What The W Fund does

The W Fund is a New York–based venture capital firm founded in 2019 that invests pre-seed, seed, and Series A capital into tech-enabled startups led by traditionally underfunded founders—primarily women, with at least 70% of investments committed to women-led companies and at least half of those also from another underrepresented group (race, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, socioeconomic background, nationality, age, or location). The fund's stated verticals are FinTech, EdTech, HealthTech, AI & Big Data, Sustainability, AgTech, and LegalTech, with a 2–3 investment-per-quarter cadence and a cap of leading or co-leading no more than twice a year. Its product surface is a small set of integrated offerings: two fund vehicles (Fund I, fully invested; Fund II, opening around Q2 2026), a VC-in-Residence program with carry-holding positions (Corey Ponder, Krystal Beachum, Jory Des Jardin) designed to broaden access to the venture career, an LP Programming & Diversification Initiative, and a founder pitch intake funnel.

The firm does not develop proprietary technology; it operates as a "tech-enabled investor." Its underlying platform is the community and media footprint of its two General Partners—Kate Brodock (CEO of SWITCH/Women 2.0, EIR at LaunchNY, long-time Techstars mentor) and Allyson Kapin (Founder of Women Who Tech, co-founder of Rad Campaign)—who together run what the fund describes as two of the largest global networks for women-led startups. That community network, plus extensive earned-media presence across TIME, Forbes, Fast Company, Bloomberg, CNBC, TechCrunch, Fortune, Vogue Business, and SXSW/Collision keynotes, is the core distribution and deal-sourcing channel. Revenue mechanics are standard venture-fund economics: management fees on committed/invested capital across Fund I and Fund II, plus carried interest on realized returns; LP commitment sizes, fee rates, carry terms, and fund AUM are not publicly disclosed.

Name

The W Fund

Legal name

W Fund

Website

https://wrule.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The W Fund is a New York–based venture capital firm investing pre-seed through Series A into tech-enabled startups led by women and other traditionally underrepresented founders, generating returns via management fees and carried interest on Fund I (completed) and Fund II (opening Q2 2026).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-Stage Venture Capital

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds (FSANAJAM)

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Early-stage funding
• Diversity-focused investing
• Women-led startups
• Pre-Seed to Series A

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Venture fund management (Fund I and Fund II): The W Fund aggregates capital from Limited Partners and deploys it into pre-seed, seed, and Series A tech startups. Revenue is generated through typical VC economics: management fees on committed/invested capital and carried interest on fund returns. Fund I was fully invested last year; Fund II is currently being opened and is expected to begin deploying in Q2 2026.

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The W Fund is a venture capital firm that aggregates capital from Limited Partners and deploys it into Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A tech-enabled startups led by traditionally underfunded founders (primarily women, with sub-allocation to founders who are also Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, low-socioeconomic, non-U.S., or otherwise underrepresented in tech). The fund operates through two vehicle generations — Fund I (fully deployed) and Fund II (currently being opened for Q2 2026) — supported by a VC-in-Residence program, LP programming, and a founder pitch intake process that guarantees feedback.

Product overview

The W Fund is a single-platform venture capital firm (not a multi-product SaaS suite) that offers a unified investing platform anchored by two fund vehicles — W Fund I (completed) and W Fund II (currently being raised) — that deploy Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A capital into tech-enabled startups led by traditionally underfunded founders. Layered on top of the core fund vehicles are the VC-in-Residence program (carry-holding investment positions that open a path to VC for people from underrepresented backgrounds, currently including Corey Ponder, Krystal Beachum, and Jory Des Jardin) and the LP Programming & Diversification Initiative, which equips LPs with investing, operating, and leadership skills. The Founder Onboarding & Founder Pitch Intake service is the funnel through which prospective portfolio companies are evaluated, with feedback guaranteed even when the fund does not invest. Together, the fund vehicles, VC-in-Residence platform, LP programming, and founder intake form an integrated VC operating platform rather than a modular software product set.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• W Fund I Venture capital fund vehicle aggregating capital from Limited Partners and deploying Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A investments into tech-enabled startups led by traditionally underfunded founders; Fund I was fully deployed prior to Fund II's opening.
• W Fund II Second-generation venture capital fund vehicle, currently being opened (targeted Q2 2026), continuing The W Fund's Pre-Seed through Series A investing strategy into tech-enabled startups led by women and other underrepresented founders.
• VC-in-Residence Program Carry-holding investment positions that open a path to venture capital for exceptional people who would otherwise not have that access; current VC-in-Residence participants include Corey Ponder, Krystal Beachum, and Jory Des Jardin.
• LP Programming & Diversification Initiative Programming for Limited Partners providing investing, operating, and leadership skills-building to diversify the fund's LP base and equip LPs to be proactive in activities outside the fund.
• Founder Pitch Intake Onboarding service for prospective portfolio companies via the 'For Founders' web form, with feedback guaranteed even when the fund does not invest; collects startup name, stage (Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A+, Bridge Round), a two-sentence elevator pitch, and pitch contact details.

Quantifiable outcome

• Startups led by women achieve 35% higher return on investment.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship platform partner, platform partner, ecosystem partner, legal partner and affiliated platform.

• SWITCHflagship platform partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerKate Brodock (General Partner of W Fund) is CEO of SWITCH, one of the two largest global networks for women-led startups. SWITCH is positioned as part of W Fund's 'fund platform with built-in capabilities' to source deals, support portfolio companies, and reach LPs.
• Women Who Techflagship platform partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllyson Kapin (Founding Partner of W Fund) is Founder of Women Who Tech, the other of the two largest global networks for women-led startups referenced as the fund's platform. Women Who Tech runs the Women Startup Challenge (in partnership with Craig Newmark of craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies) to help women entrepreneurs raise capital.
• Women 2.0platform partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerKate Brodock is CEO of Women 2.0, a global ecosystem focused on gender and representation in the startup and tech spaces. The organization is part of W Fund's network platform for sourcing and supporting portfolio companies.
• LaunchNYecosystem partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerKate Brodock is Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at LaunchNY, a Buffalo-based 501(c)(3) venture development organization serving 27 westernmost counties of New York. Lindsay Karas Stencel is also engaged with LaunchNY, where she helped the firm become the most active seed fund in the State of New York.
• Techstarsecosystem partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerKate Brodock is a long-time mentor for Techstars, providing W Fund with a sourcing and mentorship pipeline into the Techstars accelerator network.
• Thompson HINESlegal partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLindsay Karas Stencel (Chief Legal Counsel & Co-Founder of W Fund) is a Partner at Thompson HINES law firm, providing legal and deal-structuring support for the fund.
• Rad Campaignaffiliated platformStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllyson Kapin is Co-Founder of Rad Campaign, a digital agency that has helped nonprofits, foundations, and philanthropists build websites, apps, and national campaigns. Listed as part of her network of affiliations supporting the W Fund's outreach to mission-driven founders.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Pipeline Angels: A network changing the face of angel investing by training and deploying women and non-binary investors into startup deals. Comparable mission around capital access for underrepresented founders, though deployed as an angel network rather than a traditional VC fund.

Direct peers

• BBG Ventures: An early-stage fund investing in female-led consumer and enterprise startups at seed stage, with explicit commitment to women as the majority decision-maker. Directly comparable mandate and stage to The W Fund.
• Kapor Capital: An early-stage venture fund focused on closing gaps of access and opportunity, with explicit thesis on underrepresented founders and tech-enabled solutions for underserved communities. Closely aligned with The W Fund's diversity-led investment thesis.
• Backstage Capital: A venture fund that has backed over 200 companies led by underrepresented founders — women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ — at pre-seed and seed stages. Closely comparable mission, stage, and demographic mandate to The W Fund.
• MaC Venture Capital: A seed-stage fund investing in technology companies led by underestimated founders, including a focus on Black, Latino, and women founders. Directly comparable thesis and stage to The W Fund.
• Halogen Ventures: Seed-stage venture fund investing in consumer tech companies led by underrepresented founders, with a particular focus on women and people of color. Directly comparable in thesis, stage, and target founder demographics to The W Fund.
• Female Founders Fund (FFC): An early-stage venture fund investing in female-founded companies across consumer, enterprise, and fintech. Closely comparable to The W Fund in mandate, stage focus (pre-seed/seed), and explicit commitment to women-led founders.
• SoGal Ventures: A diverse-led global venture firm backing underrepresented founders across pre-seed through Series A, with verticals overlapping The W Fund's FinTech, HealthTech, and consumer focus. Comparable in thesis, stage, and global ambition.

Broad incumbents

• Salesforce Ventures: The corporate venture arm of Salesforce, investing broadly across enterprise SaaS, AI, and tech-enabled services including diverse founders. Larger and more generalist than The W Fund but increasingly active in the same diversity-focused thesis space.
• Lerer Hippeau: A New York-based seed-stage VC investing across consumer and enterprise tech. Comparable in stage and geography to The W Fund, but operates as a generalist without The W Fund's diversity-focused thesis mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/just_kate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments19 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The W Fund