Black Founders Matter

What Black Founders Matter does

Black Founders Matter is a privately held, $10-million seed-stage venture capital fund that invests in Black-led startups headquartered in the United States. Founded in 2020 (with firmographic records also indicating 2017) and based in Hampton, USA (with operational references to Portland), the firm deploys $50,000–$150,000 checks into companies at the Series Seed to Series A stage and reserves 50% of fund capital for follow-on participation. The fund is industry-agnostic by mandate but applies industry-specific screening and reports portfolio diversification across five verticals. It supplements direct capital with co-investment relationships alongside industry-specific lead firms spanning Series Seed through Series C, providing portfolio companies with scaling resources, follow-on capital, and acquisition pathways.

The firm's core "product" is its fund vehicle and LP structure, supplemented by the 25 by 25 VC Diversity Pledge, an industry initiative committing VC firms to dedicating 25% of investments and 25% of hires to BIPOC women by 2025. Revenue is generated through traditional venture fund mechanics: management fees on committed/invested capital and carried interest on portfolio exits via acquisition or IPO. Notable portfolio companies disclosed include Saysh (Allyson Felix's footwear brand), HUED (healthcare platform backed by Serena Williams), Glow Up Games (gaming and AR/VR studio), LISNR (ultrasonic data/payments), and others across publishing, parking technology, talent sourcing, fleet management, and sustainable agriculture. The firm has relied heavily on earned media coverage (NYTimes, TechCrunch, Forbes, Inc., Essence, CNBC) and its website to source both founder applications and LP capital, with limited disclosed technology infrastructure beyond a Google Forms application portal.

Name

Black Founders Matter

Legal name

Black Founders Matter

Website

https://blackfoundersmatter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Founders Matter is a $10-million seed-stage venture capital fund that writes $50,000–$150,000 checks into Black-led US startups from Series Seed to Series A, partners with industry-specific lead firms for co-investment, and runs the 25 by 25 VC Diversity Pledge initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Open-End Investment Funds (525910)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB), Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

Keywords

• Seed-stage venture capital
• Venture capital fund
• Early-stage investing
• Startup equity investment
• Diversity-focused venture fund

Headquarters

HQ city

Hampton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Fund Management: Black Founders Matter operates as a $10-million seed-stage investment fund. The fund generates returns through equity appreciation in portfolio companies, with potential payouts through acquisition or IPO liquidation events. Revenue for fund managers comes from management fees and carried interest on successful exits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Black Founders Matter operates a $10-million seed-stage venture capital fund that invests $50,000–$150,000 checks into Black-led companies from Series Seed to Series A stage, with half of the fund reserved for follow-on funding. The fund sources deals through community-led referrals and networks, partners with industry-specific lead firms for co-investment and resource access, and accepts capital from accredited investors as Limited Partners.

Product overview

Black Founders Matter is a $10-million seed-stage venture capital fund that invests in Black founders leading US-registered ventures. The fund writes $50k-$150k checks into companies between Series Seed and Series A stages, with half the fund reserved for follow-on funding. Beyond capital, the fund partners with industry-specific lead firms for co-investment and resources. Their portfolio includes: Saysh (athletic footwear brand), HUED (digital health platform), Glow Up Games (gaming/AR/VR studio), LISNR (ultrasonic payment technology), plus other investments in publishing (A Kids Company About), parking technology (Meter Feeder), talent sourcing (YearOne), fleet management (OpConnect), and sustainable agriculture (Re-Nuble). The firm also runs the 25 by 25 VC Diversity Pledge initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 25 by 25: The 25 by 25 VC Diversity Pledge - a commitment for venture capital firms that by 2025, 25% of all firm investments will be dedicated to BIPOC women founders and 25% of all firm hires will be BIPOC women.

Products and services

• Black Founders Matter Fund

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kapor Capital: Early-stage venture fund explicitly focused on BIPOC and women-led startups, with comparable seed-stage check sizes and emphasis on closing opportunity gaps — direct overlap in deal sourcing.
• SoftBank Opportunity Fund: Multi-hundred-million-dollar vehicle from SoftBank to invest in Black, Brown, and Indigenous founders. Larger scale but mission-aligned; competes for the same founder pool at potentially bigger check sizes.

Direct peers

• Concrete Rose Capital: Seed/Series A fund investing primarily in Black and Latinx founders, with co-investors including executives from major tech companies. Highly comparable stage, thesis, and target segments.
• Harlem Capital Partners: Early-stage venture fund investing in minority- and women-led startups, with explicit mission to diversify venture capital and deploy into founders of color at Seed/Series A. Highly comparable mandate and stage.
• Backstage Capital: Seed-stage venture fund founded by Arlan Hamilton specifically focused on underrepresented founders, including Black, Latinx, and women entrepreneurs. Closely analogous thesis, check size, and GTM to BFM.
• MaC Venture Capital: Seed-to-Series A fund investing in underestimated founders, with explicit focus on Black and other diverse founders. Comparable stage, check size, and thesis around funding gaps for diverse entrepreneurs.
• Fearless Fund: Early-stage venture fund focused on women of color founders (including Black women), writing small checks at pre-seed/seed. Directly comparable thesis, check size, and target founder profile.
• SoGal Ventures: Early-stage venture fund investing in diverse founders (with strong emphasis on women of color) across geographies, with seed-stage check sizes similar to BFM. Comparable thesis, check size range, and target founder profile.

Emerging players

• Pipeline Angels: Network and angel investing platform focused on women and nonbinary founders of color; invests smaller checks but competes for the same Black/BIPOC founder deal flow at pre-seed.

Others

• Reginald F. Lewis Foundation (and similar philanthropy-backed VC initiatives): Philanthropy, grantmaking, and mission-aligned capital initiatives targeting Black entrepreneurs — adjacent ecosystem participants that overlap in founder pipeline and occasionally co-invest with BFM-style funds.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/blfounders
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-founders-matter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Black Founders Matter