📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

This Unlikely VC Has Invested $4 Million in Underrepresented Founders Women, people of color and LGBTQ founders receive less than 10 percent of venture capital. Arlan Hamilton is changing that.

By Alice

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Known as a "mad scientist" to her friends and family and an outsider to many Silicon Valley venture capitalists, Arlan Hamilton doesn't fit any mold. And that's exactly what makes her brilliant.

Hamilton never expected to become the founder of a serious VC firm, but just a few years after leaving a small Texas town with a tenuous bank balance, she has done just that. Today, Hamilton's Backstage Capital has invested more than $4 million in 100 companies led by women, people of color and LGBTQ founders and is currently raising a $36 million fund to invest in black female founders.

In this candid episode of Role Breakers, Hamilton dishes about getting legendary VC Marc Andreesson to invest from a tweet, why she couldn't live without General Hospital and Candy Crush and what song psyched her up to keep going during the early days of Backstage.

Hamilton's best resources on managing workplace bias available here.

Alice is a free digital platform that makes smart, instant connections between business owners and the resources they need to accelerate sustainable growth and global impact. Alice is open to all founders and prioritizes access for women and other underrepresented business owners.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Marketing

4 Things Ecommerce Startups Need to Be Careful About When Running A/B Tests

A/B testing is a powerful tool, but you should be aware of these aspects that people often overlook.

Marketing

10 Ways to Use AI for Hyper-Personalized Marketing

The future of marketing is not just about privacy and personalization. It's predictive, proactive and powered by AI.

Career

Jobs Are Disappearing — These 3 Strategies Are What You Need to Future-Proof Your Career

Adopting tech tools for professional development, combined with boosting soft skills and staying tech-savvy, offers a path to becoming an invaluable asset in a tech-driven future.

Business News

Is It an iPad or a MacBook? Apple Makes It Tough to Tell By Revealing a 13-Inch iPad Pro With 'Outrageously Powerful' M4 Chip for AI

The new iPad keyboard has a function row and larger trackpad "so the entire experience feels just like using a MacBook," said John Ternus, Apple senior vice president of hardware engineering, at Apple's first event of 2024.

Business News

'An Obvious Move': Elon Musk Suggests Warren Buffett Should Make This Investment Move Next

Berkshire Hathaway held its Annual Shareholder meeting over the weekend.

Science & Technology

A Business Leader's Beginner Guide to Cybersecurity

Take advantage of available cybersecurity solutions to protect your business and its digital assets.