Published inGreen Room·Nov 5, 2020If fund managers want to hold onto Yale’s $31.2 billion endowment, they need to diversify their staffValued at $31.2 billion, Yale’s endowment is a huge win for many investment managers. However, at the beginning of October 2020, the university’s endowment chief Dave Swensen added a condition to the privilege of managing their money: fund managers have to demonstrate efforts to increase diversity within their firms. He…4 min read4 min read
Published inGreen Room·Nov 2, 2020Citigroup economist, Dana Peterson, identifies a national loss of $16 trillion due to racial inequityAs the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the global economy, it has also highlighted the racial inequities that permeate our country’s financial infrastructure. In an effort to help businesses keep employees on payroll and cover necessary expenses, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) enacted the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The…Citigroup5 min readCitigroup5 min read
Published inGreen Room·Oct 19, 2020What does JPMorgan Chase’s $30 billion commitment to tackle the racial wealth gap really mean?We took a look at JPMorgan Chase’s new announcement to give a balanced breakdown of what it means. JP Morgan Chase, which holds $2.82 trillion in U.S. assets, announced a pledge of $30 billion on October 8, 2020 in order to achieve greater racial equity over the course of 5…4 min read4 min read
Published inGreen Room·Oct 5, 2020An epic conversation with Harry Stebbings: My 1:1 on The 20 Minute VC (finally!)Say it with me: IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME! Yes, that’s right, your eyes and ears aren’t deceiving you — Harry and I finally (fintally with a T, yall) got to sit down and talk with each other for his podcast, The 20 Minute VC, a pod that gets millions of…Venture Capital2 min readVenture Capital2 min read
Apr 18, 2020Announcing $1,000,000 in my online course scholarships for displaced college students!Over the past nearly 5 years, I’ve seen what bold things can happen when someone gives you your first ‘YES’. After several years of looking for help and resources for my investment fund, Backstage Capital, an angel investor named Susan Kimberlin (MIT grad) came through! And since then, I’ve taken…4 min read4 min read
Published inGreen Room·Mar 10, 2020Backstage Tour 2020 update!Hi, Backstage friends! We’ve all seen the impact of COVID-19 on live events, especially over the past few days. As a result, we’ve decided it’s best to evolve Backstage Tour 2020 into a series of virtual, city-focused events. Our first and utmost priority is the safety and wellbeing of our…2 min read2 min read
Dec 17, 2019Once again, Cardi B is speaking my truth…The following is from my pov and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of all Backstage’s employees, investments, investors, or community members. While I don’t pay much attention to trends in venture and startups, I have been paying close attention to waves and patterns of sentiment and intent since I…Venture Capital9 min readVenture Capital9 min read
Sep 20, 2019What’s the Opposite of FOMO?We at Backstage Capital celebrated our 4-year anniversary on September 15, and it made me reminisce and reflect on what it has taken to get here, our hits and misses, and everything in between. One of the things I often get asked is, “Are there any companies you regret not…Venture Capital7 min readVenture Capital7 min read
Aug 30, 2019How I saved $20,000 and reignited my passion for photographyIf you didn’t read the above photo’s caption, do so now…I’m still astonished by it. I’ve been in love with photography half of my life — nearly 20 years. There was a burst of energy around it in my early 20s when I first discovered my eye for it. I…Photography8 min readPhotography8 min read
Published inZORA·Aug 14, 2019Member-onlyVenture Capital Pioneer, Arlan Hamilton, Pens Letter to ReadersIn this new exclusive column for ZORA, Backstage Capital maven Arlan Hamilton and her team offer entrepreneurship, tech, and business wisdom for women of color — My name is Arlan. I’m 38. Black. Woman. Incredibly homosexual. Used to be on food stamps. Used to have a negative bank balance. Used to have no place to live for weeks and months at a time. Today, I am a venture capitalist with more than 130 tech companies in…Startup3 min readStartup3 min read
