Why We Built RoseNexus: A Letter from Our Founders
By Dr. Tobias Hartwell & Dr. Vanessa Okonkwo-Reid · · 7 min read
Dear friends and future collaborators,
We want to share something personal with you—the story of why we created RoseNexus and what drives us every day.
Where It All Started
Marcus spent 15 years in academic research, watching brilliant colleagues spend more time wrestling with grant applications than actually doing the research they loved. Sarah came from the nonprofit world, where she saw small organizations with enormous impact lose out on funding simply because they couldn't compete with larger institutions' grant writing resources.
We met at a conference in 2022 and discovered we shared the same frustration: the grant writing process was broken, and it was holding back some of the world's most important work.
The Problem We Saw
Grant writing shouldn't require a specialized team of professionals. It shouldn't take months of work for a single application. And it certainly shouldn't be a barrier that prevents worthy organizations from accessing the funding they deserve.
Yet that's exactly what we saw happening—talented people giving up on grants, mission-driven organizations scaling back their ambitions, and innovative research going unfunded.
Our "Aha" Moment
The breakthrough came when we realized that most grant writing challenges aren't about creativity or expertise—they're about process, organization, and access to the right information at the right time. These are exactly the problems that thoughtful technology can solve.
What We're Building Together
RoseNexus isn't just software—it's a partner in your funding journey. We've combined Marcus's deep understanding of the grant landscape with Sarah's expertise in building user-centered solutions to create something we're truly proud of.
Our Promise to You
We promise to always put your success first. We'll keep listening, keep learning, and keep improving. We'll celebrate your wins like they're our own (because in many ways, they are). And we'll never lose sight of why we started: to help more great ideas get the funding they deserve.
Thank you for joining us on this journey. We can't wait to see what you'll accomplish.
With gratitude,
Marcus & Sarah