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Fundraising

43 VC firms that invest in diverse founders

By January 18, 2023No Comments

  1. Angeles Investors (U.S.)

    Angeles Investors’ mission is to find and fund “the most promising Hispanic and Latinx ventures.” The firm holds regular pitch night events to find founders to invest in. It also provides internship opportunities to diverse professionals and MBA students, to help develop Latinx professionals in venture capital.

  2. Backstage Capital (U.S.)

    Backstage Capital invests in scalable startups led by women, people of color and LGBTQ+ founders in all industries. It boasts investments in over 180 companies over the past five years. Most investments are at the pre-seed through Series A stage in U.S.-based companies. The majority of the firm’s investments are $100,000.

  3. BBG Ventures (U.S.)

    Started by insiders at AOL, BBG Ventures, which stands for “Built by Girls,” leads investment in early-stage, female-founded companies. Its third fund, a $50 million fund unveiled in March 2021, invests in both B2B and B2C consumer tech companies. Areas of focus include health and wellbeing, climate friendly products and platforms, future of work and education, and overlooked and emerging consumers. Typical checks range from $500,000 to $1 million.

  4. EchoVC (Africa, U.S., U.K.)

    EchoVC is on a mission to become “the Sequoia Capital for underestimated founders and markets.” The sector agnostic firm invests in women and underrepresented founders, particularly of African descent globally, from seed stage through Series B. Companies must have at least a minimum viable product out on the market to be considered for investment.

  5. Elevate Capital (Global)

    Elevate Capital’s Capital Fund II invests nationally in scalable technology and health care startups founded by underrepresented minority founders, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and veterans. It invests between $100,000 and $1 million in the pre-seed through Series A stages. It also has smaller funds that invest in underrepresented founders based in Oregon.

  6. Ganas Ventures (U.S. & Latin America)

    Ganas Ventures invests in pre-seed and seed Web2 and Web3 community-driven startups in the

    U.S. and Latin America. Run by solo GP Lolita Taub, the firm writes $100,000 checks and plans to use its first fund to invest in 75 companies.

  7. Harlem Capital (U.S., Latin America, Africa)

    Harlem Capital’s goal is to invest in 1,000 diverse founders over 20 years. In March 2021, it closed its second fund at $134 million. The fund makes early seed stage investments in companies that are post-product and is committed to backing minority and women founders. There is a focus on enterprise and consumer tech, but the fund remains industry agnostic. In order to allow the founders the fund invests in to benefit from one another’s success, it permits them to split 1% of the fund’s carry.

  8. Impact America Fund (U.S)

    Impact America Fund invests in tech-driven companies that “create new frameworks of ownership and opportunity within marginalized communities.” The fund favors entrepreneurs with direct knowledge of these communities rather than “an outsider’s assumptions, and primarily invests from seed to Series B. It makes investments between $250,000 and $3 million.

  9. Kapor Capital (U.S.)

    Kapor Capital invests in pre-seed and seed rounds for technology-driven companies that are “committed to closing gaps of access, opportunity or outcome for low income communities and/or communities of color” in the U.S. The firm believes that founder teams should reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, and 59% of the companies the firm has invested in have a founder who identifies as a woman or an underrepresented person of color. Portfolio companies must commit to reporting on social impact and diversity accomplishments in their updates to investors.

  10. Loud Capital’s Pride Fund (U.S.)

    Loud Capital is an early stage VC firm looking to back diverse founders with impactful companies. Its Pride Fund is a $10 million fund specifically aimed at supporting LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs or companies that serve that community.

  11. New Money Ventures (U.S.)

    Backed by Peak6 investments, New Money Ventures is a $20 million fund led by an entrepreneur with two multi-million dollar exits under her belt. The fund prioritizes investments in women-led and women-founded firms. It invests in pre-launch and early stage high-growth consumer businesses.

  12. One Way VC (U.S. & Canada)

    One Way VC backs “exceptional immigrant founders.” The firm is currently focused on companies based in the U.S. and Canada where at least one key founder is an immigrant. The firm typically writes checks between $500,000 and $1.5 million and primarily invests in seed stage companies. It favors tech-enabled companies with the potential for global reach.

  13. Overlooked Ventures (U.S)

    Started by tech founders with more than a decade of experience, Overlooked Ventures invests in pre-seed and seed startups in tech, tech-enabled, and direct to consumer companies with at least one founder from a historically overlooked group. To manage incoming deal flow, the firm eschews warm introductions to keep the process unbiased. Overlooked Ventures has invested in eight companies so far and is actively raising capital for its $50 million fund. Bank of America recently became its first institutional investor.

  14. Pipeline Angels (U.S. & International)

    Pipeline Angels seeks to create funding opportunities for “trans women, cis women, nonbinary, two-spirit, agender, and gender-nonconforming founders” while changing the face of angel investing and venture capital. Its members fund founders at the friends and family stage, and have given out $7 million so far through its pitch summits, which connect founders and investors. For profit companies with a social or environmental mission are eligible to participate in pitch summits.

  15. Precursor Ventures (North America)

    Precursor Ventures is a seed stage VC firm that is committed to investing in founders who represent “a wide variety of backgrounds” in terms of gender, race, academic experience and life circumstances. The firm primarily invests in companies headquartered in North America, and usually writes $250,000 checks for pre-seed rounds of $1 million or less or up to $500,000 for seed rounds of $4 million or less. Its portfolio is roughly split in half between B2B and B2C companies.

  16. Rethink Impact (U.S.)

    Rethink Impact bills itself as “the largest, U.S.-based venture capital firm investing in female and non-binary leaders using tech to solve the world’s biggest problems.” The firm writes checks from $2 million to $10 million, and leads or co-invests in late seed to Series C rounds. It focuses on companies with $500,000 to $15 million in annual recurring revenue that are on track to grow to $50 million to $100 million within five years. It looks for companies in health, environmental sustainability, education, and economic empowerment

  17. Rogue Women’s Fund (U.S.)

    This fund from Rogue Venture Partners invests in early seed stage women-led technology companies across the U.S. Rogue Women also hosts invite-only networking events around the country, bringing together startup founders, corporate executives and investors.

  18. SB Opportunity Fund (U.S.)

    SoftBank Group launched the SB Opportunity Fund in June 2020 as a $100 million commitment to U.S. Black, Latinx and Native American technology founders. Since then, the fund has fully invested that initial $100 million in over 70 companies led by underrepresented founders – and recently announced that the fund will continue as an uncapped “evergreen” fund with ongoing capital from SoftBank Group. The Fund, led by a diverse team, is currently focused on

    early-stage investments, primarily seed and Series A, and has had three exits to date.

     

  19. Somerset Capital (Americas, Asia, Europe)

    Somerset Capital’s website proclaims “the next tech disruptor or innovator in the global startup ecosystem can and will be a female trailblazer.” Run by Juliette-Marie Somerset, a former Credit Suisse investment executive, the firm invests in early stage global startups. Specialties include fintech, cryptocurrency and blockchain.

  20. Springboard Growth Capital (U.S.)

    Born out of Springboard Enterprises, an accelerator for women-led companies, the firm was set up to lead or co-lead larger growth financings of $25 million to $100 million at the Series C stage and beyond. It seeks to support female entrepreneurs leading high-growth companies in the consumer sector, including consumer facing technology companies.

  21. Unseen Capital (U.S)

    Unseen Capital aims to to identify, fund and support underrepresented founders of early-stage healthcare companies and those building solutions for marginalized communities. It plans to invest in up to 50 early-stage healthcare companies. The firm scored a $30 million investment from Eli Lilly in January 2021 to anchor the fund.

  22. Vamos Ventures (U.S.)

    Vamos Ventures makes initial investments of $500,000 to $2 million at the pre-seed to Series A stage. Its areas of focus include health and wellness, financial technology, future of work and sustainability. The firm seeks to fund Latinx and diverse founders.

  23. WOCstar (U.S)

    WOCstar is an early stage investment fund that invests in tech companies led by women of color and diverse teams. It focuses on companies in the realms of media, consumption and sustainability.

  24. Black Angel Tech Fund (U.S.)

    Founded in 2015, Black Angel Tech Fund is a venture capital firm based in Mcclellan, California. The firm provides early-stage capital to startups. The firm also offers business development and strategic advising, as well as access to an international support network. The firm focuses on machine learning, artificial intelligence, and e-commerce sectors.

  25. Digitalundivided (U.S.)

    Digitalundivided was founded by Kathryn Finney in 2012. Its mission is to champion Black- and Latinx-owned startups, by providing financial support and sound advice that will not only help launch these startups but also scale.

  26. MaC Venture Capital (U.S.)

    Seed-stage venture capital firm that invests in technology startups leveraging shifts in cultural trends and behaviors. They provide hands-on support crucial for building and scaling category-leading companies, including operations strategy, brand building, recruiting, and mission-critical introductions.

  27. Dreamit Ventures (U.S)

    Dreamit Ventures prides itself on being one of America’s top startup accelerators and a catalyst of diversifying startup ownership in the country, particularly those that focus on developing Health and Urban Tech solutions. DreamIt Access is the longstanding Comcast Ventures-funded program for entrepreneurs of color, and DreamIt Athena is the state-backed women’s entrepreneurship program.

  28. Humble Ventures (U.S.)

    Since it was founded, Humble Ventures has invested in 47 different startups, 70% of which are established by women and entrepreneurs belonging to minority groups. Humble is a collective that helps strengthen connections between diverse founders, entrepreneurs, start-ups and organizations focused on creating solutions for, and serving, diverse audiences. Humble drives innovation and growth through partnerships, programming, and investment.

  29. Founders First Capital Partners (U.S.)

    Founders First Capital Partners is a national lender serving Asian, BIPOC, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, veteran, and women-owned businesses, as well as businesses in LMI zones and those committed to diverse hiring practices. They are committed to helping entrepreneurs accelerate business growth through our Revenue-Based Financing products and Advisory Services.

  30. Presidential Innovation Fellows (U.S)

    Founded in 2012, the Presidential Innovation Fellows is a highly-competitive program that aims to partner innovative startup founders with change-makers within the government to help them grow and scale for the better good of the country.

  31. Valmo Ventures (Global)

    Valmo Ventures is a venture capital firm founded by Valerie Mosley, a successful entrepreneur who’s made it her mission to help under-represented startup founders grow both their self-worth and net worth. Valmo Ventures is focused on creating, collaborating, and investing in companies, assets, and efforts that add value to portfolio returns and add value to our society.

  32. Base Ventures (U.S)

    While Base Ventures is still a relatively young venture capital firm, it’s already making a mark as far as bridging the gender, and ethnic gap observed among startups in the country. Already, it has raised multi-million dollar funding for startups like StyleSeat and Balanced Payments and invests at the Seed and Pre-Seed stage.

  33. GV (North America & Europe)

    Formerly known as Google Ventures, GV was launched in 2009 to serve as the venture capital arm of Alphabet, Inc. It provides seed, venture, and growth stage funding to technology companies. GV is committed to increasing access and pathways for the brightest founders and technologists from underrepresented backgrounds. It’s invested in over 300 startups within the life science, healthcare, artificial intelligence, robotics, transportation, cybersecurity, and agriculture industries.

  34. Connectivity Capital Partners (Global)

    Connectivity Capital Partners is a venture capital firm that funds early-stage startups. Through the efforts of its Chief Investment Officer, Denmark West, the firm advocates for diversity in technology by supporting extraordinary startup founders regardless of their background.

  35. 500 Startups (Global)

    500 Startups is one of the top venture capital firms not just in the US, but in different parts of the world. Since it was launched in 2010, 500 Startups has focused its efforts in advancing the cause of diversity within the global tech community, starting with its leadership where several venture partners come from these minority groups.

  36. Impact America Fund (U.S)

    Impact America Fund makes early-stage investments in tech-driven businesses that create new frameworks of ownership and opportunity within marginalized communities. We also help our founders get traction with institutional investors, who often don’t have the expertise or lived experience in these communities to appreciate the huge opportunities at hand.

  37. Southbox Venture Capital (U.S.)

    Southbox Venture Capital is a firm that focuses on supporting startups developing solutions to enhance the media industry through the use of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. It also helps startups that focus on mobile and emerging technologies like Blockchain and Cryptocurrency.

  38. KEC Ventures (U.S.)

    Based in New York City, KEC Ventures was founded by entrepreneurs from different ethnic backgrounds and industries. This unique blend of leadership gives KEC Ventures the ability to discover and support early-stage startups founded by entrepreneurs belonging to minority groups.

  39. Reach Capital (U.S)

    Reach Capital is a San Francisco-based venture firm co-founded by Jennifer Carolan and Shauntel Garvey. The firm aims to support minority-led startups striving to help underserved communities in the country, particularly in the field of education.

  40. Halogen Ventures (U.S.)

    Halogen Ventures is a Los Angeles, California based Venture Capital fund focused on investing in early stage consumer technology startups with a female in the founding team. Halogen Ventures invests in pre-seed, seed and series A companies creating groundbreaking technologies and products in the consumer space. We are hands on and support our founders through their full lifecycle. We help them build their networks, get brand exposure, hire great talent, raise follow-on rounds and find their path to acquisition or IPO.

  41. Hustle Fund (U.S., Canada, Southeast Asia)

    Hustle Fund invests in pre-seed rounds. We may occasionally invest as a follow-on investment into a Series A round in existing portfolio companies. We are software generalists and don’t favor particular verticals. The vast majority of our portfolio companies are in B2B, Web3, fintech, and consumer digital health. We are always looking to accept applications from diverse and nontraditional founders.

  42. GingerBread Capital (U.S.)

    At GingerBread Capital, we make early stage through later-stage growth capital investments in women founders and women-led businesses to help them scale and succeed. We help women-led businesses gain access to the knowledge, networks and capital they need to build and scale successful enterprises. We look for Technology-enabled businesses, where automation, AI and data analytics propel the brand, revenues, and customer satisfaction

  43. Chingona Ventures (U.S.)

    Chingona Ventures focused on industries that are massively changing and founders whose backgrounds uniquely position them to create businesses in growth markets that are often overlooked. Focus areas are in financial technology, female technology, food technology, health/wellness, and future of learning. Primarily pre-seed companies where they are raising their first institutional round of capital. We invest between $250k-$1MM as an initial check size.

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