Pros
Mission statement to empower LGBT entrepreneurs is an admirable one. So much potential but will never be realized.
Cons
StartOut was started by four socially awkward white G males and it continues to show in the company's culture. The founders have nothing to do with the organization except for the Awards show and that's only because it presents a photo opp. • StartOut's leadership is currently embedded with narcissistic leadership that wreaks of insincerity, exclusion, and no follow-through. As a LGBT organization, many of the decisions are made by a non-LGBT perspective, the "angry straight" that many members have actually coined. • StartOut is filled with unwelcoming cliques. Unless you're in the inner circle or went to the right school, StartOut isn't an organization for you. Attend any local event and you'll see the cold shoulder cliques form immediately. • StartOut is a continuous revolving door of members. Look at its members who have actively engaged at any point in time and in less than six months, those same members will disappear. A new batch of fresh members will replace the old only to discover that StartOut doesn't live up to its promises. • StartOut is vaporware. Don't believe the membership numbers as only a small minority (less than 1%) actively benefit from being a member. The online community is very unresponsive and direct emails to other members go unanswered. Your chance of investors responding to you in the Investor Portal is practically nil.