Meaningful Moments from
Meet the
Moment
A Funder Deep Dive Series Presented by Promise Venture Studio
Meaningful Moments
Did you miss some of the events in our series so far? It’s not too late to connect with these changemakers and the work they are leading for young children, families, and their communities across the country.
The engaging content presented by the leaders and founders in this series, alongside their funder champions, team members, key partners, and community members have been bright spots for us this year and a reminder that the work of bold, equity-centered solutions powerfully continues on.
Check out some of the meaningful moments from our past Meet the Moment events below!
Our Roots: Priya Iyer (Founder & CEO)
May 21st, 2025
Our Roots | Meaningful Moment Clip: featuring Founder & CEO Priya Iyer with co-host Nadiyah Morris (Partner at Camelback Ventures) and Erasma Beras-Monticciolo (Senior Advisor at Promise Venture Studio)
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Priya began her journey with Our Roots as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Promise Venture Studio followed by early belief and support from Camelback Ventures—their very first institutional funder. What started as a bold idea grounded in love and justice has grown into a powerful movement built by and with birthing parents of color. At this event, we learned about what Our Roots is building and experienced the spirit, stories, and community that drives Our Roots’ work!
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The Feelings Company: Karen Cuthrell (CEO)
April 24th, 2025
The Feelings Co | Meaningful Moment Clip: featuring CEO Karen Cuthrell and Principal Diamond Gwyn of Kimberly Park Elementary School, a school that has implemented The Feelings Friends school-wide
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Rooted in the belief that Love is the Most Important Feeling, they’ve got classrooms talking, singing, and grounded in love, and the impact is phenomenal. The Feeling Friends has been implemented in 300 classrooms from pre-kindergarten to grade 5 across six states, and three independent studies have shown consistent, statistically significant gains in children’s emotional literacy and social and emotional development. These results demonstrate the program’s feasibility, cultural responsiveness, and effectiveness. But here’s the truth: The Feeling Friends isn’t in enough schools. This is where you come in. We envision a future where every child, regardless of their background, is equipped with the emotional tools to succeed in school, in relationships, and in life. Investing in The Feeling Friends can make that vision a reality.
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Descripti “We’re looking for champions—educators, funders, and community leaders—who believe in the power of emotional intelligence for every child. Is that you? Every child deserves the language of feelings—help us put it in their hands. Let’s talk or email karen@thefeelingfriends.com.”on text goes here
Jumpstart: Crystal Rountree (CEO)
April 3, 2025
Jumpstart | Meaningful Moment Clip: featuring CEO Crystal Rountree with co-host Johanna Meadows (Managing Director, Head of The Centerbridge Foundation) and Demetra Brown (Senior Program Manager at Promise Venture Studio)
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Jumpstart shared how they are meeting this moment to ensure every child enters kindergarten ready to thrive. This virtual event was an opportunity to learn about the organization’s vision for the future under the leadership of new CEO Crystal Rountree, and the lasting change it aims to drive for children, families, and early education. Invest in Jumpstart’s $5M Innovation Fund to Fuel This Work: Enable tech integration and innovation, market research, evaluation design, and staffing of product design and community-based strategy leads and help propel Jumpstart to meet the moment for tomorrow’s kindergarteners, today.
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About Meet the Moment, A Funder Deep Dive Series
Why Meet the Moment?
Through this series, we’re excited to feature dynamic leaders and impactful organizations and ventures addressing today’s most pressing issues and promising opportunities in early childhood development—while building a stronger foundation for the future.
The challenges facing young children , families, and their communities in this moment require bold, equity-centered solutions. We’re bringing together changemakers who are driving these solutions.
What is a Funder Deep Dive?
A more personalized way for organizations and ventures to connect with interested funders and partners. Funder Deep Dive virtual events are great opportunities for attendees to learn more, ask questions, and hear from others in the featured organization’s community about the impact of their work. The goal is to find committed partners and passionate funders that support each organization’s journey to impact and growth.
