Hi there,

From mentoring founders through product, operations, and fundraising strategies to exploring AI risks for growth, November has been full of inspiration and progress. Watching the female founders shine throughout the Project 2.8 accelerator where I was also an instructor and mentor until their final pitch graduation at Times Square New York last week was a proud highlight.

This month’s newsletter brings you event recaps, key insights from my latest blogs, and stories shaping business and global trends today. I hope it sparks ideas and inspires action as we head into December with reflections for 2025 and planning forward towards 2026.

This Month’s Past Events

A Night of Inspiration, Innovation, and Equity at Columbia University

Last week, I had the incredible privilege of joining the final graduation night for Columbia University’s Project 2.8 accelerator program for women-led startups. As a Columbia Business School Alum Mentor and Startups Advisor, I have been honored to guide this cohort through their fundraising journey and teach an extensive workshop on “Startup Growth Playbook: How to Convert Early Users Into Paying Customers.”

Watching these exceptional female founders shape their startup stories, confidently sharing their fundraising ambitions to investors and industry leaders, was nothing short of inspiring. Their creativity, determination, and growth over the program truly make me proud. The future of entrepreneurship and innovation looks bright in their hands.

Securing Angel Investment: A Practical Guide to Raising Your First Round

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of coaching small business entrepreneurs at the US Small Business Administration (SBA) and Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to explore alternative sources of funding while Government grants and bank loans are becoming inaccessible. I taught this hands-on workshop with clear strategies to prepare, fundraise, and close the round with angel investors specifically, and how they were different from venture capital and other private investors. It was gratifying that the entrepreneurs were able to progress through the roadmap that I had shared and a few were able to start meeting investors in a short timeframe.

Some of the key takeaways from my workshop included: 

✅ Beyond money, angels often provide industry expertise and business relationships.

✅ A reasonable valuation and use-of-funds builds trust faster than inflated financials.

✅ Use simple language when you explain your unique proposition and ROI for angels.

✅ Post-investment communication turns one-time investors into long-term champions.

Startup Growth Playbook – Turn Your “Why” Into Investor Confidence

In my latest LinkedIn LIVE session, I focused on something you won’t find on a spreadsheet: conviction. Here are a few key lessons I shared.

Key Takeaways

1. Your “Why” is your strongest evidence of inevitability. 

Metrics make you sound capable, but conviction makes you sound unavoidable. Investors fund founders whose belief is so clear that the solution feels inevitable, not optional.

2. Anchor emotion in evidence to build trust. 

A compelling origin story draws people in, but pairing it with real market shifts (regulation, behavior, technology…) transforms your belief into proof. That is where investors feel both safety and opportunity.

3. A powerful Why is a repeatable story.

If an investor, teammate, or customer can retell your Why in a single breath, you have won. Simple, human language creates a narrative that travels, and becomes the spine of your entire pitch. 

4. Purpose must translate into performance.

Purpose is not separate from profitability. Show how your mission reduces churn, improves margins, accelerates adoption, or strengthens trust. When purpose becomes measurable, it becomes investable.

In Case You Missed It – The BIG News Highlights

Here’s what I have been reading lately: thoughtful pieces that shed light on where business, global trends, and leadership are headed next.

The BIG Blog Digest

Still time for some reading? Here are the articles that will interest you for this month.

Last month's reactions to the BIG question

The most-voted answer was “Impact-driven strategy”, and for good reason.

In a business world increasingly defined by purpose, the ability to embed social and environmental impact into your growth strategy is not just nice-to-have: it is a core competitive advantage. Leading firms do not treat impact as a side project; they integrate purpose into their very business model. McKinsey calls this “bridging the purpose gap,” emphasizing that real impact comes when purpose is embedded in day-to-day operations, not just in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Here’s what makes this skill so vital for business leaders and startup founders in 2026, and why mastering it will set you apart:

1. It drives long-term value. Berkeley research shows that companies with deeply embedded purpose tend to outperform peers over time because they align societal impact with financial results.

2. It unlocks new opportunities. McKinsey finds that sustainable strategies reduce risk and open new revenue streams. Not just “good ethics,” but smart business.

3. It builds trust. Forbes reports that purpose-driven companies enjoy stronger loyalty from both customers and employees, giving them a real competitive edge.

4. It sharpens focus. McKinsey notes that purpose only works when tied to a company’s unique strengths, in other words, your core “superpower.”

It is sustainable by design. Impact becomes measurable and scalable when tied to your value creation model, not kept separate from it (I touched upon that topic in the Startup Growth Playbook session “Turn Your ‘Why’ Into Investor Confidence”).

Why this matters for 2026:

Investors, customers, and talent are increasingly choosing companies that pair strong business fundamentals with meaningful purpose. Leaders who can turn impact into a clear, actionable strategy will be far better positioned to raise capital, attract great people, and stay resilient through change.

If you are looking to refine your impact-driven strategy or to ensure your business is structured for purposeful, sustainable growth, this is precisely where my advisory work is focused. I support leaders in aligning strategy, purpose, and execution so they can scale with clarity and credibility. If you would like to explore what this could look like for your organization, let’s connect.

This Month’s BIG Question

Your responses always spark news ideas and help shape future topics. And, as always, all responses remain confidential. I will explore the most popular theme in next month’s newsletter.

Thank you for being part of this community. I look forward to our next connection, whether through this newsletter or at the upcoming events.

Onward and upward,

Bhuva Shakti, Founder of Wallet Max and Bhuva’s Impact Global.

Let’s collaborate, send me your ideas! https://www.bhuvas-impact.global/contact