You’ve probably heard of Arlan. If not, you should. Her story is inspiring and it keeps getting better. She just announced a new $36M fund, dedicated to funding black female founders.
This isn't her first fund: she raised $5M in 2015 to address the growing disparity of venture funding for black women. Less than 0.2% of early stage venture funding goes to black women, who make up 8% of the US. The numbers speak for themselves.
"I heard one day said, 'I came for the cake, not the crumbs.' That has motivated me in a big way. I didn’t come here to get your scraps. I came here to go toe-to-toe with you and to take it all." – Arlan
Backstage is backed by Lowercase Capital founder Chris Sacca, Box CEO Aaron Levie, and a16z's Marc Andreessen. We're here for it. 👏
She’s funded 100 (!!!) early stage startups, including:
😮 On Second Thought allows you to unsend text messages. Show this to your friend who always starts texting exes at the bar.
✈️ Airfordable offers flights for a fraction of the cost upfront. No more waiting to head on your dream trip.
🤖 Jewelbots builds friendship bracelets that teach girls to code. "The coolest wearable" according to Wired Magazine.
👩❤️💋👩 O.school is a shame-free place to learn about sex and pleasure. Live streamed lessons every day.
☕ Workfrom surfaces the best coffee shops and cafés for working. Pleaaaase do not tell your friends about our secret favorite working spots.
Check out the rest of the collection here.
If you want to dig into Arlan's story, the Backstage team just launched their official podcast: The Bootstrapped VC. Give it a listen. 👂
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