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We Built This: Arlan Hamilton Is Investing In Diverse Companies By Any Means Necessary
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John Neal, All-Black Towns, Black Towns, Oklahoma Black Towns, Historic Black Towns, Gary Lee, M. David Goodwin, James Goodwin, Ross Johnson, Sam Levrault, Kimberly Marsh, African American News, Black News, African American Newspaper, Black Owned Newspaper, The Oklahoma Eagle, The Eagle, Black Wall Street, Tulsa Race Massacre, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

We Built This: Arlan Hamilton Is Investing In Diverse Companies By Any Means Necessary

www.huffingtonpost.com

www.backstagecapital.com

 

“I started Backstage Capital after noticing the disparities in the amount of money that was going to black women and other underrepresented founders, as compared to white men in Silicon Valley.”

 

Arlan Hamilton doesn’t have time for the petty boys club games Silicon Valley likes to play. She’s here to shake things up.

Forbes How Arlan Hamilton Harnessed Silicon Valley’s Most Overlooked Investment Opportunity

Hamilton, a black, queer woman who was living in the San Francisco airport just three years ago, is well aware of the obstacles that marginalized communities face in this industry. With 10 percent of funding going to women, people of color and LGBTQ founders, Hamilton is seeking to change that. After leaving her job in music, Hamilton began teaching herself everything she needed to know to take a leap into venture capital.

“I started with nothing,” Hamilton told HuffPost in an interview for the “We Built This” series. “I started literally with no money, trying to become a venture catalyst, trying to become a venture capitalist. And I’ve faced a lot of noes. I’ve faced maybe 99 noes for every one yes. And I had to have several yeses to get this far.”

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“I started Backstage Capital after noticing the disparities in the amount of money that was going to black women and other underrepresented founders, as compared to white men in Silicon Valley,” she said. “It’s very important because right now, for every 1.2 million dollars that a white man raises in a seed of funding for their innovative company, a black woman raises $46,000. And she’s expected to do the same or better than he’s doing. And I don’t think that’s fair.”

In May 2018, the Los Angeles-based company announced it was investing in a $36-million seed fund exclusively dedicated to black women’s companies. Hamilton tweeted that she calls it the “It’s about damn time fund.”

Though Hamilton’s impact may still be in its beginning stages, she’s already made an indelible mark on what creating a true seat at the table looks like. Silicon Valley didn’t do it, so a black woman did.

 

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