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# HCP

Changing The Face Of Entrepreneurship

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## Posts

- [Inside Primary VC: Building New York's Best Seed Firm](https://harlem.capital/inside-primary-vc-building-new-yorks-best-seed-firm/) - Winners Welcome Podcast, Episode 11 with Ben Sun, Co-Founder of Primary Venture Partners. Ben Sun built Primary Venture Partners on a bet nobody else wanted to make: New York. Back in 2013, when Ben Sun and Brad Svrluga sat down for what was supposed to be a one-hour lunch, they ended up talking for two
- [Harlem Capital Intern Yearbook: August 2026](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-intern-yearbook-august-2026/) - The internship program is one of the pillars of Harlem Capital that we are most proud of. Over the years we have been lucky to work with 130+ interns. Every one of them has left a mark on this firm, and they have gone on to do amazing things across the tech and investment landscape.
- [Inside Nuvocargo: How a $85M Startup Is Rebuilding Freight With AI](https://harlem.capital/inside-nuvocargo-how-a-85m-startup-is-rebuilding-freight-with-ai/) - Winners Welcome Podcast, Episode 10 with Deepak Chhugani, Founder and CEO of Nuvocargo. Deepak Chhugani, founder and CEO of Nuvocargo, has spent seven years trying to fix an industry everyone said couldn't be automated. Now he thinks he's finally found the moment it breaks. Freight is a trillion-dollar market built on phone calls, PDFs, and
- [Inside Rain: Three Rounds, Ten Months, $250M Series C](https://harlem.capital/inside-rain-three-rounds-ten-months-250m-series-c/) - Winners Welcome Podcast, Episode 9 with Charles Yoo-Naut, Founder and CEO of Rain. Charles Yoo-Naut didn't set out to rebuild global payments. He was trying to fix a wire transfer. In 2021, Charles and his co-founder were building SignAndWire, a simple tool to help founders raise money without cobbling together DocuSign and a bank wire.
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s Winter 2023 Interns](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-winter-2023-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Please join us in welcoming our Winter Intern Class: Daniel Paredes, Tori Orr, Patrick Mendes, Sophia Augustine & Cécile Tang. They are joined by 2 returning fellows: Raquel Scott (Summer 2021) & Katalina Su (Fall 2022). ABOUT THE INTERN PROGRAM Harlem Capital’s internship is a 10-week program that occurs 3 times per
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s Summer 2023 Interns](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-summer-2023-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Please join us in welcoming our Summer Intern Class: Kenneth Brown, Priscilla Russo, Nina Prabhu, Frankie Lopez & Alison Montenegro. They are joined by fellow: Soumya Tejam (Fall 2021). ABOUT THE INTERN PROGRAM Harlem Capital’s internship is a 10-week program that occurs 3 times per year, with winter, summer, and fall cohorts.
- [Introducing the Harlem Capital Intern Yearbook](https://harlem.capital/introducing-the-harlem-capital-intern-yearbook/) - The internship program is one of the pillars of Harlem Capital that we are most proud of. We have been fortunate to work with over 130 interns, every one of them has left a mark on this firm, and they continue to do amazing things across the tech and investment landscape. We built this program
- [Inside Dorm Room Fund: How to Invest First in 8 Unicorns](https://harlem.capital/inside-dorm-room-fund-how-to-invest-first-in-8-unicorns/) - Winners Welcome Podcast, Episode 8 with Molly Fowler, Managing Founder of Lerer Hippeau. There is a version of venture capital that runs on pattern recognition built from years of deals, networks, and industry scar tissue. And then there is Dorm Room Fund. Molly Fowler has spent seven years at the helm of DRF, and her
- [Inside Lerer Hippeau: Why Consensus VC Is a Losing Game](https://harlem.capital/inside-lerer-hippeau-why-consensus-vc-is-a-losing-game/) - Winners Welcome Podcast, Episode 7 with Ben Lerer, Managing Founder of Lerer Hippeau. Ben Lerer has spent 15 years building one of New York's most important venture firms. He was a founder first, started investing by accident, and somewhere along the way turned Lerer Hippeau into a $1.4 billion franchise with 12 unicorns, 7 IPOs,
- [From Fellow to Full-Time: Akhila Thota Joins Harlem Capital as Senior Associate](https://harlem.capital/from-fellow-to-full-time-akhila-thota-joins-harlem-capital-as-senior-associate/) - June 8, 2026 – Harlem Capital is excited to welcome Akhila Thota to the team as Senior Associate. Akhila is not a new face around here, she spent time with HCP as an intern and twice as a Venture Fellow, contributing to sourcing, diligence, and portfolio support along the way, including hosting events that brought
- [Internship](https://harlem.capital/internship/) - Our Fall 2026 Internship applications are now open until June 24th.  Follow us at @harlemcapital on X, LinkedIn, and Instagram to learn about future opportunities. To keep up with all things HCP subscribe to our newsletter: harlemcapital.substack.com.
- [Our 26th Class: Meet Harlem Capital’s Summer 2026 Interns](https://harlem.capital/our-26th-class-meet-harlem-capitals-summer-2026-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Today, we’re excited to welcome our Summer 2026 Intern Class. What started in 2018 as a small, early experiment has grown into one of the most meaningful and enduring parts of Harlem Capital. Twenty-six cohorts later, the intern program is not only a pipeline into venture capital, but a training ground for
- [Inside Espa AI: How Deon Nicholas Raised $115M to Build AI](https://harlem.capital/inside-espa-ai-how-deon-nicholas-raised-115m-to-build-ai/) - Winners Welcome Podcast, Episode 6 with Deon Nicholas, CEO and Founder of Espa AI. Deon Nicholas has been early to AI for as long as he can remember. In 2009, while still in high school in Edmonton, he interned at one of Canada's first AI labs, working on computer vision for cancer detection and teaching
- [Inside Replit: From Coding Tool to $9B AI Platform](https://harlem.capital/inside-replit-from-coding-tool-to-9b-ai-platform/) - Winners Welcome Podcast, Episode 5 with Aman Mathur, Product Lead at Replit. Software is being rebuilt in real time, and the people closest to that shift are seeing it happen faster than anyone expected. On this episode of the Winners Welcome Podcast, we sat down with Aman Mathur, product leader at Replit, to talk about
- [Inside Lava: Mitchell Jones on the Future of AI Payments](https://harlem.capital/inside-lava-mitchell-jones-on-the-future-of-ai-payments/) - Winners Welcome Podcast, Episode 4 with Mitchell Jones, Founder and CEO of Lava Payments. Most founder conversations focus on the win. This one starts with survival. In Episode 4 of the Winners Welcome Podcast, we sat down with Mitchell Jones, founder of Lava Payments and co-founder of Lendtable, for a conversation that moves from the
- [Inside Maven: What It Takes to Build a $1.7B Healthcare Company](https://harlem.capital/inside-maven-what-it-takes-to-build-a-1-7b-healthcare-company/) - Winners Welcome Podcast, Episode 3 with Kate Ryder, Founder and CEO of Maven Clinic. When Kate Ryder started Maven, women's and family health was not the category it is today. There were no unicorns in the space, no clear playbook for building a virtual clinic at scale, and very little appetite from the broader market
- [Inside Cadre: What It Takes to Modernize a $20T Industry](https://harlem.capital/inside-cadre-what-it-takes-to-modernize-a-20t-industry/) - Winners Welcome Podcast, Episode 2 with Ryan Williams, CEO and Founder of Cadre. Most founders talk about disruption. Ryan Williams actually did it, and he picked one of the hardest industries in the world to do it in. In the second episode of the Winners Welcome Podcast, we sit down with Ryan Williams, Co-Founder of
- [Inside Google Ventures: $13B VC Fund's Consumer AI Strategy](https://harlem.capital/inside-google-ventures-13b-vc-funds-consumer-ai-strategy/) - Winners Welcome Podcast, Episode 1 with KJ Sidberry, Partner at Google Ventures There's a moment in every technology cycle when the conversation shifts from infrastructure to experience. From what's being built to what people actually want to use. KJ Sidberry believes we're standing in that moment right now, and consumer is about to feel it
- [The Age of Intelligent Commerce: The Future of How We Buy](https://harlem.capital/the-age-of-intelligent-commerce-the-future-of-how-we-buy/) - By Gabby Cazeau, Partner How AI is ushering in a new era of commerce and the investment opportunities we see ahead. It’s hard to believe that a category as innovative as ecommerce is having its own before and after moment: before ChatGPT and after ChatGPT. In this new era of LLMs, traditional ecommerce can’t keep pace with
- [The Era of Intelligent Commerce](https://harlem.capital/the-era-of-intelligent-commerce/) - By Gabby Cazeau, Partner This weekend I started helping my friend plan a baby shower. Honestly, I’ve only ever been to one, and while I would love to copy exactly how the first one went, I figured I should be a bit more creative. So of course, I went to ChatGPT, then Claude, then Gemini,
- [Your Customer is Now Your Competitor](https://harlem.capital/your-customer-is-now-your-competitor/) - By Gabby Cazeau, Partner In business school, they teach you that your competitors are incumbents, emerging players, and inertia. Founders and VCs have learned how to deal with each: Incumbents: Outperform them Emerging players: Outcompete them Inertia: Create enough momentum to replace the status quo But the playbook is changing. Today, your customer can be
- [Introducing the Winners Welcome Podcast: Real Conversations with Generational Builders](https://harlem.capital/introducing-the-winners-welcome-podcast-real-conversations-with-generational-builders/) - As part of Harlem Capital’s All Winners Welcome launch, we’re excited to introduce the Winners Welcome Podcast, a new conversation series spotlighting the people building generational companies from the ground up. At Harlem Capital, we’ve always believed that winners aren’t defined by hype or headlines. They’re defined by conviction, standards, and the discipline to keep
- [Introducing Harlem Capital’s Next Chapter: All Winners Welcome](https://harlem.capital/introducing-harlem-capitals-next-chapter-all-winners-welcome/) - When we started Harlem Capital back in 2015, we didn’t set out to simply invest in startups. We set out to change who gets to win. Ten years later, Harlem Capital has become one of the most recognized early-stage venture firms in the world. We back founders who are building the future of technology and
- [Our Pitch to Founders](https://harlem.capital/hcp-overview/) - Given how many pitches we see from founders, we think it's only fair to share our pitch to founders with you!
- [Our 25th Class: Meet Harlem Capital’s Winter 2026 Interns](https://harlem.capital/our-25th-class-meet-harlem-capitals-winter-2026-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Today, we’re excited to welcome our Winter 2026 Intern Class and to mark an important milestone for our firm: our 25th intern cohort. What started in 2018 as a small, early experiment has grown into one of the most meaningful and enduring parts of Harlem Capital. Twenty-five cohorts later, the intern program
- [A Day in the Life with Henri Pierre-Jacques](https://harlem.capital/a-day-in-the-life-with-henri-pierre-jacques/) - If you have ever met Henri Pierre-Jacques, Harlem Capital’s Managing Partner, you know he runs Harlem Capital with the same energy he brings to the rest of his life: intentionality, consistency, and full of purpose. He started the firm with friends Jarrid Tingle and Brandon Bryant in a small Harlem apartment, and today it has
- [Why We're Investing in AccessGrid](https://harlem.capital/why-were-investing-in-accessgrid/) - AccessGrid: The API Powering the Future of Digital Access Harlem Capital is proud to back AccessGrid, the Miami-based startup building the API layer for secure, wallet-based access around the world. AccessGrid raised $4.4 million from Harlem Capital, Spice Capital, Exceptional Capital, CEAS Investments, Ex Ante, Third Sphere, and HF0, among others. The round will support
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s Fall 2025 Interns](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-fall-2025-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Please join us in welcoming our Fall Intern Class: Akhila Thota, Morgan Harlan, Catherine Palekar, Anika Chebrolu, Tosin Yeku and Karla Beltran. ABOUT THE INTERN PROGRAM Harlem Capital’s internship is a 10-week program that occurs 3 times per year, with winter, summer and fall cohorts. Each cohort consists of 6 interns and
- [Harlem Capital AGM & Homecoming 2025: Where Wins Meet Purpose](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-agm-homecoming-2025-where-wins-meet-purpose/) - Each year, Harlem Capital brings our community together through two cornerstone events: our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Harlem Capital Homecoming. Our AGM is where we reflect on the year’s wins and share firm updates and insights with our investors. Harlem Capital Homecoming is where we reconnect with our portfolio company founders, facilitate conversations that
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s Summer 2025 Interns and the Launch of Intern Program 2.0](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-summer-2025-interns-and-the-launch-of-intern-program-2-0/) - Harlem Capital Community, Please join us in welcoming our Summer Intern Class: Sharon Casalino, Brianna Zuniga, Seong Yoon, Richard Wilson, Mary Aidan Hanrahan and Audrey Ajakaye. ABOUT THE INTERN PROGRAM Harlem Capital’s internship is a 10-week program that occurs 3 times per year, with winter, summer and fall cohorts. Each cohort consists of 6 interns
- [Pitch Like a Winner: Building a Deck That Stands Out](https://harlem.capital/pitch-like-a-winner-building-a-deck-that-stands-out/) - If you're a founder looking to raise capital, here is the hard truth: most VCs are flooded with pitch decks every single day. At Harlem Capital, we've reviewed hundreds, and what sets a great one apart is not fancy design or flashy buzzwords. Focus on telling your story with clarity. Whether you’re meeting an investor
- [Ponte Raises $3M Seed to Connect Hispanic Immigrant Workers with Employers Amid Labor Shortage](https://harlem.capital/ponte-raises-3m-seed-to-connect-hispanic-immigrant-workers-with-employers-amid-labor-shortage/) - The U.S. labor market is facing an unprecedented challenge – more than eight million unfilled jobs and a dwindling supply of workers. Meanwhile, the Hispanic community is expected to drive over 80% of net new workforce growth this decade, yet no major hiring solutions have been designed specifically for this demographic. Enter Ponte Labor, a
- [Power 550: The Black and Latino Venture Capitalists You Should Know](https://harlem.capital/power-550-the-black-latino-venture-capitalists-you-should-know/) - By Ricardo Matias, Marini Bacal, & Jorge Guajardo (Fall ‘24 Intern) We just dropped Harlem Capital’s 2024 Diverse VC Report and the numbers tell a powerful story. At Harlem Capital, we believe diverse checkwriters drive real change. For the last seven years, we’ve tracked Black and Latino investors shaping the VC landscape and fueling underrepresented
- [1,338 Black and Latino Startups That Have Raised $1M+ in VC Funding ($52.3B Total)](https://harlem.capital/1338-black-and-latino-startups-that-have-raised-1m-in-vc-funding-52-3b-total/) - By Nicole DeTommaso and Arjun Dundoo (Winter ‘25 Intern) We just released Harlem Capital’s 2024 Diverse Founder Report. At Harlem Capital, we believe in the power of bold ideas, relentless ambition, and the courage to build against all odds. We are deeply committed to being a fund for exceptional, diverse founders reshaping industries and rewriting
- [Building Products People Love: Smarter, Simpler Insurance with Fintary and Wagmo](https://harlem.capital/building-products-people-love-smarter-simpler-insurance-with-fintary-wagmo/) - By Melody Hahm and Samantha Preston The insurance industry has long struggled with inefficiencies – outdated processes, complex financial operations, and frustrating customer experiences. Founders like Qiyun Cai of Fintary and Christie Horvath of Wagmo are reshaping the space, bringing cutting-edge technology and customer-first solutions to an industry that desperately needs innovation. Fintary is streamlining
- [Meet The 2018 Fall Intern Class at Harlem Capital](https://harlem.capital/meet-the-2018-fall-intern-class-at-harlem-capital-26bcb7b5b25d/) - We are excited to announce Harlem Capital’s 2018 Fall Intern Cohort. This is our third intern class and we feel very honored to have had 15 interns to date join the HCP family. Our additional teammates have enabled us to scale exponentially faster and they challenge us in new ways. Often times we forget that
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s Winter 2025 Interns](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-winter-2025-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Please join us in welcoming our Winter Intern Class: Ayinde Castro, Joseph Bykov, Dawit Wondimagegn, Natalie Ho, Paola Correa, and Arjun Dundoo. They are joined by 1 returning fellow: Chelsea Hamlet (Fall 2024). ABOUT THE INTERN PROGRAM Harlem Capital’s internship is a 10-week program that occurs 3 times per year, with winter,
- [From Now to Next: 4 Investment Opportunities with Gen Z’s Growing Power & Status](https://harlem.capital/from-now-to-next-4-investment-opportunities-with-gen-zs-growing-power-status/) - By Alivia Jiang (2024 Fellow) with Jarrid Tingle By 2030, Generation Z – defined as those born between 1997 and 2012 – will make up 30% of the workforce. The proliferation of social media and the COVID-19 pandemic have made Gen Z a uniquely adaptive and digitally native generation. These, among other reasons, have led
- [The Harlem Capital Syllabus: A Primer on Venture Capital](https://harlem.capital/the-harlem-capital-syllabus-a-primer-on-venture-capital/) - Looking to learn more about venture capital? Let the Harlem Capital VC Syllabus be your guide. The Harlem Capital Syllabus is a one-stop shop to get up to speed on venture, fundraising, and building startups. Since Harlem Capital’s inception, the syllabus has been the cornerstone of our Internship program. As we work toward our mission
- [Diving Deep into AI in B2B SaaS Companies](https://harlem.capital/diving-deep-into-ai-in-b2b-saas-companies/) - By Summer 2024 Intern Megha Agarwal & Partner Brandon Bryant As artificial intelligence continues to revolutionize various sectors, its impact on B2B software-as-a-service (SaaS) is particularly noteworthy. The rapid advancements in AI technologies, especially in generative AI, have unlocked unprecedented opportunities for businesses to enhance both internal operations and customer-facing services. From automating repetitive tasks
- [Winds of Change: Disrupting the Incumbents](https://harlem.capital/winds-of-change-disrupting-the-incumbents/) - By 2024 Fellow Amir Williams & Partner Jarrid Tingle In the ever-evolving tech world, the landscape shifts in the blink of an eye. While industry giants often dominate with their market share and resources, they can be surprisingly vulnerable to the winds of change. This is the thrilling arena of incumbent disruption, where nimble startups
- [A Week in the Life of an HCP Intern](https://harlem.capital/a-week-in-the-life-of-an-hcp-intern-2024/) - By Valeria Vinas The thought of working in venture capital can be both exciting and daunting. On one hand, it’s fascinating to evaluate early-stage companies, see their potential, and support them as they grow. But it's also well established that venture capital is a difficult industry to find a full-time role in, which can be
- [Enterprise Vertical SaaS: Lessons from the Titans](https://harlem.capital/enterprise-vertical-saas-lessons-from-the-titans/) - By Partner Gabby Cazeau and HCP Fall 2024 Fellow Alivia Jiang Harlem Capital has had a long-standing conviction in Vertical Software, and we believe it’s an exciting and high-growth area for the future. Our first piece on Vertical SaaS, The Future of Software is Vertical, shared our view and insights from our portfolio. Our most
- [Ricardo Matias Joins Harlem Capital as Senior Associate: A New Era of Growth](https://harlem.capital/ricardo-matias-joins-harlem-capital-as-senior-associate-a-new-era-of-growth/) - September 18, 2024 – Harlem Capital is thrilled to announce that Ricardo Matias has joined the firm as Senior Associate. With a strong background in management consulting and nonprofit leadership, Ricardo brings a deep commitment to empowering underrepresented founders and investors. In his new role, he will focus on sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities, supporting
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s Fall 2024 Interns](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-fall-2024-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Please join us in welcoming our Fall Intern Class: Jorge Guajardo, Paulina Linares, Anissa Lee, Samantha Preston , and Chelsea Hamlet. They are joined by 2 returning fellows: Amir Williams (Summer 2024) and Alivia Jiang (Summer 2024). ABOUT THE INTERN PROGRAM Harlem Capital’s internship is a 10-week program that occurs 3 times
- [Are You Best in Class?](https://harlem.capital/are-you-best-in-class/) - By Harlem Capital Partner Gabby Cazeau Is your company best in class? This is the fundamental question investors are asking when they evaluate your company. One of the biggest reasons for not investing in a company is the opportunity cost. Investors can’t back every great company we meet, so we want to build conviction and
- [Unlocking Efficiency: How Executive Assistants Supercharge VC Teams](https://harlem.capital/unlocking-efficiency-how-executive-assistants-supercharge-vc-teams/) - By Marini Bacal In the fast-paced world of venture capital, time is money. Efficient time management is crucial in the high stakes environment we operate in. At Harlem Capital, we've come to recognize the role that Executive Assistants play in driving success, and we aim to shed light on why VCs should embrace this vital
- [TestParty Cracks the Code to Redefine Digital Inclusion](https://harlem.capital/testparty-cracks-the-code-to-redefine-digital-inclusion/) - By Melody Hahm & Henri Pierre-Jacques TestParty is an innovative AI-enabled digital accessibility compliance platform. Today, we're excited to announce that we're co-leading the company's $4 million seed round with the Urban Innovation Fund. Participating investors include K. Ventures, Soma Capital, and The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR), among others.
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s Summer 2024 Interns](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-summer-2024-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Please join us in welcoming our Summer Intern Class: Reade Rossman, Alivia Jiang, Dimitri Henry, Megha Agarwal, Amir Williams and Valeria Vinas. They are joined by 1 returning fellow: Nikolas Ortega (Winter 2024). ABOUT THE INTERN PROGRAM Harlem Capital’s internship is a 10-week program that occurs 3 times per year, with winter,
- [The Harlem Capital Effect: A Glimpse at HCP's 5 Years of Impact](https://harlem.capital/the-harlem-capital-effect-a-glimpse-at-hcps-five-years-of-impact/) - By HCP Principal Nicole DeTommaso & Fellow Sophia Escagedo Harlem Capital (HCP) is on a mission to invest in 1,000 diverse founders over 20 years. Since 2018, we have raised 2 funds and made 60 investments - we are just getting started in changing the face of entrepreneurship. As we continue to set goals as
- [Industry Spotlight: AI for Manufacturing Software](https://harlem.capital/ai-in-manufacturing-software/) - By Daniel Owen Rodriguez (Fall 2023 Intern) and Partner Gabby Cazeau The manufacturing sector hasn’t had it easy lately. In recent years the industry has faced several challenges due to geopolitical uncertainty, wars, supply chain disruptions, changing consumer preferences, and increasing regulatory scrutiny. These shocks have shown the need for innovation and catalyzed a mindset
- [Unlocking the Power of Media: Harlem Capital's #MoreEquity Media Masterminds Podcast Series](https://harlem.capital/unlocking-the-power-of-media-harlem-capitals-moreequity-media-masterminds-podcast-series/) - In the dynamic landscape of venture capital, the convergence of media and brand building has emerged as the key factor in shaping success. The Media Masterminds podcast series, hosted by Nicole DeTommaso. latest addition to our #MoreEquity Podcast. In an era where startups and venture capital firms alike thrive or falter based on their online
- [Lessons for Vertical SaaS Startups from the Public Market](https://harlem.capital/lessons-for-vertical-saas-startups-from-the-public-market/) - By Gabby Cazeau (Partner) & Jon Diakanwa (Intern) Last year, we published our report, The Future of Software is Vertical, highlighting the rise of vertical software and how it’s become core to our investment focus at Harlem Capital. Vertical software is software tailored to specific niche industries. As we work with and invest in vertical
- [What Are VCs Really Looking For Right Now?](https://harlem.capital/what-are-vcs-really-looking-for-right-now/) - By Partner Gabby Cazeau A lot has changed in the world since we wrote “What are VCs Really Looking for” in May 2020. There’s been a boom and bust in the tech market, mass upheaval, and VC funding has slowed down in the last few years. At Harlem Capital, we’ve weathered those storms and grown
- [1,257 Black and Latino Startups Have Raised $1M+ in VC Funding](https://harlem.capital/1256-black-and-latino-startups-that-have-raised-1m-in-vc-funding-48-3b-total/) - By Nicole DeTommaso and Savannah Green (Winter ‘24 Intern) We just released Harlem Capital’s 2023 Diverse Founder Report. In 2017, HCP started compiling a list of Black and Latino founders who had raised $1M+ of VC funding as there wasn’t any aggregated list online. We simply wanted to know who the top diverse founders were
- [The Power of Propense: The Future of Cross-Selling](https://harlem.capital/the-power-of-propense-the-future-of-cross-selling/) - By Henri Pierre-Jacques, Gabby Cazeau and Melody Hahm Companies struggle to identify and target cross-selling opportunities, resulting in missed revenue and lost business, leaving money on the table. Individual contributors at a firm perform a specific set of tasks, and frankly do a lackluster job selling all the other things the organization can do for
- [More Equity Podcast: Amy Spurling of Compt](https://harlem.capital/more-equity-podcast-amy-spurling-of-compt/) - Part 2 of the Female Founders Series featuring Amy Spurling of Compt, Harlem Capital company. In today’s candidate-driven hiring market, it has never been more important for companies to differentiate themselves by more than just their base salary. Nearly 80% of employees would prefer new or additional benefits as opposed to a pay increase. Though
- [Unicorns of Unicorns: A look at the 38 Black and Latino Founded Unicorns](https://harlem.capital/unicorns-of-unicorns-a-look-at-the-38-black-and-latino-founded-unicorns/) - By Henri Pierre-Jacques (Managing Partner) and Sophia Escagedo (Fall Intern 2023) What is this report? Since 2013, approximately 1,000 companies have minted as Unicorns in the US. Of those 1,000, 38 of them, or 3.8%, are Black or Latino founded. This compares to Black and Latino companies representing ~3.0% of VC funded companies. They are
- [The HCP Platform Hits New Heights: Melody Hahm’s Promotion to Director](https://harlem.capital/the-hcp-platform-hits-new-heights-melody-hahms-promotion-to-director/) - We’re delighted to usher in the new year with an exciting announcement – the promotion of Melody Hahm to Director of Platform and Community. Melody is a dynamic and integral member of the Harlem Capital team. Since joining in summer 2021, she has exemplified a unique blend of strategic thinking, brand-building prowess, and deep curiosity
- [The Next Era of Compliance](https://harlem.capital/the-next-era-of-compliance/) - When you think of "compliance," you might associate it with words like "slow," "barrier," and "hoops to jump through." It's often seen as something that can hold you back from pursuing your goals, almost like a visit to the principal's office in the business world. In highly regulated industries, though, it's undeniably one of the
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s Winter 2024 Interns](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-winter-2024-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Please join us in welcoming our Winter Intern Class: Austin Cai, Rhea Bhammer, Nikolas Ortega, Savannah Green, Megan McHugh and Jon Diakanwa. They are joined by 2 returning fellows: Sophia Escagedo (Fall 2023) & Semra Ezedin (Fall 2023). ABOUT THE INTERN PROGRAM Harlem Capital’s internship is a 10-week program that occurs 3
- [Who are the diverse founders in Generative AI?](https://harlem.capital/who-are-the-diverse-founders-in-generative-ai/) - See the 138 Black, Asian, Latino & Women founders who raised $1M+ for their Generative AI companies from 2012-2023 By Gabby Cazeau (Partner) and Nina Prabhu (Summer Intern 2023) One of our core values at Harlem Capital is data drives decisions. Since 2018, we have been publishing different reports focused on the state of diversity
- [Generative AI: The VC Landscape](https://harlem.capital/generative-ai-the-vc-landscape/) - Although the pace of VC funding has slowed in 2023, the race to innovate in artificial intelligence is only starting to heat up. Venture activity in the AI space has witnessed remarkable growth, particularly in Generative AI, which has attracted significant attention from investors. Startups in the field have received a substantial amount of funding,
- [The Future of Software is Vertical](https://harlem.capital/the-future-of-software-is-vertical/) - By Harlem Capital Partner Brandon Bryant Twelve years ago, Marc Andreessen penned his groundbreaking essay, 'Software is Eating the World.' In it, Marc harped about a seismic economic shift, predicting that software companies would soon dominate vast swaths of our economy and disrupt industries at an unprecedented scale. He was right, with his focus primarily
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s Fall 2023 Interns](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-fall-2023-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Please join us in welcoming our Fall Intern Class: Xavier Nonez, Daniel Owen Rodriguez, Sophia Escagedo, Nwai Alfa, Lucas Miranda, and Semra Ezedin. ABOUT THE INTERN PROGRAM Harlem Capital’s internship is a 10-week program that occurs 3 times per year, with winter, summer, and fall cohorts. Each cohort consists of 6 interns
- [Latino History in VC](https://harlem.capital/hcp-latino-history-in-vc/) - By HCP Principal Nicole DeTommaso & Alison Montenegro (Summer 2023 Intern) In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we wanted to highlight Latino-founded venture capital firms over the years. We hope to bring awareness to the challenges that Latino venture capitalists have faced and celebrate their triumphs that have blazed the path for the progress made
- [Apply to Harlem Capital’s Founder Launchpad!](https://harlem.capital/apply-to-harlem-capitals-founder-launchpad/) - The Harlem Capital team is building upon their experience as early-stage investors and expertise in crafting the most robust and diverse VC internship program to bring intentional community to high-performing operators. Applications are open through September 7, 2023 APPLY HERE In late 2015 the founders of Harlem Capital set out to invest in underrepresented entrepreneurs
- [Apply to Harlem Capital’s 1st Founder Launchpad!](https://harlem.capital/apply-to-harlem-capitals-1st-founder-launchpad/) - The Harlem Capital team is building upon their experience as early-stage investors and expertise crafting the most robust and diverse VC internship program to bring intentional community to high performing operators. Applications are open through May 2, 2023 - APPLY HERE In late 2015 the founders of Harlem Capital set out to invest in underrepresented
- [First 90 Days After your Seed Round - Part 2](https://harlem.capital/first-90-days-after-your-seed-round-part-2/) - By Harlem Capital Partner Gabby Cazeau The first 90 days after closing your seed round is a critical time to set the stage for your startups success. In our last blog post, we shared the first 3 things to do with your investors after closing your seed Round. Check it out here. Now we’ll cover
- [First 90 Days After your Seed Round - Part 1](https://harlem.capital/first-90-days-after-your-seed-round-part-1/) - By Harlem Capital Partner Gabby Cazeau Congrats! You’ve just closed your Seed round and ended the fundraising process. But the secret is that closing the round is really just the beginning where the real work begins. Founders underestimate how important the 90 days post-close are for building a strong foundation for your relationship with your
- [5 Key Learnings We Shared At Our First Annual Meeting](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capitals-first-annual-general-meeting-milestones-metrics/) - Harlem Capital hosted our first-ever AGM – a common acronym in finance. What is a VC’s annual general meeting? And why is it one of the most important events we’ll have all year? Watch our recap video here: What is an Annual Meeting? A VC annual meeting is when VCs have a formal meeting with
- [Elevating Excellence: Announcing Harlem Capital’s Promotions](https://harlem.capital/elevating-excellence-announcing-harlem-capitals-promotions/) - We have exciting news today at Harlem Capital as we proudly announce the promotions of Gabby Cazeau to Partner and Nicole DeTommaso to Principal. Paving the Partner Path Gabby Cazeau is a trailblazer who launched her remarkable journey in VC when she joined Harlem Capital’s first intern class in Spring 2018 and joined full time
- [Thank you for attending Harlem Capital’s 2023 Annual General Meeting!](https://harlem.capital/2023-meeting-aws/)
- [Lessons From Diverse Founders Who Have Raised a Series A](https://harlem.capital/lessons-from-diverse-founders-who-have-raised-a-series-a/) - Since the fund’s inception in 2015, Harlem Capital has invested in 50+ companies across 15+ cities and 3 countries. We know that our job as investors doesn’t stop when we write a check. We are supporters of the founders from incubation to exit, but one of the larger early milestones is raising the Series A.
- [Power 300+: Black & Latino Venture Capitalists That You Should Know](https://harlem.capital/power-300-black-latino-venture-capitalists-that-you-should-know/) - What Is This? At Harlem Capital, we believe that a significant change in diverse founders will not happen until there are more diverse investors in decision-making roles. As a result, it is imperative that we consistently track the data supporting diversity in the venture capital community. We believe that the increase we saw in diverse
- [892 Women Founded Startups Have Raised $1M+ in VC Funding in 2022 ($17.9B Total)](https://harlem.capital/892-women-founded-startups-have-raised-1m-in-vc-funding-in-2022-17-9b-total-2/) - By Gabby Cazeau and Gitika Pahwa (Winter Intern 2023) We just released Harlem Capital’s 2022 Women Founder Report. As a fund that focuses on investing in women founders, we wanted to dive into the data to better understand the funding landscape for women founders in 2022. How much did women founders raise in 2022? This
- [892 Women Founded Startups Have Raised $1M+ in VC Funding in 2022 ($17.9B Total)](https://harlem.capital/892-women-founded-startups-have-raised-1m-in-vc-funding-in-2022-17-9b-total/) - By Gabby Cazeau and Gitika Pahwa (Winter Intern 2023) We just released Harlem Capital’s 2022 Women Founder Report. As a fund that focuses on investing in women founders, we wanted to dive into the data to better understand the funding landscape for women founders in 2022. How much did women founders raise in 2022? This
- [What I Wish I Knew: Founder to Founder](https://harlem.capital/what-i-wish-i-knew-founder-to-founder/) - By Harlem Capital Principal Gabby Cazeau Hindsight is always 20/20. And while there are some painful lessons that we all have to go through to learn, there are others that we can avoid by learning from people who’ve gone there before us. I meet a lot of tech operators bravely taking the jump to being
- [1,128 Black and Latino Startups Have Raised $1M+ in VC Funding ($43.7B Total)](https://harlem.capital/1128-black-and-latino-startups-have-raised-1m-in-vc-funding-43-7b-total-the-return-to-the-mean/) - "The Return to the Mean" By Harlem Capital's Nicole DeTommaso (Senior Associate) and Daniel Paredes (Winter Intern 2023) We just released Harlem Capital’s 2022 Diverse Founder Report in partnership with Crunchbase for the second year in a row. In 2017, HCP started compiling a list of Black and Latino founders who had raised $1M of
- [Black History in VC](https://harlem.capital/black-history-in-vc/) - By Jarrid Tingle and Tori Orr In honor of Black History Month, we wanted to highlight Black founded venture capital firms from 1970 through 2019. We hope to bring awareness to the challenges that Black venture capitalists have faced and celebrate their triumphs that have paved the way for the progress made in recent years.
- [Top 4 Tips for Starting a VC Fund](https://harlem.capital/top-tips-starting-vc-fund/) - By Gabby Cazeau and Melody Hahm So you want to start a VC fund? We know from our journey at Harlem Capital that there aren't many resources for emerging VC managers. It’s hard to get answers to questions like: How do you fundraise? How do you find your first LPs? How do you start investing?
- [The Harlem Capital Team’s Personal Mission Statements](https://harlem.capital/the-harlem-capital-teams-personal-mission-statements/) - By Melody Hahm Harlem Capital is a venture capital firm on a mission to change the face of entrepreneurship by investing in 1,000 diverse founders over 20 years. It’s a mission we’re proud of and view as our north star every day. Our firm also has seven core values: over-communicate, process is religion, data drives
- [Harlem Capital's 2022 Year in Review](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capitals-2022-year-in-review/) - By Melody Hahm and Gabby Cazeau 2022 was quite the year and kept the Harlem Capital team incredibly busy. Before we embark on a fresh 2023, we wanted to look back on the year that was for our team, founders, and community! After all, in order to look ahead, we must first reflect on what
- [How are Black & Latina Women Investors Breaking into VC?](https://harlem.capital/how-are-black-latina-women-investors-breaking-into-vc/) - See how 204 Black & Latina women broke barriers entering the industry Breaking into venture capital is notoriously difficult, a foot in the door requires a precarious combination of experience, connections, and timing. But the odds are especially stacked against diverse women. Despite these odds, they’ve gone on to establish their own funds and create
- [Pay Me in Equity](https://harlem.capital/pay-me-in-equity/) - One big red flag I see in potential investments: Having women co-founders in the pitch deck but NOT treated as co-founders on the cap table with meaningful equity. Cap tables speak volumes. They reflect value and your team values. Having fair ownership in the business should be table stakes for anyone who is willing to
- [Harlem Capital Homecoming 2022](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-homecoming-2022/) - Our founder retreat is a cornerstone of Harlem Capital. We hosted our second annual Harlem Homecoming in Dallas, Texas last month. The theme this year: The Road of Resilience. Amid a market downturn, inflationary pressures, and the arduous task of hiring and managing distributed teams, we programmed a two-day event filled with tactical and strategic
- [Picking Winners: What Top VCs Look For in Founders](https://harlem.capital/picking-winners/) - By Jarrid Tingle, Gabriela Forter (Summer Intern 2022), and Tonna Obaze When writing a check to a seed stage company, investors know that things may change along the way — the business, the product, maybe even the market. For this reason, many early-stage investors often mention “betting on founders” — the person behind the business.
- [Meet Harlem Capital's Fall 2022 Interns](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-fall-2022-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Please join us in welcoming our Fall Intern Class: Amaan Kulatunga, Catherine Zhao, Jordan Badia-Bellinger, Katalina Su, Max George & Mea-Lynn Wong. They are joined by 1 returning fellow: Ariana Linara (Winter 2022). About the Intern Program Harlem Capital’s internship is a 10-week program that occurs 3 times per year, with winter,
- [2Q22 U.S. Diverse Fundraising Insights Report](https://harlem.capital/2q22-u-s-diverse-fundraising-insights-report/) - By Nicole DeTommaso Our 2Q22 U.S. Diverse Fundraising Insights Report tracks the # and $ volume of capital raised by diverse founders across funding stages. We utilized Crunchbase’s Diversity Spotlight data as the source for our findings. Here are some meaningful insights we found: 1) 2Q22 saw 380 diverse fundraises totaling $7.9 billion of capital
- [2Q22 Diverse Fundraising Insights Report](https://harlem.capital/2q22-diverse-fundraising-insights-report/)
- [HCP’s Intern Legacy: Our Network Effect](https://harlem.capital/hcps-intern-legacy-our-network-effect/) - By Harlem Capital Principal Gabby Cazeau What is Harlem Capital’s secret sauce? Ask any team member and you’ll likely hear one resounding answer: our interns! Why? First, let me tell you a story: Our intern program had a simple start. Back in 2018, Harlem Capital was an angel syndicate with a big vision. The team
- [How To Be Recession Ready](https://harlem.capital/how-to-be-recession-ready/) - We presented this deck to our founders and wanted to also share with other founders. The market is changing rapidly and it’s important that founders are adapting to be prepared. Some Highlights:1/ Overview- Recessions are apart of the business cycle- Don’t underestimate the qualitative skills as a leader- No one knows what will happen 2/ What
- [Meet Harlem Capital's 2022 Summer Interns](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-2022-summer-interns/) - Harlem Capital Community, Please join us in welcoming our Summer Intern Class: Stephanie Saunderson, Jamie Woodard, Ricardo Matias, Gabriela Forter, Monique Malcolm-Hay & Helom Berhane. ABOUT THIS COHORT The 6 applicants were chosen from a pool of 1,177 applications, marking a 0.5% acceptance rate. This intern class has 3 MBA students and 3 full-time employees.
- [Why should we care about Web3?](https://harlem.capital/web3-primer/) - In case you missed it, Harlem Capital believes Web3 will generate outsized value that could be larger than what Web1 or Web2 have achieved. You may still be skeptical of Web3 or perhaps you want to take a deeper dive into the rabbit hole. To help make sense of the varying Web3 dimensions and exciting
- [1Q22 U.S. Diverse Fundraising Insights](https://harlem.capital/1q22-u-s-diverse-fundraising-insights/)
- [128 LATAM Women Founded Startups Raised $4B+ in 2021](https://harlem.capital/128-latam-women-founded-startups-raised-4b-in-2021/) - By Gabby Cazeau (Principal) with help from Zhenny Gong (Winter Intern 2022) 2021 was a remarkable year for startups in Latin America (LATAM). Venture funding poured into the region like never before and shattered all previous records. Harlem Capital started investing in LATAM in 2021. As we started to learn about the market, we wanted
- [Who are the diverse founders in Web3?](https://harlem.capital/who-are-the-diverse-founders-in-web3/) - See the 119 Black, Latino & Women founders who raised $1M+ for their Web3 companies from 2015-2021 By Nicole DeTommaso (Senior Associate) with help from Brandon Bryant (Partner) & Emily Herrera (Winter Intern 2022) One of our core values at Harlem Capital is Data Drives Decisions. Since 2018, we have been publishing various different reports
- [HCP Founder Spotlight – Malomo](https://harlem.capital/hcp-founder-spotlight-malomo/) - HCP introduced the Founder Spotlight Series in August 2021 to highlight our exceptional founders who are changing the face of entrepreneurship. Our Founder Spotlight series continues with Yaw Aning, Co-founder and CEO of Malomo. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Yaw shares the origin of Malomo, how his product has helped ecommerce
- [Harlem Capital’s Vision For Web3: Crypto in Color](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capitals-vision-for-web3-crypto-in-color/) - A guest post by our Partner Brandon Bryant For almost two decades, countless venture capital firms have invested close to $1 trillion into the internet. The first era of the internet (Web 1.0 or “Read Only”) was simple websites like Craigslist, Pets.com, and Google. These websites were static pages and were meant to be used
- [HCP Founder Spotlight – Chatdesk](https://harlem.capital/hcp-founder-spotlight-chatdesk/) - HCP introduced the Founder Spotlight Series in August 2021 to highlight our exceptional founders who are changing the face of entrepreneurship. Our Founder Spotlight series continues with Aneto Okonkwo, Co-Founder and CEO of Chatdesk. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Aneto takes us through his incredible journey starting Chatdesk, discusses their recent
- [HCP Founder Spotlight – Compt](https://harlem.capital/hcp-founder-spotlight-compt/) - HCP introduced the Founder Spotlight Series in August 2021 to highlight our exceptional founders who are changing the face of entrepreneurship. Today we feature Amy Spurling, Founder and CEO of Compt. Amy shares the catalyst for Compt, her view on the future of work, and invaluable advice for founders. This interview has been edited and condensed
- [870 Black and Latino Startups That Have Raised $1M+ of Venture](https://harlem.capital/870-black-and-latino-startups-that-have-raised-1m/) - By Ariana Christina Linara (Winter 2022), Darius Johnson (Fall 2021) and Henri Pierre-Jacques (Managing Partner) What’s This? At Harlem Capital, we believe data drives decisions so we are focused on tracking the pipeline of Black and Latino founders raising VC funding. We started tracking these startups with $1mm+ in funding four years ago and this
- [The Top 3 Reasons to Join An Early Stage Startup](https://harlem.capital/the-top-3-reasons-to-join-an-early-stage-startup/) - By Gabby Cazeau & Tonna Obaze We recently launched the Harlem Capital Portfolio Company Job Board — a one-stop destination to work with our portfolio companies as they grow. Through this portal, Harlem Capital reviews resume submissions from talented individuals and matches them with portfolio companies seeking new team members in various roles. As we
- [Digging deeper into diversity in VC](https://harlem.capital/digging-deeper-into-diversity-in-vc/) - What is this and why are we doing it? Following the death of George Floyd and the ensuing racial justice movement, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of diversity-focused and diverse-led funds in the United States. Now, a year after that monumental summer, we wanted to take the opportunity to showcase the
- [4Q21 U.S. Diverse Fundraising Insights](https://harlem.capital/4q21-u-s-diverse-fundraising-insights/)
- [How Does Seed Stage Fund Math Work?](https://harlem.capital/how-does-seed-stage-fund-math-work/) - A guest post by our Managing Partner, Henri Pierre-Jacques Now that I invest in funds, I’ve seen dozens of emerging manager decks and the fund model is one of the biggest decisions and misses that I see. VC is as much math as gut. Let’s get into it 1/ First you must decide which camp
- [A Day in the Life as a Harlem Capital Intern](https://harlem.capital/a-day-in-the-life-as-a-harlem-capital-intern/) - By Jailany Thiaw (Fall 2021) Applying for a job or internship can be stressful already, but it is even more so when applying to roles in an industry as opaque as venture capital. That’s why at Harlem Capital we’re doing things differently. My name is Jailany Thiaw and I’m a 21-year-old undergrad at Princeton University
- [HCP 2022 Trend Watch 👀](https://harlem.capital/hcp-2022-trend-watch/) - New year, new energy. At this point, every year is set to reach ‘unprecedented’ heights and 2022 will be no different. We’re living through one of the most exciting and chaotic times in the history of tech and venture capital. From the rise of community-driven Web3 projects and the power of ecommerce to the globalization
- [MORE EQUITY Lightning Talks](https://harlem.capital/more-equity-lightning-talks/) - ⚡Harlem Capital is launching a six-part speaker series presented by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in partnership with Advancing Black Pathways. In honor of Black History Month, we are excited to announce MORE EQUITY Lightning Talks. This series features six prominent leaders discussing critical topics affecting diverse communities, ranging from resiliency and mental health to preserving
- [Meet Harlem Capital's 2022 Winter Intern Class](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capitals-2022-winter-intern-class/) - Harlem Capital Family, Please join us in welcoming our Winter Intern Class: Mariel Thompson, Ariana Linara, Kameron Hutchinson, Emily Herrera, Pallavi Hukerikar, & Zhenny Gong. They are joined by 2 fellows from our Fall 2021 intern class: Lizbeth Nunez & Sharlene Guiriba. ABOUT THIS COHORT The 6 applicants were chosen from a pool of 836
- [HCP Founder Spotlight - Sauce](https://harlem.capital/hcp-founder-spotlight-sauce/) - HCP is introducing the Founder Spotlight series to highlight our exceptional founders that are changing the face of entrepreneurship. To kick off the first Founder Spotlight, we are excited to introduce Colin Webb from Sauce. Colin takes us through his incredible journey behind starting Sauce and shares some insights on what’s next for the company. HCP:
- [HCP Founder Spotlight - Merri](https://harlem.capital/hcp-founder-spotlight-merri/) - HCP introduced the Founder Spotlight series in August 2021 to highlight our exceptional founders that are changing the face of entrepreneurship. We are continuing our series with Randi Bushell, Founder and CEO of Merri, a 3D visualization platform made for event planning. Randi takes us through her fascinating journey starting Merri and shares key insights
- [What’s all the talk about Ethereum?](https://harlem.capital/whats-all-the-talk-about-ethereum/) - When discussing blockchain, Ethereum comes up frequently along with Bitcoin. One could argue that Bitcoin has received most of the spotlight with ardent followers like Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk. However, it looks like it's ethereum’s time to shine. Ethereum is emerging as the blockchain that can support and run a myriad of evolving use
- [HCP Founder Spotlight – Stuf](https://harlem.capital/hcp-founder-spotlight-stuf/) - HCP introduced the Founder Spotlight series in August 2021 to highlight our exceptional founders who are changing the face of entrepreneurship. Our Founder Spotlight series continues with Katharine “Kat” Lau, Founder and CEO of Stuf. Kat takes us through her journey starting Stuf and shares some insights on what’s next for the company. HCP: What is
- [HCP Founder Spotlight – Singuli](https://harlem.capital/hcp-founder-spotlight-singuli/) - HCP introduced the Founder Spotlight series in August 2021 to highlight our exceptional founders who are changing the face of entrepreneurship. Our Founder Spotlight series continues with Benjamin “Ben” Kelly, Founder and CEO of Singuli. Ben takes us through his incredible journey starting Singuli and shares some insights on what’s next for the company. HCP:
- [Meet The 2021 Fall Intern Class at Harlem Capital](https://harlem.capital/meet-the-2021-fall-intern-class-at-harlem-capital/) - Harlem Capital Family, Please help us in welcoming our Fall Intern Class: Darius Johnson, Jailany Thiaw, Lizbeth Nunez, Orlando Gomez, Sharlene Guiriba, and Soumya Tejam. The 6 applicants were chosen from a pool of 635 applications, leading to a 0.9% acceptance rate. The applicants were 36% women and 51% Black and Latino/a. For the first
- [5 Fundraising Tips for Founders](https://harlem.capital/5-fundraising-tips-for-founders/) - “If you had only a moment, what would you say?” We were recently asked by the Anthemis Female Innovators Lab on the latest episode of Top 5 Tips for Female Founders about advice we would share with founders that are fundraising. In summary, our advice reduces to this: do everything you can to optimize your
- [Harlem Capital Announces New Hires: Platform Manager and Chief of Staff](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-announces-new-hires-platform-manager-and-chief-of-staff/) - Harlem Capital is on a mission to fund 1,000 diverse entrepreneurs over 20 years. Building a bridge of that scale and scope requires the ongoing expansion of our incredible team. Today we proudly announce the addition of two ambitious energizers who get us closer every day. Join us in welcoming: Melody Hahm, our Platform &
- [READ: 1H21 U.S. Diverse Fundraising Insights Report](https://harlem.capital/1h21-diverse-fundraising/) - Introducing our 1H21 U.S. Diverse Fundraising Insights Report, which tracks the # and $ volume of capital raised by diverse founders across funding stages. We utilized Crunchbase’s new Diversity Spotlight data as the source for our insights. Link to the full report. Some insights we found:1) 1H21 saw 900 diverse fundraises totaling $18 billion of capital raised
- [WATCH: Harlem Capital Juneteenth Event](https://harlem.capital/juneteenth/) - The Harlem Capital Juneteenth: Building Together event featured Managing Partner Jarrid Tingle in conversation with founders of Black led venture capital firms to celebrate the progress made on diversity in venture capital and look ahead to what’s next. Moderator: Mandela SH Dixon (Founder Gym) Panelists: Jarrid Tingle (Harlem Capital), Marlon C. Nichols (MaC Venture Capital),
- [Meet The 2021 Summer Intern Class at Harlem Capital - Fall Applications Open](https://harlem.capital/meet-the-2021-summer-intern-class-at-harlem-capital/) - Harlem Capital Family, Please help us in welcoming our Summer Intern Class: Amanda Irizarry, Amira Khatib, Derek Oliver, Gregorio Concha-Toro, Houston Rhodes and Raquel Scott. They are joined by 2 fellows from our Winter 2021 intern class: Abhi Pandya and Tonna Obaze. The 6 applicants were chosen from a pool of 980 applications, leading to
- [What We’ve Learned From 6,000 Harlem Capital Intern Applications](https://harlem.capital/what-weve-learned-from-6000-harlem-capital-intern-applications/) - Three years ago Harlem Capital launched a program that changed the trajectory of the firm: The HCP Intern Program. What started as a way to help the Partners diligence deals and conduct market research as they prepared to raise Fund I, has grown to 11 classes and 6,000 applicants. After 6,000 applicants, we wanted to
- [Meet Harlem Capital's Inaugural Angel Program Cohort](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capital-inaugural-angel-program-cohort/) - Harlem Capital Family, We are pleased to announce the very first Harlem Capital Angel Program Spring 2021 Cohort. Our inaugural class includes seven talented industry operators and founders beginning their journeys as angel investors. These professionals bring industry experience from technology, healthcare, social media, and finance, alongside educational training from top universities. Akshay Sriprasad (Google,
- [Harlem Capital is Hiring a Platform & Community Manager](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-is-hiring-a-platform-community-manager/) - We’re looking for a full-time Platform & Community Manager to join our team, remotely. Our Platform & Community Manager will play a central role at Harlem Capital, supporting the firm’s community engagement, operations, programming, and marketing. If you thrive in a start-up environment, are passionate about building community, enjoy wearing many hats, and are operationally
- [Harlem Capital’s $134 Million Fund II is Just the Beginning](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-134-million-fund/) - New York — March 31, 2021. Harlem Capital, a diversity-focused venture capital firm, announced today the closing of Harlem Capital Partners Venture Fund II, LP (“Fund II”) at $134 million. The fund was oversubscribed from its target of $100 million and above its initial cap of $125 million. Harlem Capital was founded in 2015 with
- [5 Lessons From 5 Years of Harlem Capital](https://harlem.capital/5-lessons-from-5-years-of-harlem-capital/) - December 2015 - A group of friends met in a Harlem living room for their first meeting as an angel syndicate. We had decided we would each invest $10,000 into startups. Little did we know we would end up each investing significantly more and creating our dream jobs. The past five years of Harlem Capital
- [Harlem Capital Intern Alumni Interview Series](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-intern-alumni-interview-series/) - Ever wonder what it is like to be an Intern or Fellow at Harlem Capital? Well, you’ve come to the right place. In this series, we interviewed six exceptional interns and fellows that have been part of the Harlem Capital family. Take a read through to learn about their journeys and how the Harlem Capital
- [10 Latino/a founded startups that have raised over $100mm](https://harlem.capital/10-latino-a-founded-startups-that-have-raised-over-100mm/) - Just because Latino/a Heritage Month has passed, doesn’t mean we stop highlighting the incredible work being done by Latino/as in tech. Latino/as represent the largest minority group in the US at over 18% of the population and are growing faster than any other demographic. Though the racial and gender disparity in funding continues to remind
- [Supply-Chain Tech in Ecommerce](https://harlem.capital/supply-chain-tech-in-ecommerce/) - Few things have brought the vulnerabilities of supply chains to the forefront of the consumer’s mind than the pandemic. What used to be a hidden process, where you didn’t notice it as long as it was working, is now a powerful differentiation tool as customers are brought along the journey of fulfillment through visibility into
- [Harlem Capital Elevates and Expands Investment Team](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-elevates-and-expands-investment-team/) - We have big news today at Harlem Capital as we proudly announce the promotions of three HCP investors - Brandon Bryant, Gabby Cazeau and Kelly Goldstein and we welcome our newest rising star Nicole DeTommaso. Celebrating Change Makers Defying the status quo since day one, Brandon Bryant has been walking-the-walk since he joined the firm
- [Power 250: Black & Latino Venture Capitalists You Should Know](https://harlem.capital/power-250-black-latino-venture-capitalists-you-should-know/) - What Is This? At Harlem Capital, we believe that a significant change in diverse founders will not happen until there are more diverse investors in decision making roles. As a result, it is imperative that we consistently track the data supporting diversity in the venture capital community. We believe that the increase we saw in
- [305 Black and Latino Founders Who Raised $1mm+ in VC Funding ($10.8bn Total)](https://harlem.capital/305-black-and-latino-founders-who-raised-1mm-in-vc-funding-10-8bn-total/) - What Is This? At Harlem Capital, we believe data drives decisions so we are focused on tracking the pipeline of Black and Latino founders raising VC funding. We started tracking those with $1mm+ in funding three years ago and this is our third Diverse Founder Report. It has been encouraging to see Crunchbase start tracking founders
- [What Are VCs Really Looking For in an Investment???](https://harlem.capital/what-are-vcs-really-looking-for-in-an-investment/) - One of the top questions that founders ask us is “What are you looking for in an investment?” This question should be simple, but is often complex and open-ended for venture capitalists. Most VC firms have general investment criteria, some publicly like ours and others internally. However, meeting that criteria likely doesn’t mean the VC firm will invest. Instead,
- [Apply to Harlem Capital’s 1st Angel Program Cohort!](https://harlem.capital/apply-to-harlem-capitals-1st-angel-program-cohort/) - In late 2015 the founders of Harlem Capital set out to invest in underrepresented entrepreneurs as a small angel syndicate. Since then the team has evolved into an institutional early-stage venture capital firm on a mission to invest in 1,000 diverse founders over the next 20 years. Throughout this journey we have had the privilege
- [Harlem Capital - 2020 Year in Review](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-2020-year-in-review/) - HCP Network, Happy New Year! We hope that you enjoyed the holidays and got some time off. 2020 was challenging on many levels so welcome to 2021, it is no small feat. We wanted to reflect on 2020 - see some highlights below. Deals Made 13 new investments, leading 9, and 4 follow-ons in 2020Had
- [Meet The 2021 Winter Intern Class at Harlem Capital](https://harlem.capital/meet-the-2021-winter-intern-class-at-harlem-capital/) - Harlem Capital Family, Please help us in welcoming our Winter Intern Class: Abhi Pandya, Adetayo Zenger, Amanda Gex, Devon Smith, Layla Alexander and Tonna Obaze. They are joined by 2 fellows from our Fall 2020 intern class: Hector Herrera and Payam Abbassian. The 6 applicants were chosen from a pool of 800 applications, leading to
- [Where Should You Start with Sales?](https://harlem.capital/where-should-you-start-with-sales/) - Sales, sales, sales. For first-time founders navigating sales can be a huge unknown, especially if you’ve never experienced it before in other roles. That uncertainty is challenging because your sales strategy directly impacts your entire business - from how you build and manage a customer pipeline to how quickly you can grow the business. We
- [Open for Business: Harlem Capital’s COVID-19 Response](https://harlem.capital/open-for-business-harlem-capitals-covid-19-response/) - TL;DR: 1) coming to terms with COVID-19, 2) how our portfolio companies are responding, 3) resources for entrepreneurs and investors Our thoughts and prayers are with medical professionals, essential workers, those who have lost their jobs, and those suffering from the virus and their families. 1) Coming to terms with COVID-19 Early-February: Harlem Capital started following
- [Can Your Start-up ‘Return The Fund?’](https://harlem.capital/can-your-startup-return-the-fund-6e233bd5c8b2/) - At Harlem Capital, one of our slogans is “Data Drives Decisions.” We are more data driven than most would expect for an early stage investor, which certainly stems from our finance backgrounds. We are also trying to remove biases that have historically led to a lack of diversity in venture. As a result, we want
- [Why are VCs OBSESSED with Software??](https://harlem.capital/why-are-vcs-obsessed-with-software/) - Marc Andreessen famously wrote, Why Software is Eating the World, almost exactly nine years ago. At the time, most had no idea what Marc was talking about. Even when we founded Harlem Capital (HCP), we wondered why so many of our venture conversations dropped the term “software.” We understood that software was powerful, but is a
- [Harlem Capital’s New Look](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capitals-new-look/) - New York, NY – September 8, 2020 In December 2015, Harlem Capital began as an angel network in Managing Partner Jarrid Tingle’s living room in Harlem, NY. The founding partners built Harlem Capital with intention to honor and embody its namesake. Around the globe, the city of Harlem symbolizes Black excellence, the Harlem Renaissance, and,
- [10 Quotes to Live By: Gems from Harlem Capital](https://harlem.capital/gems-from-harlem-capital/) - At Harlem Capital, we’ve been fortunate to meet billionaires, world class investors, incredible founders, and others at the top of their fields. We’ve learned so much from others since we started this journey in late 2015, but our learning accelerated exponentially during our fundraising journey in 2018-2019. This post shares the 10 most valuable “gems”
- [Introducing the Diversity Portal](https://harlem.capital/introducing-the-diversity-portal-eb1924f2fab8/) - It turns out, the hardest part about investing in women and minority entrepreneurs, has been finding women and minority entrepreneurs. We’re Harlem Capital Partners, a minority-owned venture firm on a mission to invest in 1,000 diverse founders over the next 20 years. We invest in founders from all backgrounds but reserve at least 50% of
- [Harlem Capital Invests In Beauty Bakerie — The Millennial-Forward Cosmetics Company](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-invests-in-beauty-bakerie-the-millennial-forward-cosmetics-company-2bf48221d22f/) - Harlem Capital is pleased to announce it’s investment in Beauty Bakerie — the millennial-forward and socially conscious cosmetics brand led by Cashmere Nicole. “We’re proud to have invested in such a dynamic and talented team that has a fresh perspective on the beauty industry” says Jarrid Tingle, Managing Partner at Harlem Capital. “The Beauty Bakerie team has
- [Top 3 Things We Learned At AfroTech This Year](https://harlem.capital/top-3-things-we-learned-at-afrotech-this-year-6a0240fec69f/) - Envision a room full of 2,000+ brilliant, black and brown faces from all different professional, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, mix in sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay Area from Pier 27 and add plenty of #blackgirlmagic and #blackboyjoy — and you have AfroTech: the premier tech conference for black millennials, hosted by Blavity. You’d be hard-pressed
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s 2018 Spring Intern Cohort](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capital-s-2018-spring-intern-cohort-b3af4380dff9/) - Dear Harlem Capital Family, We are pleased to announce Harlem Capital’s first ever Spring Intern cohort. We are well aware of how difficult it can be to #BreakIntoVC (nod to Bradley Miles), as this industry has tall barriers to entry. Thus, we felt a special responsibility as a diversity-focused venture firm to extend a first-hand
- [Harlem Capital Invests in Paladin — The Legal-Tech Startup for Social Justice](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-invests-in-paladin-the-legal-tech-startup-for-social-justice-a1b87d25ac39/) - Harlem Capital is pleased to announce its investment in Paladin — the legal-tech startup taking aim at making pro-bono services more efficient. The mission-driven team with two women at the helm, Felicity Conrad and Kristen Sonday, are passionate about helping to close the justice gap in the legal system. Lawyers have a responsibility to spend 50+ hours
- [Meet The 2018 Summer Intern Class at Harlem Capital](https://harlem.capital/meet-the-2018-summer-intern-class-at-harlem-capital-de637d424d44/) - Dear Harlem Capital Family, We are pleased to announce Harlem Capital’s 2018 Summer Intern Cohort. This intern class consists of a wide-array of cultural and professional backgrounds, from Senior Advisor at the Obama Administration, to fund analysts, to marketing professionals. HCP’s core-mission continues to attract bright talent on our road to funding 1,000 diverse founders.
- [Meet 105 Black & Latino Founders Who Raised $1mm+ in VC Funding ($2.7bn Total)](https://harlem.capital/meet-105-black-latino-founders-who-raised-1mm-in-vc-funding-2-7bn-total-54b5f40ae428/) - What Is This? At Harlem Capital, we are focused on investing in minority and women founders. One of the most underserved groups is Black and Latino founders and we wanted to map this ecosystem, but unfortunately most databases like Pitchbook and Crunchbase do not track by race. Therefore, we spent the past few months scraping articles,
- [Harlem Capital Invests in Aunt Flow’s $1.5MM Seed Round](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-invests-in-aunt-flows-1-5mm-seed-round/) - Harlem Capital is excited to announce our investment in Aunt Flow, a B2B feminine hygiene provider for enterprises, SMBs and schools. Aunt Flow is based in Columbus, Ohio and led by the CEO, Claire Coder. Claire founded the business in 2016 and has grown the business to dozens of large customers. “I had the opportunity to meet
- [Harlem Capital — 2018 Year in Review](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-2018-year-in-review-f8e224b216ba/) - Friends and Family of Harlem Capital, We wish you a Happy New Year and hope you had an enjoyable holiday season with your friends and family. The time has come to reflect on 2018. It’s been a transformative year for us in so many ways. From making our first investment as a fund to receiving
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s Winter 2019 Intern and Fellow Class — Spring Application Now Open](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capital-s-winter-2019-intern-and-fellow-class-spring-application-now-open-35593cafe44f/) - We are pleased to announce Harlem Capital’s winter intern class and first fellow class. This intern class has 5 graduate students, 1 undergraduate student, and 2 full-time employees. The students come from Harvard Business School, Wharton, Columbia Business School, Ross School of Business and Morehouse. The interns’ experiences include finance, entrepreneurship, tech, marketing and nonprofit.
- [Harlem Capital Invests in Sudu, an Atlanta Startup Disrupting the $700 Billion Trucking Industry](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-invests-in-sudu-an-atlanta-startup-disrupting-the-700-billion-trucking-industry-d2c6da8c861d/) - Harlem Capital is excited to announce its investment in Sudu, a marketplace that leverages machine learning and voice technology to connect small- and medium-sized trucking companies to large corporations that ship goods. The trucking market has historically been highly fragmented, 90% of which is comprised of small- and medium-sized carriers that deal with opaque and
- [Power 200: Black & Latinx Venture Capitalists You Should Know](https://harlem.capital/power-200-black-latinx-venture-capitalists-you-should-know-65f48f13ae66/) - What is this? At Harlem Capital, we remain focused on our mission to change the face of entrepreneurship by investing in 1,000 diverse founders over the next 20 years. We pursue this mission alongside a community of Black and Latinx venture capitalists who are breaking down barriers and increasing access to capital for minority founders
- [Meet Harlem Capital’s Spring 2019 Intern Class](https://harlem.capital/meet-harlem-capital-s-spring-2019-intern-class-8d55f523fb4e/) - Dear Harlem Capital Family, We are pleased to announce Harlem Capital’s 2019 Spring Intern Cohort. This intern class has 2 MBA students, 1 undergraduate student, and 2 full-time employees. The students come from Wharton, Tuck and Yale, while the employees come from Viacom and VICE. The interns’ experiences include consulting, finance and media. The applicants
- [Harlem Capital Invests in Moving Analytics, A Digital Cardiac Rehab Application](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-invests-in-moving-analytics-a-digital-cardiac-rehab-application/) - Harlem Capital is excited to announce its investment in Moving Analytics, a digital cardiac rehab program for patients who have experienced acute coronary events. Launched in 2013, Moving Analytics is based in Los Angeles and led by Co-Founders, Harsh Vathsangam and Ade Adesanya. Henri Pierre-Jacques, Managing Partner at Harlem Capital, met Ade in Summer of 2018
- [A Week in the Life of a Harlem Capital Intern](https://harlem.capital/a-week-in-the-life-of-a-harlem-capital-intern-4e433a3e0a5f/) - A few thoughts before we dive into the piece. First, our Fall part-time internship application is now open until June 26. The internship will be 10 weeks from early September to mid-November. Second, we have received various questions about our new talent partnership with KKR. We are fortunate to have hundreds of diverse applicants interested
- [Harlem Capital Interviews Atima Lui — Founder and CEO of NUDEST](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-interviews-atima-lui-founder-and-ceo-of-nudest-ee9d32f1dfdb/) - This interview is part 2 of Harlem Capital’s current series showcasing key lessons from the founder’s journey to build, grow, and fund their business. This interview is with Atima Lui, founder and CEO of NUDEST. Since its founding in 2012, NUDEST has been on a mission to redefine the standard of beauty worldwide to match
- [Harlem Capital Interviews Founders on Product, Pivots, and Scaling](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-interviews-founders-on-product-pivots-and-scaling-760d4c004646/) - Understanding your Customers Lesson 1: Identifying customer pain points will be an iterativeprocess that shapes your product’s journey Product is at the heart of a start-up. It’s often where and why entrepreneurs started in the first place. They began to build something that solved a problem they experienced, saw someone else struggle with, or identified
- [Harlem Capital Interviews Craig J.Lewis — CEO & Founder of Gig Wage](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-interviews-craig-j-lewis-ceo-founder-of-gig-wage-bc43f152e2ee/) - This interview is part of Harlem Capital’s current series showcasing key lessons from the founder’s journey to build, grow, and fund their business. This interview is with Craig J. Lewis, founder and CEO of Gig Wage. Since its founding in 2014, Gig Wage has supported thousands of gig workers and continues to power the future
- [Harlem Capital Invests in Jobble’s $11mm Series A Round](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-invests-in-jobbles-11mm-series-a-round/) - Harlem Capital is pleased to announce its investment in Jobble, a mobile/web marketplace that connects businesses to people looking for gigs and hourly work. Launched in 2017, Jobble is headquartered in Boston and led by Co-Founders, Zack Smith (CEO) and Corey Bober (VP of Sales). In July 2019, Jobble closed a $11.0mm Series A round led
- [Harlem Capital Invests in Wagmo, a Pet Wellness Company](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-invests-in-wagmo-a-pet-wellness-company-dcad5d090d06/) - Harlem Capital is excited to announce its investment in Wagmo, a pet wellness company that covers routine and preventive care for dogs and cats. Launched in 2017, Wagmo is based in New York and led by Christie Horvath. She became passionate about starting the company after receiving a $10,000 vet bill for her dog, Denver,
- [Harlem Capital Welcomes Gabby Cazeau to Investment Team](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-welcomes-gabby-cazeau-to-investment-team-c09d67834a16/) - Harlem Capital is excited to welcome Gabby Cazeau to its investment team. As a Senior Associate, Gabby will be spending her time sourcing and evaluating new investments, working with portfolio companies, and getting involved in the NYC venture ecosystem. The HCP team first met Gabby when she started working at the firm in Spring 2018
- [Harlem Capital Closes $40mm Inaugural Fund](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-closes-40mm-inaugural-fund/) - New York — December 2, 2019. Harlem Capital, a diversity-focused venture capital firm, today announced the closing of Harlem Capital Partners Venture Fund I, LP at $40.3mm (“Fund I”). The fund was oversubscribed from its target of $25.0mm and above its initial cap of $40.0mm. Established in December 2015, the firm was founded in a Harlem
- [Meet The 2020 Winter Intern Class at Harlem Capital](https://harlem.capital/meet-the-2020-winter-intern-class-at-harlem-capital-e88096095c2/) - Harlem Capital Family, We are pleased to announce Harlem Capital’s 2020 Winter Intern Class, our seventh. This intern class has 3 MBA students, 1 JD student, 1 undergraduate student, and 1 full-time employee. The students come from Columbia, Michigan, Harvard and Wharton, while the employee comes Microsoft. The interns’ experiences include finance, consulting, tech and
- [Harlem Capital Welcomes Kelly Goldstein to Investment Team](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-welcomes-kelly-goldstein-to-investment-team-fda83f9ddb4/) - Harlem Capital is excited to welcome Kelly Goldstein to its investment team. As a Senior Associate, Kelly will be dedicated to sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities, supporting portfolio companies, and engaging with fellow investors and entrepreneurs across the country. Kelly first met the HCP team in late 2018 after expressing interest in its internship program
- [Lifting the Diverse Investor Veil: Perspectives for Founders (Pt 1)](https://harlem.capital/lifting-the-diverse-investor-veil-perspectives-for-founders-pt-1-5e11235a6ee0/) - Last year, Harlem Capital released the Power 200: Black & Latinx Venture Capitalists You Should Knowreport highlighting Black and Latinx investors. The sample included 160 Black and 40 Latinx VCs, of which 122 are men and 78 are women, who work across 161 funds that have raised more than $50bn. Our main objective was to provide
- [Harlem Capital — 2019 Year in Review](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-2019-year-in-review-18c3fcfa435c/) - HCP Network, We had a busy January, but wanted to still update you on 2019 and give some insight to our 2020 plans. 2019 was truly a special year as we officially closed HCP Fund I at $40.3mm. It was an 18 month journey that taught us many lessons and we are excited to be well-positioned
- [Diverse Investors Driving Change: Perspectives for Investors (Pt 2)](https://harlem.capital/diverse-investors-driving-change-perspectives-for-investors-pt-2-9d0e52cb1f7e/) - Last week we released Part One of a two-part investor series, highlighting the perspectives of four investors featured in the Power 200: Black & Latinx Venture Capitalists You Should Know report. Part one focused on themes and perspectives relevant to minority and female founders as they set off to launch companies and raise capital. In
- [Rising 200: Black & Latino Founders Who Raised $1mm+ in VC Funding ($6.0bn Total)](https://harlem.capital/rising-200-black-latino-founders-who-raised-1mm-in-vc-funding-6-0bn-total-47c7e4e82fbe/) - What Is This? At Harlem Capital, we are focused on investing in minority and women founders; two of the most underserved groups. Three years ago we began mapping this ecosystem after realizing that databases like Pitchbook and Crunchbase don’t track founders by race. Our 2018 report resulted in dozens of in-bound traffic from founders who we’ve
- [The Pacesetters — 300 Female Founders Who Raised $1mm+ in VC Funding ($47.0bn Total)](https://harlem.capital/the-pacesetters-300-female-founders-who-raised-1mm-in-vc-funding-47-0bn-total-bbbc9f65628/) - Female Founders Report - March 2020 What is this and why are we doing it? Harlem Capital focuses on investing in and growing the venture ecosystem of minority and women founders. As much as we believe in funding in these incredible founders, we also believe in mapping and learning deeply about the very founders we back.
- [Navigating, Entering, and Thriving in VC](https://harlem.capital/navigating-entering-and-thriving-in-vc-62ea9d3fd2fb/) - Lessons from 6 Venture Capitalists of Color, Across the U.S. For budding venture capitalists, trying to break into the venture capital industry is hard. And, for VCs of color, this might seem impossible as less than 2% of VCs are Black, less than 1% are Latinx, and even fewer are Black or Latinx women. [2016
- [Harlem Capital Top Ten 2020 Macro Demographic Trends to Watch](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-top-ten-2020-macro-demographic-trends-to-watch-f5e0823fc5b4/) - Harlem Capital is committed to understanding broad macro demographic trends — how the population’s characteristics such as age, ethnicity, gender, marital status, income, education levels, and living status evolve over time — in order to make informed investment decisions based on the trajectory of consumer behavior and new market opportunities. We are particularly curious about upcoming shifts in business
- [Harlem Capital Launches Challenge Grant for Harlem Children’s Zone](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-launches-challenge-grant-for-harlem-children-s-zone-4c70bc6d1c88/) - Harlem Capital, a New York-based venture capital firm focused on investing in women and minority entrepreneurs, today announced its commitment to support the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) COVID-19 Emergency Financial Relief Fund. Harlem Capital is working with the local non-profit to launch HCZ’s first ever “Challenge Grant” program through which Harlem Capital will match all
- [Meet the 2020 Summer Intern Class at Harlem Capital](https://harlem.capital/meet-the-2020-summer-intern-class-at-harlem-capital-7d85f2d00b7b/) - Harlem Capital Family, We hope you are well as these past few days have been tough for many of us. We were fortunate to have our Summer intern class start this week, our eighth cohort. Our interns have been a bright light for us as a firm and in these times it provides us with
- [Harlem Capital Invests in 4Degrees, SaaS for Improving Professional Relationships](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-invests-in-4degrees-saas-for-improving-professional-relationships-f3f6b25b17f6/) - Harlem Capital is proud to announce its recent investment in 4Degrees, a Chicago-based enterprise software company founded in 2017 by Ablorde Ashigbi (CEO) and David Vandegrift (CTO). 4Degrees enables relationship-driven businesses to maximize cross-team networks, leverage relationship intelligence to build better professional connections, and automate manual relationship-based data entry and report generation tasks. The Harlem
- [On how investors can create a more diverse and equitable future: a conversation with Jarrid Tingle, co-founder of Harlem Capital](https://harlem.capital/on-how-investors-can-create-a-more-diverse-and-equitable-future-a-conversation-with-jarrid-tingle-co-founder-of-harlem-capital/) - I spoke with Jarrid Tingle, co-founder and managing partner at Harlem Capital, a diversity focused venture capital fund on a mission to invest in 1K diverse founders over the next 20 years. Jarrid has been recognized as Forbes 30 under 30, HBCUvc 31 under 31, Business Insider Rising Star, EBONY Power 100, and Inc 30
- [Marketing Basics for Founders](https://harlem.capital/marketing-basics-for-founders/) - As a founder launching your startup, you’ll face different business challenges along your journey, including how to market your product or service. We recently announced our partnership with DMC for our portfolio companies and select diverse founders so we wanted to share this post to provide marketing resources for the broader ecosystem. This post will cover a
- [More Equity Podcast: Julia Collins of Planet FWD](https://harlem.capital/more-equity-podcast-julia-collins-of-planet-fwd/) - We are excited to launch the Harlem Capital More Equity Podcast, be sure to follow to stay up to date on the amazing interviews we have scheduled. Now lets dive into Part 1 of Harlem Capital’s Female Founders Series featuring Julia Collins of Planet FWD, the first Black woman with unicorn status who has raised over
- [More Equity Podcast: Carolyn Rodz of Hello Alice](https://harlem.capital/more-equity-podcast-carolyn-rodz-of-hello-alice/) - Part 3 of the Female Founders Series featuring Carolyn Rodz of Hello Alice America is home to over 28 million small businesses employing 57 million workers. Large businesses may dominate the stock market, but it’s small businesses and startups that keep our economy moving. Small businesses support their local economies, keeping money close to home
- [More Equity Podcast: Jewel Burks Solomon of PartPic and Google](https://harlem.capital/more-equity-podcast-jewel-burks-solomon-of-partpic-and-google/) - Part 4 of the Female Founders Series featuring Jewel Burks Solomon of PartPic and Google As the current head of Google for Startups U.S., Jewel Burks Solomon is on a mission to level the playing field for under-resourced founders in emerging US markets. Prior to her current role, Jewel was the founder and CEO of
- [More Equity Podcast: Naomi Hirabayashi and Marah Lidey of Shine](https://harlem.capital/more-equity-podcast-naomi-hirabayashi-and-marah-lidey-of-shine/) - Part 5 of the Female Founders Series featuring Naomi Hirabayashi and Marah Lidey of Shine, a Harlem Capital company. What does it look like to found a company with your best friend? Marah Lidey and Naomi Hirabayashi first met working together as senior leaders at DoSomething.Org, the largest not-for-profit exclusively for young people and social
- [Meet The 2020 Fall Intern Class at Harlem Capital](https://harlem.capital/meet-the-2020-fall-intern-class-at-harlem-capital/) - Harlem Capital Family, Please help us in welcoming our Fall Intern Class: Brian Burton, Charlotte Kiang, Hector Herrera, Payam Daniel Abbassian, Savannah Johnson and Valeria Martinez. They are joined by 2 fellows from our Summer 2020 intern class: Nicole DeTommaso and Vivien Sung. The 6 applicants were chosen from a pool of 1,400 applications, 39%
- [Harlem Capital Interviews Founders on People, Culture, and Diversity](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-interviews-founders-on-people-culture-and-diversity-c3558345d577/) - At Harlem Capital, we remain focused on our mission to change the face of entrepreneurship by investing in 1,000 diverse founders over the next 20 years. In the past, we’ve identified 105 Black and Latino founders who have raised over $1M and celebrated their success. We wanted to take an opportunity to speak with some
- [Harlem Capital Interviews 4 Founders of Color on Fundraising $29MM](https://harlem.capital/harlem-capital-interviews-4-founders-of-color-on-fundraising-29mm-70795e2a9421/) - As investors at Harlem Capital, we see founders from one side of the table when they’re pitching their companies. We might be one of many VC firms that they meet with and we don’t know what their experiences are like with other firms. We know the troubling statistics for the low levels of VC funding
- [Welcome Harlem Capital’s Fall 2019 Intern Class](https://harlem.capital/welcome-harlem-capital-s-fall-2019-intern-class-bb88c6274d4c/) - Dear Harlem Capital Family, We are pleased to announce Harlem Capital’s 2019 Fall Intern Cohort, our sixth cohort. This intern class has 2 MBA students, 1 undergraduate student, and 3 full-time employees. The students come from Stanford, Michigan, and Baruch, while the employees come from CB Insights, Apollo, and Lazard. The interns’ experiences include finance,

## Pages

- [Homepage](https://harlem.capital/)
- [Podcast](https://harlem.capital/podcast/)
- [Blog](https://harlem.capital/blog/)
- [Reports & News](https://harlem.capital/reports/)
- [Pitch](https://harlem.capital/pitch/)
- [Philosophy](https://harlem.capital/philosophy/)
- [Resources](https://harlem.capital/resources/)
- [Sample page](https://harlem.capital/sample-page/)
- [Contact](https://harlem.capital/contact/)

## Portfolio

- [Ellis](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/ellis/) - The AI-native operating platform bringing institutional-grade infrastructure to private credit managers, so firms of any size can run like the biggest players.
- [Bluecore Energy](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/bluecore/) - Democratizing clean energy by scaling nuclear reactor technology onto floating power plants that can reach any coast in days.
- [Accessgrid](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/accessgrid/) - Builds APIs that companies can use to manage digital key fobs directly within Apple and Google’s wallet platforms.
- [Malomo](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/malomo/) - Platform for customizable package tracking experiences for brands
- [Lava](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/lava/) - Lava is the wallet and credit infrastructure powering how the internet pays for AI.
- [Wagmo](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/wagmo/) - Pet wellness and insurance platform
- [Agapé](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/agape/) - Relationship wellness app for couples
- [Wellory](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/wellory/) - Platform for one-on-one personalized nutrition coaching
- [Expectful](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/expectful/) - Platform that makes meditation easy for expectant and new mothers
- [Procision](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/procision/) - Scheduling, task management, and coordination software for surgical facilities improving patient outcomes and bottom line.
- [Velma](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/velma/) - AI Automated Project Management Software
- [Toolbox](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/toolbox/) - Modern financial operating system for construction, maintenance & repair contractors
- [Trustible](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/trustible/) - Platform accelerating Responsible AI governance for businesses
- [Testparty](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/testparty/) - Software compliance company powered by AI. It's the smartest way for organizations to achieve digital accessibility compliance for the WCAG, ADA, EAA, or Section 508
- [Tapestry](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/tapestry/) - Web3 social network built around shared economic assets
- [Superstorm](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/superstorm/) - Low-code platform to build AI workflow applications
- [Stuf](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/stuf/) - Next-gen storage company that monetizes unsellable space
- [Singuli](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/singuli/) - AI platform that helps brands optimize inventory decisions
- [Silkchart](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/silkchart/) - No-code product and marketing data platform
- [Shine](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/shine/) - Self-care platform and community providing users with emotional support
- [Sauce](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/sauce/) - Hospitality SaaS platform for dynamic menu pricing
- [Repeat](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/repeat/) - Smart replenishment and analytics company for D2C brands
- [Remarkable AI](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/remarkable-ai/) - AI-enabled customer support messaging platform.
- [Propense AI](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/propense-ai/) - B2B predictive sales intelligence and cross-selling platform
- [Portabl](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/portabl/) - Decentralized OS for universal financial identity
- [Ponte](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/ponte/) - A labor platform designed to match Hispanic immigrants with their dream jobs, starting with the hospitality industry.
- [Parrot Finance](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/staax/) - Consumer subscription platform for finance education
- [Pariti](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/pariti/) - Marketplace building the digital infrastructure for startup ecosystems in emerging markets
- [Pangaea](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/pangaea/) - E-commerce incubator. Brands: Lumin (skincare) and Meridian (grooming)
- [Paladin](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/paladin/) - Global pro-bono management platform for legal teams
- [Mueshi](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/mueshi/) - Fine art NFT marketplace
- [Moving Analytics](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/moving-analytics/) - Digital cardiac rehabilitation and prevention platform
- [MoviePass](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/moviepass/) - Subscription-based movie ticketing service
- [Merri](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/merri/) - SaaS platform to design, plan, and book events virtually
- [Ludo](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/ludo/) - White-label royalty rewards solution built on the blockchain
- [Lami](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/lami/) - Digital platform enabling companies in Africa to offer insurance products
- [Jobble](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/jobble/) - The largest gig marketplace for independent workers
- [Humming Homes](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/humming-homes/) - Tech-enabled home management platform
- [House of LR&C](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/house-of-lrc/) - Sustainable fashion house with 3 brands: Good Man, Human Nation and LITA by Ciara
- [Gander](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/gander/) - Ecommerce software platform empowering video content on brand websites
- [Fixt](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/fixt/) - On-demand enterprise device support platform
- [Fintary](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/fintary/) - AI powered account reconciliation platform
- [Faura](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/faura/) - Reducing natural disaster risk for insurers and homeowners by leveraging prevention data and climate analytics.
- [Drip](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/drip/) - Live stream commerce marketplace for physical collectibles and NFTs
- [DocDraft](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/docdraft/) - AI-assisted legal document generation
- [Dexai Robotics](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/dexai-robotics/) - Robotics company that creates automated robots for the food industry
- [Compt](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/compt/) - SaaS platform that enables enterprises to offer flexible HR benefits
- [CashDrop](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/cashdrop/) - Mobile-first contactless commerce platform for SMBs
- [Cabinet](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/cabinet/) - Software platform for executive assistants
- [Blavity](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/blavity/) - Media platform focused on black millennials
- [Beauty Bakerie](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/beauty-bakerie/) - Organic cosmetics brand with women of color in mind
- [Because](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/because-intelligence/) - No code dynamic e-commerce websites
- [Aunt Flow](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/aunt-flow/) - Sells menstrual products to businesses, so they can offer them for free
- [Assemble](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/assemble/) - Compensation management platform for forward-thinking organizations
- [AllieHealth](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/alliehealth/) - Vertical SaaS for the aging care industry.
- [4Degrees](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/4-degrees/) - AI relationship intelligence platform
- [Ugami](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/ugami/) - Financial solutions for gamers
- [Workchew](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/workchew/) - Platform connecting remote workers with underutilized space
- [GovPredict](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/govpredict/) - SaaS platform for monitoring legislation and political contributions
- [Turbodega](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/turbodega/) - B2B SaaS solution for bodegas
- [Groupshop](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/group-shop/) - Peer to peer post-purchase commerce platform
- [Parrot](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/parrotmob/) - One-click pay by text platform for B2C businesses
- [Poolit](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/poolit/) - Invest in top private equity, venture capital, and hedge funds with no minimums
- [Curu](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/curu/) - SaaS lead recovery platform enabling lenders to recover loan applicants
- [Atomize](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/atomize/) - No-code smart contract platform
- [Sudu](https://harlem.capital/portfolio/sudu/) - Sudu is a marketplace (digital freight broker) connecting shippers and carriers. Sudu leverages machine learning and chatbots (voice, text & e-mail) to contact carriers. The algorithm uses data from shippers and carriers to optimize and track loads.

## Team

- [Nikolas Ortega](https://harlem.capital/team/nikolas-ortega/) - Nikolas Ortega is a technologist at Google, working within artificial intelligence and emerging technology policy. Throughout his tenure at Google, he has supported the ads business, global DEI efforts, CapitalG's growth team, and Google Jigsaw. Originally from Cali, Colombia, and shaped by his formative years in New York, he recognizes technology’s capacity to transform and
- [Marini Bacal](https://harlem.capital/team/marini-bacal/) - Marini Bacal is an Operations Associate at Harlem Capital, where she supports the team’s daily operations across media, events, administrative projects, and internal coordination. She previously served as Executive Assistant to the firm’s Managing Partners. Before joining Harlem Capital, Marini worked as a Key Account Manager at Shopee Philippines, Inc., managing marketing campaigns and operational
- [Akhila Thota](https://harlem.capital/team/akhila-thota/) - Akhila Thota is a Senior Associate at Harlem Capital, where she focuses on sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities and supporting portfolio companies. Previously, Akhila was a Senior Associate on the Strategic Finance and Corporate Development team at Headway, a mental healthtech company on a mission to make getting the right care accessible and affordable. Her
- [Mia Knight](https://harlem.capital/team/mia-knight/) - Mia Knight is an MBA candidate at the Duke University Fuqua School of Business, where she is a CASE Impact Scholar & Fellow and focuses on venture capital and social impact. Previously, Mia was an Account Manager at Google, where she advised major advertisers across financial services on growth strategy. She later joined Overtime, a
- [Mason Mackie](https://harlem.capital/team/mason-mackie/) - Mason Mackie is an Investment Intern at Harlem Capital. He is a rising senior at Yale University studying Economics with a certificate in Data Science. Previously, Mason interned at the University of Chicago's Becker Friedman Institute and as a Congressional Intern through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. This summer he is also supporting the investment
- [Alexander Aguilera](https://harlem.capital/team/alexander-aguilera/) - Alex Aguilera is a graduating MBA candidate at Columbia Business School, with experience in data, strategy, and investing. Prior to Columbia, Alex worked across strategy and data science engagements at Deloitte, where he led machine learning, data engineering, and technology transformation initiatives for clients across a range of industries. During his MBA, Alex worked in
- [Ashley Keyes](https://harlem.capital/team/ashley-keyes/) - Ashley Keyes is a founder and strategist with experience spanning technology, product execution, and large-scale launches. She has worked at Apple, Amazon, and General Motors, where she helped bring complex products and systems from concept to scale, including iPhone and autonomous vehicle launches. Ashley holds an MBA from UC Berkeley Haas, a Master of Science
- [Patrick Mispireta](https://harlem.capital/team/patrick-mispireta/) - Patrick Mispireta is joining Harlem Capital this summer as an Intern. He brings a unique blend of venture capital experience, enterprise technology consulting, and academic achievement in finance and entrepreneurship. Patrick is currently an MBA candidate at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, concentrating in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Applied AI. During his studies,
- [Richard Zhu](https://harlem.capital/team/richard-zhu/) - Richard Zhu is a student in the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology (M&T) at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is pursuing a dual degree in Finance at the Wharton School and Electrical Engineering in the School of Engineering. He has built a strong foundation at the intersection of investing and technology through
- [Brandon Bryant](https://harlem.capital/team/brandon-bryant/) - Brandon is originally from Cleveland, Ohio and received his degree in economics from The Ohio State University with a concentration in early civilizations. After graduating he went full-time at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the investment banking division. Backing elite founders building category-defining companies. Focused on AI-native software and the next generation of infrastructure.
- [Haley Coller](https://harlem.capital/team/haley-coller/) - Haley Coller is a venture professional with investment experience across fintech, supply chain and logistics, and the future of work. She most recently served as a Venture Associate at Collide Capital, where she sourced early-stage companies, conducted market and technical diligence, built investment theses, and authored deal memos spanning vertical AI applications and enterprise SaaS.
- [John Harbour III](https://harlem.capital/team/john-harbour-iii/) - John Harbour III is an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School with experience in investment strategy, business development, and engineering. Previously, John worked at Pfizer, where he supported strategic investment initiatives to improve patient outcomes. At Columbia, he is exploring how strategic investment can specifically impact people’s lives and create transformative wealth for underprivileged communities.
- [Akshay Chandran](https://harlem.capital/team/akshay-chandran/) - Akshay has spent the last 7 years in the technology and startup ecosystem and currently leads portfolio support for over 100 tech nonprofits at Fast Forward. He leads programming that connects founders to resources ranging from fundraising support to technical consultations. Akshay is passionate about scaling impact through the power of technology and believes in
- [Jarrid Tingle](https://harlem.capital/team/jarrid-tingle/) - Jarrid Tingle is Managing Partner of Harlem Capital. Outside of Harlem Capital, Jarrid is an executive board member of Tech:NYC, a board member of the National Venture Capital Association, and a Grid Fellow. Jarrid received his MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and graduated cum laude from the Wharton School
- [Ricardo Matias](https://harlem.capital/team/ricardo-matias/) - Ricardo Matias is a Senior Associate at Harlem Capital, where he focuses on sourcing, evaluating investment opportunities, and supporting portfolio companies. Previously, Ricardo was an Analyst and Project Manager on Common App’s Product Strategy team. His focus was on a range of access and equity initiatives supporting higher education attainment for low-income and underrepresented students, such
- [Nicole DeTommaso](https://harlem.capital/team/nicole-detommaso/) - Nicole DeTommaso is a Principal at Harlem Capital where she focuses on deal sourcing, due diligence, and platform development. Nicole previously worked at RBC Capital Markets within the Investment Banking division. She spent two years as an Analyst in the TMT group before receiving an early promotion to Associate. While at RBC, Nicole focused primarily
- [Henri Pierre-Jacques](https://harlem.capital/team/henri-pierre-jacques/) - Henri Pierre-Jacques is Managing Partner of Harlem Capital where he focuses on investments, portfolio management and fundraising. He was presented awards for Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc 30 Under 30, EBONY Power 100, Root 100, Crain’s New York Rising Star and Business Insider Rising Star. He has also been featured in WSJ, Black Enterprise and
- [Gabby Cazeau](https://harlem.capital/team/gabby-cazeau/) - Gabby Cazeau is a Partner at Harlem Capital. Gabby has been featured in Business Insider, CNBC, and named to Crain’s NYC 40 Under 40. She sits on the VC Council of Startup:NYC and is a frequent speaker at industry events. Previously, Gabby worked in R&D and Innovation at General Mills. In this role, she focused on
- [Tyler Lawrence](https://harlem.capital/team/tyler-lawrence/) - Tyler Lawrence is an MBA candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business. He has held sales and customer success roles at companies such as Meta and Salesforce, where he worked on enterprise technology adoption and strategic marketing in high-growth environments. Most recently, Tyler worked in technology investment banking at Morgan Stanley
- [Sasha Greer](https://harlem.capital/team/sasha-greer/) - Sasha Greer is an MBA candidate at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. She recently served as a Summer Associate at J. P. Morgan Private Bank, where she supported ultra high net worth families and financial sponsors on portfolio strategy, credit analysis, and trust and estate planning. Sasha began her career leading campaign fundraising
- [Liam Malik Calle](https://harlem.capital/team/liam-malik-calle/) - Liam Malik Calle is an Investment Intern at Harlem Capital. Previously, he gained experience in consulting, venture analysis, and product strategy through roles at Arthur D. Little, Monster Energy, Science Inc., and The General Partnership, working across consumer insights, early-stage investing, and emerging industries. Liam is a junior at UC Berkeley studying Business, Economics, and
- [Karla Beltran](https://harlem.capital/team/karla-beltran/) - Karla Beltran is an MBA candidate at MIT Sloan with prior experience in strategy consulting and education. Before business school, she advised clients on market entry and growth strategy, and earlier, she began her career in education through Teach For America, designing and implementing curriculum that integrated STEM and coding. At Sloan, Karla is focused
- [Tosin Yeku](https://harlem.capital/team/tosin-yeku/) - Tosin spent four years as a Product Design Engineer at Google, where he designed and shipped consumer hardware devices within the company's smart home division. As a PDE, he has solved complex design and manufacturing challenges across various programs and has worked at the heart of where innovative ideas are turned into tangible products. In
- [Anika Chebrolu](https://harlem.capital/team/anika-chebrolu/) - Anika Chebrolu is a second-year undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania studying Neuroscience and Healthcare Management. She is passionate about supporting early-stage companies at the intersection of science and business. She began her career in biomedical research, where her work in computational drug design was featured by CNN Live, Forbes, and The New York Times.
- [Morgan Harlan](https://harlem.capital/team/morgan-harlan/) - Morgan Harlan is an MBA candidate at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, pursuing concentrations in Strategic Management and Business Analytics. This summer, she was a Summer Associate at a global management consulting firm, where she focused on operating model redesign and developing agentic AI applications for product design and program management. Before
- [Catherine Palekar](https://harlem.capital/team/catherine-palekar/) - Catherine Palekar is an MBA candidate at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She most recently served as an MBA Associate at ATOMS Venture Capital, a Chicago-based firm investing in hardtech and engineering-driven innovations across health, sustainability, and automation. Previously, she was Strategic Partnership Vertical Owner at Angeles Investors, which backs Hispanic and
- [Seong Yoon](https://harlem.capital/team/seong-yoon/) - With over 8 years of experience in strategy consulting and strategy & operations at Uber, Seong Yoon thrives at the intersection of strategic thinking and execution. They currently lead the go-to-market strategy for new verticals at Palmstreet, a fast-growing livestream shopping startup backed by top VCs—driving category expansion, early revenue growth, and the commercialization of
- [Audrey Ajakaye](https://harlem.capital/team/audrey-ajakaye/) - Audrey Ajakaye is a third-year undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, studying Health and Societies with a concentration in Healthcare Markets and Finance. She is a founder and early-stage investor committed to scaling inclusive solutions at the intersection of consumer health and innovation. Audrey is the founder of Audaja, a professional-grade skincare brand developed to
- [Mary Aidan Hanrahan](https://harlem.capital/team/mary-aidan-hanrahan/) - Mary Aidan Hanrahan is an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School focusing on investing in social entrepreneurship. She is excited about the role of innovation in promoting equity and human flourishing and is committed to supporting founders building in the space. Mary Aidan began her career as an educator, teaching middle school history in both
- [Richard Wilson](https://harlem.capital/team/richard-wilson/) - Richard Wilson, II has spent the last three years working in the Global Operations division at Meta (formerly Facebook). He also serves as the Chair of the junior advisory board of The Takeoff Institute (a startup non-profit geared toward shaping the careers of Black undergraduate students). Previously, Richard worked as a venture fellow at Keyhorse
- [Brianna Zuniga](https://harlem.capital/team/brianna-zuniga/) - Brianna Zuniga is a Summer 2025 Intern at Harlem Capital, where she focuses on sourcing early-stage investments, conducting diligence, and performing market research to identify high-potential companies for the firm. Previously, Brianna served as an Associate at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where she supported over $50B in assets and helped lead sustainable investing efforts across
- [Sharon Casalino](https://harlem.capital/team/sharon-casalino/) - Sharon Moon Casalino has spent the last decade scaling solutions across various Enterprise SaaS companies servicing the AdTech, MarTech, HealthTech, and FinTech industries, most recently building blockchain products for front-office and back-office workflows in Alternative Investments. Outside of work, Sharon enjoys traveling, snowboarding, and watching her favorite basketball teams, Duke Men's Basketball and the Los
- [Arjun Dundoo](https://harlem.capital/team/arjun-dundoo/) - Arjun Dundoo is a first-year MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. He is deeply passionate about supporting innovative founders who share his vision for improving lives. Previously, Arjun was a Summer Associate at FINTOP Capital, where he developed a thesis on private capital markets technology, and also served as Venture Advisor to Starboard Star Venture
- [Paola Correa](https://harlem.capital/team/paola-correa/) - Paola Correa (Pao) is a current Tech MBA student at NYU Stern, specializing in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, with over a decade of experience in tech sales, partnerships, and early-stage investing across North and Latin American markets. Before Stern, Pao was an Investment Associate at Techstars Miami, where she invested in 48 early-stage startups, with a
- [Natalie Ho](https://harlem.capital/team/natalie-ho/) - Natalie is a senior at Wellesley College studying Mathematics and Computer Science. Most recently, she spent a summer at Chapter One, an early-stage product fund in LA, researching AI trends and conducting due diligence. She previously has worked at MIT’s startup accelerator, delta v, as a Batchelor-Feld Fellow helping to build a refugee rehousing startup
- [Dawit Wondimagegn](https://harlem.capital/team/dawit-wondimagegn/) - Dawit Wondimagegn is a first-year MBA candidate at Harvard Business School. Prior to HBS, Dawit worked on the Advisory team at Insight Partners where he conducted commercial diligence on potential investments and drove value-creation strategies post-investment. At Insight Dawit also led the analysis and publication of the annual SaaS Sales KPI report. By analyzing over
- [Joseph Bykov](https://harlem.capital/team/joseph-bykov/) - Joey Bykov is a Winter 2025 Intern at Harlem Capital, where he focuses on sourcing early-stage investments, conducting diligence, and performing market research to identify high-potential opportunities for the firm. Prior to Harlem Capital, Joey was a Venture Fellow at Soma Capital, where he supported deal sourcing, due diligence, and market analysis for early-stage technology
- [Ayinde Castro](https://harlem.capital/team/ayinde-castro/) - Ayinde is an MBA Candidate at Harvard Business School, where he was named a RISE fellow for his commitment to serving marginalized communities of color within the US. Previously, Ayinde was a Product Manager at LinkedIn where he worked on Sales Navigator, Payments and LinkedIn Media. Ayinde graduated with honors from Claremont McKenna where he
- [Samantha Preston](https://harlem.capital/team/samantha-preston/) - Samantha Preston is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, studying Computational Biomedical Engineering and Business. Originally from Ethiopia, Samantha is passionate about leveraging technology and innovation to find solutions that improve lives. She co-founded a MedTech startup, focusing on early detection of pressure ulcers, and has been actively engaged in the startup
- [Anissa Lee](https://harlem.capital/team/anissa-lee/) - Anissa Lee is an MBA Candidate at The Wharton School majoring in Finance and Entrepreneurship & Innovation. She was named a Moelis and Joseph Wharton Fellow for academic and professional achievement. Previously, Anissa was an Associate at Vanterra Ventures, an early-stage, New York-based consumer health fund, where she focused on investing in women’s health and
- [Paulina Linares](https://harlem.capital/team/paulina-linares/) - Paulina is a driven leader with a strong background in consulting and a passion for fostering inclusive entrepreneurship. Most recently, she was a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, where she worked across various industries such as TMT, banking, and education. Beyond her professional endeavors, she is a dedicated mentor and volunteer. She serves on
- [Chelsea Hamlet](https://harlem.capital/team/chelsea-hamlet/) - Chelsea is an associate at Techstars, where she plays a pivotal role in an accelerator for entrepreneurs creating innovative solutions to boost economic mobility for low- and moderate-income Americans. She graduated from Duke University with a BA in Public Policy and a minor in Global Health, and she has 4+ years of diverse professional experience
- [Jorge Guajardo](https://harlem.capital/team/jorge-guajardo/) - Jorge Guajardo is a student at Georgetown University studying Global Business with a focus on Latin America and emerging markets. Born in Monterrey, Mexico, he was raised in Beijing, China, and Washington D.C. After working at a Mexican consulting firm and Tofino Capital, a VC fund investing in frontier markets, he has developed a passion
- [Dimitri Henry](https://harlem.capital/team/dimitri-henry/) - Dimitri J. Henry is an experienced ESG integration specialist and sustainable finance professional with over six years of experience in the financial services industry. He holds a Sustainability and Climate Risk Certificate (SCR™) from the Global Association of Risk Professionals and a Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Institute. Dimitri has spent much of
- [Reade Rossman](https://harlem.capital/team/reade-rossman/) - Reade Rossman is an award-winning marketer leading sports and entertainment partnerships across PepsiCo’s biggest brands, with a focus on elevating underrepresented voices. She most recently led Gatorade’s product launch with NIL athlete Shedeur Sanders. In her prior role, she managed the Pepsi x Apple Music x Bad Bunny summer music campaign as well as social
- [Valeria Vinas](https://harlem.capital/team/valeria-vinas/) - Valeria is a Senior Strategic Finance Analyst at InStride, a workforce education solutions company that enables employers to provide career-aligned, debt-free education to their employees. Before joining InStride, Valeria was an Associate Consultant at Bain where she worked with education, technology, and private equity clients while also supporting diversity and education initiatives for the company.Valeria’s
- [Amir Williams](https://harlem.capital/team/amir-williams/) - Amir is a documentary storyteller, a long distance runner, and a current member of the Harvard Business School class of 2025. As a practitioner of inclusive design, she believes in integrating the voice of the user into products that advance human connection. Amir is also a member of the Black Angel Group, where she finds
- [Megha Agarwal](https://harlem.capital/team/megha-agarwal/) - Megha Agarwal is a current MBA/MA in Education candidate at Stanford's Graduate Business School (GSB). At the GSB, she is involved with the Impact Fund's Justice team, the Education Club (Co-President), and Arbuckle Leadership Fellows. Prior to the GSB, Megha was co-founder and executive director of The Bridge Project, a non-profit that seeks to end
- [Alivia Jiang](https://harlem.capital/team/alivia-jiang/) - Alivia Jiang is a rising junior at The Wharton School studying Finance and Operations, Information, and Decision Processes. Coming from a family of restaurant owners in upstate NY, she is deeply passionate about leveraging technology to empower small businesses. Last summer, she started her journey in VC by interning at Forerunner Ventures and is looking
- [Rhea Bhammer](https://harlem.capital/team/rhea-bhammer/) - Rhea is a recent graduate from the Nolan School (within the SC Johnson College of Business) at Cornell University, with a focus on Hospitality Business and Philosophy. Raised in Mumbai, Rhea developed a keen insight into emerging markets and a desire to become a venture capitalist focused on empowering diverse, innovative entrepreneurs. Rhea’s VC journey
- [Savannah Green](https://harlem.capital/team/savannah-green/) - Savannah Green is a junior at Cornell University majoring in Hotel Administration with concentrations in real estate, finance, and entrepreneurship. She is passionate about fostering equitable growth for underserved communities in both entrepreneurial and real estate ecosystems by leading diverse student initiatives and sourcing investment opportunities. Savannah currently serves as the President of Black Entrepreneurs
- [Jonathan Diakanwa](https://harlem.capital/team/jonathan-diakanwa/) - Jon is a recent joint degree graduate from Wharton Business School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Prior to graduate school, Jon was a Management Consultant at Accenture where he focused on digital product management and enterprise software implementation within Accenture's Cloud practice. Jon also cofounded Zone 6 Recording Studios in the Bronx, NY where
- [Haoliang Cai](https://harlem.capital/team/haoliang-cai/) - Haoliang Cai immigrated to the US from China at the age of four, growing up in Silicon Valley. After studying at the University of Michigan, he realized his optimal well-being depended on temperate weather, prompting his return to the west coast to start a career in the tech industry. In previous roles, Austin consulted with
- [Megan McHugh](https://harlem.capital/team/megan-mchugh/) - Megan is a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and a minor in Global Studies. She previously interned for Goldman Sachs as a financial analyst in their Private Wealth Management division and at JPMorgan Chase & Co. as an analyst
- [Nwai Alfa](https://harlem.capital/team/nwai-alfa/) - Nwai is a junior at the University of Pennsylvania studying cognitive science and computer science, with interests in vertical SaaS and eCommerce companies. He has previously interned at Boston Consulting Group within the technology and digital advantage practice area, and worked as a research assistant in the Rehabilition Robotics Lab at the Perelman School of
- [Lucas Miranda](https://harlem.capital/team/lucas-miranda/) - Lucas is a junior at Babson College pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in Entrepreneurship. His eclectic operator experiences at Fintech and Blockchain startups have demonstrated his interest in democratizing access to financial and social opportunities. Additionally, his leadership roles extend to his involvement in the Brazilian National Ice Hockey
- [Semra Ezedin](https://harlem.capital/team/semra-ezedin/) - Meet Semra: an intellectually curious and globally-minded explorer dedicated to solving societal challenges through innovation. With a footprint in 30+ countries, her diverse cultural insights fuel her dedication to fostering a more equitable world and her ability to creatively solve problems. From pilates to Real Madrid, her passions span the spectrum, reflecting her zest for
- [Sophia Escagedo](https://harlem.capital/team/sophia-escagedo/) - Sophia Escagedo is an MBA candidate at The Wharton School majoring in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She is an aspiring VC investor hoping to utilize investing in minority founders as a vehicle to enable a new generation of innovation. Prior to Wharton, she worked as a consultant at Deloitte and holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown
- [Daniel Owen Rodriguez](https://harlem.capital/team/daniel-owen-rodriguez/) - Daniel is an Associate at JP Morgan’s Private Bank covering Middle Eastern UHNWI. Previously, he worked as a growth analyst at a Colombian start-up and as a research analyst at an economic consulting firm. Daniel received a B.A. triple major in Economics, Operations Management, and Portuguese from Georgetown University in 2019. Daniel is a Colombo-Indian-American
- [Xavier Nonez](https://harlem.capital/team/xavier-nonez/) - Xavier is an aspiring venture capital professional from Durham, NC. He currently works at Visa as a Business Associate on a corporate incubator team where he uses quantitative and qualitative analysis to gauge the desirability, viability, and feasibility of an in-house venture. Previously, Xavier attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He studied
- [Kenneth Brown III](https://harlem.capital/team/kenneth-brown-iii/) - Kenneth is a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University's College of Arts & Science where he focused on Economics and Business. This allowed him to understand complex ideas about society and differentiators of successful companies to begin to shape his worldview. Outside the classroom, he spent two years on the football team and served as a
- [Priscilla Russo](https://harlem.capital/team/priscilla-russo/) - Priscilla, a Peruvian native raised on Long Island, is an incoming MBA student at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. After completing her studies in economics at Harvard University, Priscilla joined the Equity Research division at Morgan Stanley. Specializing in the Payments and Fintech sector, she analyzed market trends and investment opportunities in the public
- [Alison Montenegro](https://harlem.capital/team/alison-montenegro/) - Alison is currently a second year MBA student at Berkeley Haas where she is an incoming Principal for the Sustainable Investment Fund and has leadership roles in the Private Equity, Venture Club, BERC (Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative), and Consortium groups. Prior to Haas Alison completed a pre-MBA internship at Sonen Capital. She also previously
- [Soumya Tejam](https://harlem.capital/team/soumya-tejam/) - Soumya is a recent graduate from the University of Michigan, working on the commercial team of a fintech startup in NYC. She got her first break into VC as an intern at Harlem Capital back in 2021 and is returning as a fellow. In the past, she’s held VC and GTM roles at Cameo, Coda,
- [Frankie Lopez](https://harlem.capital/team/frankie-lopez/) - Frankie is the Director of Partnerships at Fletch, aimed at connecting consumer ecosystems directly to various insurance providers. Frankie previously worked at Adyen, one of the world’s leading payments fintechs, as an Enterprise Account Manager. Prior to that, he spent time at JP Morgan, helping ideate and develop their first blockchain platform and supporting senior
- [Nina Prabhu](https://harlem.capital/team/nina-prabhu/) - Nina is originally from Oklahoma and has worked the last few years in the consumer tech space in San Francisco, most recently as a Product Manager at MasterClass. Prior to that, she was in Product Operations at Instagram and worked as a consultant at Deloitte. This fall, she will be moving to Boston to start
- [Raquel Scott](https://harlem.capital/team/raquel-scott/) - Raquel is currently a second year MBA student at Columbia Business School where she is Managing Director of the Columbia Venture Fellows, VP of Education for the VC Club, and VP of Finance for the Black Business Students Association. Raquel just finished a 6-month role at BBG Ventures as MBA Associate and is coming back
- [Katalina Su](https://harlem.capital/team/katalina-su-2/) - Katalina is from Baltimore, MD and a Senior at the University of Maryland, College Park. On campus, she is the President of the Hispanic Finance Association and a member of the University's Honor's College. She holds experience interning at T.Rowe Price, Kutline (a Web-3 Startup), and most recently, StepStone as a VC & Growth Equity
- [Tori Orr](https://harlem.capital/team/tori-orr/) - Tori Orr is a second-year MBA Candidate at The Wharton School majoring in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. During her time at Wharton, Tori was awarded the inaugural Hettie Simmons Love Penn Pioneer fellowship and the Edward B. Shils/Leonard L. Zeidman Fellowship in Entrepreneurship. She serves as Managing Partner of the Philadelphia and Southeast team of the
- [Sophia Augustine](https://harlem.capital/team/sophia-augustine/) - Sophia is a senior at Pomona College interested in mission-driven technology and investing, primarily in the energy, healthcare, and education industries. She has diverse experiences working at four different startups across a variety of sectors and a passion for making genuine connections with great people. She currently co-leads marketing and strategy efforts at Camus Energy,
- [Cécile Tang](https://harlem.capital/team/cecile-tang/) - Quebec-born and Shanghai-raised, Cécile is a junior at Brown University majoring in Business Economics and History. At Brown, she serves as VP of Events at Van Wickle Ventures, Brown's student-run VC fund, and On-Campus Business Education Committee Chair at Women in Business. She holds experience interning at a VC family office in LA and will
- [Daniel Paredes](https://harlem.capital/team/daniel-paredes/) - Daniel is a 2nd year at Columbia Business School and is Co-President of the Hispanic Business Association. Daniel has spent the past year working for a variety of different VCs including Madrona Venture Group, Draper Associates and Glasswing Ventures. His primary investment focus has been on enterprise software having spent 5 years at Microsoft prior
- [Patrick Kerr Nogueira Mendes](https://harlem.capital/team/patrick-kerr-nogueira-mendes/) - Patrick is an international student from Brazil pursuing his MBA at USC Marshall School of Business, currently in his second year. Prior to business school, Patrick worked 4 years as a Strategy Consultant at Deloitte and 1 year as an Associate at Alisios, a venture capital firm from Brazil. This past summer he worked as

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- [Ecommerce](/portfolio-categories/ecommerce/)
- [Exited](/portfolio-categories/exited/)
- [Web3/Crypto](/portfolio-categories/web3-crypto/)
- [AI](/portfolio-categories/ai/)
- [Spotlight](/portfolio-categories/spotlight/)
- [Consumer](/portfolio-categories/consumer/)
- [Deep Tech](/portfolio-categories/deep-tech/)
- [Energy](/portfolio-categories/energy/)