Why subscribe?

💥 Let’s Start Up is a weekly newsletter to celebrate founders, entrepreneurs, and builders in the startup ecosystem with an emphasis on the overlooked and underrepresented.

👋 Hi, I’m the Author

Hi! I'm Janine, a startup founder who learned how to code, built a legal tech app, and successfully sold it in 6 years - all while being a mother of 4 under 4.

I started my career in Columbus, Ohio as a paralegal in the bankruptcy space and saw a need in the market for a web-based software application. That's when NextChapter was born. After building the beta, I traveled from coast to coast to look for startup capital and investment. I pitched 82 times and heard no almost every time. All bets were against me when I lost 2 cofounders and ran out of money but I didn't give up. I taught myself how to code and built a remote team on next to nothing, all while being pregnant with my first child. I grew the company to 25 employees, over 6,000 customers, and 14% month-over-month revenue growth before getting acquired in September 2019.

Despite my challenges as a woman founder in a niche unsexy market, I managed to get my company off the ground and learned a lot about business, patience, and the power of believing in yourself and I’m here to share my tips and secrets with you!

Let’s start up! 💪


🗞 What you’ll see in this newsletter

  • original essays and interviews with founders, VCs, angels, and makers

  • new or overlooked founders and startups on the rise that you should know about

  • articles and links to tools and trends in the startup world

  • advice on how to start a company from scratch

  • insights on VC and startup capital

  • book recommendations because I’m a 📚🐛

  • audio recordings and podcast episodes

  • learnings from my business coach and therapist that I think others could benefit from

  • news from other unsexy startups like mine because I was once told that unsexy makes money and I believe that to be true

🙅🏻‍♀️ What you won’t see in this newsletter

  • sponsorships and ads

  • outfit of the day or makeup routines (no offense, just not my style)


So if you think that’s like, exactly what you want in your inbox weekly, then sign up so you don’t miss out! And don’t forget to tell your friends!

Subscribe to Let's Start Up

A newsletter celebrating historically overlooked founders and sharing tips, tools, and news in startups and venture capital