VC Include

This quarter, we celebrated milestones that include the launch of Fund Fundamentals, 2024 INCLUDE Impact Conference, the graduation of 18 visionary VCI Fellows, and several events during Climate Week NYC. Check them out ?? #emergingmanagers #fundmanagers #diversityandinclusion #genderequality #impactinvesting #venturecapital #privateequity #alternateinvestments #diversityinVC #impactinaction #VC #VCI

When only 1% of investment goes to #womenssports but 300% of growth is projected by 2030, you know there's an opportunity worth exploring. There is a fund manager who saw it coming.?? ? Meet Lorine Pendleton. Her journey from watching games in the press box with her godfather, the first Black sports reporter at The New York Times, to becoming a powerhouse #fundmanager is equal parts inspiring and strategic. Lorine's path through venture capital is storied: launching Portfolia’s Rising America Fund I & II focused on underrepresented founders, achieving an impressive 32% IRR, and now stepping into an even bigger vision with 125 Ventures. As an investor in Rhode Island Football Club (one of only two professional sports teams in the state!), she knows firsthand the evolving landscape of sports investment. ?? The firm's thesis spans the intersections of technology and sports, media, and entertainment. More recently, AI has emerged as a game-changer from predicting game outcomes to preventing injuries through performance data. Read about the past, present, and exciting futures at 125 Ventures: https://lnkd.in/eBF2HvCg #emergingmanagers #fundmanagers #diversityandinclusion #genderequality #impactinvesting #venturecapital #privateequity #alternateinvestments #diversityinVC #impactinaction #VC #VCI #womenintech #womeninVC #genderlensinvesting #womeninfinance

Yesterday we kicked off VC Include’s newest program, Fund Fundamentals!??? The inaugural Fund Fundamentals class is comprised of twenty-five women from historically underrepresented populations who are interested in launching a fund in the next one to two years. ?? They hail from 13 states and Washington DC, range in age from 25-54, and identify as Black, African American, Middle Eastern, Indigenous, Asian, and Latina. The program will provide them with timely and supportive tools and resources that they will need to create an onramp to begin their firm building and fundraising efforts. In partnership with the Nasdaq Foundation and with support from Heading for Change, we created the Fund Fundamentals program to reach the growing number of investors?who are at the very beginning of their journey and are seeking support as they get started.?Beyond the technical knowledge, this program is designed to connect the class to an ecosystem of mentors, experts, and emerging fund managers who can support them on their path to fund formation. ?? Thank you to Jailan Griffiths, Julia Monfrini Peev, and La Keisha Landrum Pierre for sharing your support, guidance, encouragement and advice during this first session! You are critical to building the nurturing community that this inaugural class needs to feel safe and inspired to make the leap of building a fund. Together we rise! ???? #womeninfinance #womeninvestors #genderequality?#vc #pe #diversityandinclusion #impactinvesting #fundmanagers #venturecapital #DiversityInVC?#ImpactinAction #emergingmanagers #alternateinvestments

Graduating from the VC Include Fellowship marks a new chapter alongside an inspiring cohort of fund managers, each dedicated to reshaping the investment landscape. ?? This fellowship has been invaluable this year—not only for the knowledge gained but also for the catalytic community that VC Include has fostered. As a first-time fund manager at Dahlia VC, I feel better equipped to tackle the challenges ahead with a renewed dedication to driving impactful investments in our community. My deepest thanks to the entire VC Include team, most notably Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson, Milton Speid, and Rendel Solomon, for making this program possible and to my fellow cohort for the insights, camaraderie, and shared commitment to building a more inclusive VC ecosystem. Here’s to all of us moving assets meaningfully together! #VCInclude #DahliaVC #ImpactInvesting Alejandro Mu?oz Mendieta, MBA, Andy Vargas-Hernandez, No Border Ventures, Cvic Innocent, Frankenbuild Ventures, Douglas Watson, Measured Capital, Ernest Kabuye Ph.D., Seven Capital Ventures, Jason Miles, CAIA, Amenti Capital Partners, Jeff Chu, Jenny Barba, Features Capital, Keith Daniel, Resilient Ventures, LLC, Lorine Pendleton, 125 Ventures, Mahrinah Lavi Shije, MBA, Fawn Sharp, Endemic Venture Capital, Patricia Funegra-McKnew, Moon Dancer Fund, Sonam Velani, Laura Fox, Streetlife Ventures, Veronica Juarez, Dahlia VC, Eduardo Zaldivar, Julien Ham-Ying, Mosaic ETA

Economic development has always been at the heart of my purpose and drive. To me, it’s about empowering communities, creating environments ripe for growth, and generating lasting prosperity. Through supporting startups and small and growing enterprises in Central America, promoting trade and exports, and attracting foreign direct investment, I believe we can unlock new opportunities and strengthen local economies in the region. My journey with VC Include has been a vital step in enhancing my knowledge and skills to fund startups and fuel the growth of small and growing enterprises. It was inspiring to meet other fund managers equally passionate about financing innovation and growth, each contributing in their unique way to the development of our communities. Here’s to building a future that thrives on collaboration, inclusivity, and impactful investments. #EconomicDevelopment #VCInclude #SMEs #Innovation #InclusiveFinance #FDI #PublicPrivatePartnerships #Empowerment #elsalvador #guatemala #honduras Partnership for Central America

The VC Include family is showing up strong at #SOCAP24??? VCI team and fellows from all 4 cohorts - talk about representation - are converging in #SF to connect and collaborate on this year's theme, Going Deeper: Catalyzing Systems Change???? Watching Milton Speid, Alia Einstein-Diez, and Nina Sharma catch up with dozens of VCI community members reminds us of the strong network we've built together over the past few years - and we are only getting started! A special shoutout to our incredible fellows Sonam Velani, Talib Graves-Manns, Philip Reeves, Noramay Cadena, and Aaron Samuels for sharing their expertise on various panels. ?? We are so proud to see this community of emerging managers leading the conversations on making the investment industry more inclusive and impactful. Thank you for lending your voices??? Keep sharing those meetup moments with us! And if you're at SOCAP, come say hi - we'd love to meet you?? #SOCAP #emergingmanagers #diversityandinclusion #genderequality #impactinvesting #venturecapital #privateequity #alternateinvestments #diversityinVC #impactinaction #VC #VCI

Cindy Willard had the pleasure to attend and present at the VC Include Impact Conference on Thursday, October 10th, 2024, in Washington, DC. Cindy was part of a panel discussion on Innovative Finance Models: Unlocking Philanthropic Capital to De-risk Investment, alongside Milton Speid, Executive Director of VC Include, and Brahm Rhodes, Ph.D. Cindy shared her reflections from the conference where the theme was Galvanizing Abundance. That theme was on full display throughout the event. The thoughtfully curated group of people made meaningful connections, shared pathways to success, and offered support for challenges first-time diverse fund managers face. Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson reminded us that “We are the market makers” for the next generation of VC and impact investing leaders. Leah Hokenson, Managing Director, Baldwin wealth partners noted the “where money goes, that reflects what we value.” And at the end of the day, I was inspired by Samir Goel of Esusu. His simple statement - “Forward. Together.” I am inspired to continue to connect the dots of our experiences and not only connect the data. Thank you to the team at VC Include for inviting me and for making it an outstanding experience. Milton Spied, Alia Einstein-Diez, Ivy Binns, Joy Jing, Nina Sharma, Joel Bashevkin, Rendel S., Niysha Anderson, Himalaya Rao #ImpactInvesting #Philanthropy #CapitalActivation #VCInclude

What an unforgettable experience at the VC Include Impact Conference in Washington, DC! ?? Being in a room full of market makers—individuals who are often underrepresented and overlooked—was incredibly inspiring. The energy was palpable, and the insights shared were both thought-provoking and empowering. Shout out to Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson for leading this movement and creating space for impactful conversations. Your leadership is shaping the future of inclusive investing, and we are all grateful for the space you’ve created. A huge thank you to the entire VC Include team for organizing such a critical event. Special appreciation to Adriana Embus (she/her), Ivy Binns, Nina Sharma, Alia Einstein-Diez, Rendel Solomon, and Milton Speid—your dedication to making this event impactful does not go unnoticed. I also had the pleasure of connecting with amazing speakers like Lisa Marrone, Charlotte N., Sayiddah M., Kate Goodall, Troy Duffie, Rose Maizner, and Samir Goel. Your insights left a lasting impression, and I’m looking forward to all the work we can do together to build a more inclusive and equitable future. Rama Chakaki and I shared our key takeaways from the conference in the latest Transform VC blog post, and I’d love for you all to check it out. Let’s continue to support and uplift each other as we push for greater social and economic impact. I’m excited to keep building with this incredible community and invite others to join us on this journey. ???? #ImpactInvesting #VCInclude #SocialEquity #TransformVC #Inclusion #MarketMakers #PurposeDriven

"#AI has the power to transform society positively, but we must actively work together to improve representation," said Alexis Black Bjorlin. "The Fem.AI Alliance presents an opportunity to help shape an #inclusive AI #future by #empowering women to pioneer in this nascent field." #STEM #femaleempowerment #genderequity #artificialintelligence Cadence Design Systems #TheFemAIAlliance Break Through Tech Fast Forward Generation Global Semiconductor Alliance Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) Last Mile Education Fund Reboot VC Include Massachusetts Institute of Technology https://lnkd.in/ejrMeKEA https://lnkd.in/ew8t-gD9

VC Include is more than just another fellowship or program; it is a vibrant community of GPs, LPs, and other key stakeholders in tech and venture capital. Under Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson founding vision, Milton Speid’s strategic leadership, and the remarkable contributions of team members like Rendel Solomon and Nina Sharma, VC Include is truly shifting capital allocation and transforming the investing landscape. I am proud to support VC Include through my work leading the Underrepresented Founder team at Amazon Web Services. It was also an honor to speak about redefining investor identity at their most recent #IncludeImpact conference, alongside inspiring leaders, La Keisha Landrum Pierre and Rose Maizner. You can find more details about VC Include and its programs, including the fellowship for impact fund managers, here: https://www.vcinclude.com.