October 2, 2026
These 2 Black Women Raised $1M Without Venture Capital
Sensori Co-Founders Shanna Pearre and Darean Rhodes raised nearly $1 million from creators, athletes, and individual investors.
Shanna Pearre and Darean Rhodes, the founders behind Sensori, a nonalcoholic beverage company, have raised nearly $1 million without venture capital. Instead, they brought in more than 50 individual investors, including more than 40 creators, athletes, and other community investors.
The company launched after Pearre and Rhodes began building an audience around Sensori and its nonalcoholic products. Within three months, the startup had sold its first 5,000 cans. When Pearre shared on Instagram that Sensori was preparing to raise money, potential investors quickly reached out.
“The next day we woke up, and I had like 10 DMs and texts,” Pearre told Inc.
That interest eventually translated into checks. Rather than pursuing a conventional venture capital round, the founders chose to raise from people who could bring more than money to the business. The investor group includes creators who can introduce Sensori to new audiences while having an ownership stake in the company. Rhodes said this approach allowed them to keep full ownership of the company rather than taking institutional capital, which could have given investors significant influence over the company.
“They would definitely have the upper hand on me and Shanna,” Rhodes said. “We just could not give away that much control.”
That decision is particularly notable in a venture ecosystem where Black founders continue to receive a small share of U.S. venture funding. According to data cited by Inc., Black founders received approximately 0.48% of U.S. venture capital in 2024.
Sensori’s founders are taking a different route: generate revenue, build a loyal customer base, and allow people who believe in the company to participate in its growth. The approach is also reshaping the traditional relationship between brands and creators. Instead of simply paying creators to promote Sensori, the company has made some of them owners.
Creator Jenee Naylor, who invested after discovering Sensori on TikTok, said her faith in the product made the investment particularly compelling.
“I already believed in them,” Naylor said. She added, “I already enjoy this product. I will talk about it organically. You really can’t buy that.”
For Sensori, that community is becoming part of the company’s capital strategy. “It’s not equity handed out,” Rhodes said. “It’s ownership, and it gives creators an active role in building this business from day one.”
The founders expect Sensori to surpass $1 million in revenue this year and plan to consider institutional investment in 2027 — potentially from a position of greater leverage after proving the business on their own terms.
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