic about it. As we shift into the year-end season where many nonprofits are staring down Giving Tuesday and year-end appeals and a myriad of tasks to be done... I would invite you to zoom out a bit. Why do you do your job? What lights your fire and keeps you going? Tell that story! Get their blood pumping. Don't ask them for money, invite them to join the story you get to be in. The story rife with meaning and purpose. Inspiration is ultimately what creates donor loyalty. Inspiration is what motivates sacrificial giving. And, yes, people still give to people... but people give far more to people who have inspired them.

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How do you get from bootstrapping and maxing credit cards to $100M ARR? Every aspiring founder and executive can hear first hand from Huntress' CEO, Kyle Hanslovan, what the journey has been like during this gritty and raw interview with Huntress investor, Kleiner Perkins. #grit #growthmindset #CEOs #startup #bootstrap #cybersecurity

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