VC Scout

On becoming a VC scout & creating investment spaces for underestimated or underrepresented founders

Meet Abyah Wynn, the Vice President of Trimantium Capital and Co-Founder of Twenty65 Fund. She launched the investment fund to democratize access to capital for underrepresented tech entrepreneurs, especially those of color.?Her first passion, is rectifying the funding gap for women of color - as female startup founders only receive 2.7% of all venture funding, and even lower for women of color at just 0.2%. Abyah is also an alumna of Pepperdine University, where she studied advertising and marketing. Her commitment to social justice and economic empowerment is reflected in her volunteer work with organizations such as Many Hopes, which provides housing, education, and advocacy for disadvantaged children in Kenya. Abyah is from Atlanta and currently lives in Los Angeles

We dive into investing in underestimate and underrepresented founders, how to become a VC scout, and how to find belonging even in an industry where you might feel like an outsider to start.

Eve #WealthWednesday Highlight #16: Abyah Wynn, Vice President Trimantium Capital and Co-Founder - Twenty65 Fund

What was your first investment?

I started my career in marketing then went into finance and venture capital seven years ago. It wasn't until jumping into my first job in venture that I got exposure to investing. Meeting with founders, sourcing deals, and building relationships built foundational skills to realize the frameworks I would use to evaluate all types of investment opportunities.

At this same time, my new role meant I was earning good money, and my father started our conversation about saving and investing. I remember him asking "are you going to spend everything you are making?" and jokingly, I thought "yeah" and it would have been on more "stuff." Instead, he gifted me our financial advisor. Working with him to discuss goals and risk tolerance gave me the confidence to make my first investment in Tesla - one of the largest holdings in my portfolio today.

How/why did you get into your space?

I was working for a boutique investment banking firm focused on M&A transactions when I was pulled into the Australian Firm. I was the only person in the US and jumped quickly into the deep end, wearing many hats and learning the industry quickly. I found myself in various rooms with influential and affluent people but I noticed that I wasn't seeing myself in these rooms. There was a lot of capital being circulated but it wasn't going to people that looked like me. I also learned that people do business with people that they like and are friends with.

I did a lot of research on the funding gap between white male founders and minority or female founders. The gap is disparaging and out of it, I found an opportunity to flip the script and invest in founders and companies that I'm really passionate about that would do well in the process. It's not just good for the world, but it turns out, it is also good business. These founders are often underestimated and underfunded.

What role do you play in the wealth space and why is it important?

You can make a lot of money by investing in underestimated or underrepresented founders. I approached my MD to implement a mandate to be more intentional about investing in underrepresented founders. Instead, he believed in my thesis and suggested that we partner on a fund. So we partnered on building out a micro fund under the parent company umbrella which is called Twenty65 . The thesis was around democratizing access to capital and investing in diversity like the LGBTQ community, women, minorities, black and brown founders, veterans, and other people whom I want to include in this fund.

What do you believe is the most exciting thing you’ve learned and want others to know?

The most important thing I've learned has nothing to do with investing or finance or work. It's more about the self and self-care. The most important thing I've learned is that it's okay to say "no" and "I don't know". A lot of us women deal with imposter syndrome on a daily basis. We feel like we don't belong in these spaces and we have nothing to contribute, and that's a fallacy. I have to remind myself every day that "I belong here, I deserve to be here and I am worthy of being here". Giving grace to yourself I think is the biggest thing that I've learned.?

Who is a person or company that inspires you in the space and why?

I admire Sarah Kunst because she comes from a non-traditional venture background like me. She has raised a fund, is super connected, gets incredible deal flow, and is a wonderful person.?

I’m also obsessed with Melody Hobson because even though she has a successful husband - she is a star in her own right. She has Arial investments which are crushing it in every way, shape, form, and fashion.

What advice would you give to someone getting started?

My advice for an angel getting started would be to seek out a local angel network like Pipeline Angels . They're very focused on inclusivity and are huge proponents of investing in women. A lot of universities also have angel networks, with scout programs. This is a great way to work side-by-side with a VC.

As a scout - VCs will give you an allocation in startups that are in your network but might not be in theirs. They have an investment memo or diligence process they will train you on. This helps you build a track record to jumpstart your way through the closed door that is venture capital. Being a scout is all about the network. And you won't get anything unless you ask for it. The worst they can say is no or they will not respond. Either way, you made the effort. Some of them are very competitive and some don't publicize what they're doing. If you're really interested you can Google scout programs and take it from there. I'm always happy to be a resource for anyone who has questions. If I can connect to anyone to one of the programs I’d be happy to do that as well.

Anything else we should know?

I just started managing a new fund called True Culture fund with True Capital Management . We are focused on investing in black and brown founders. We partnered with Y Combinator to invest in most, if not, all of the black founders in this current cohort. You can also find me on LinkedIn.

#weatlhwednesday #fintech #venturecapital #investing #investment #VCscout

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Have thoughts on this week’s topic or questions for me or Abyah Wynn? Post your thoughts in the comment section. Until next week. ??

You can connect with Abyah on LINKEDIN

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