The future of tech will include more of us than ever before. Though overall representation of Black professionals, founders, and operators in tech is stagnant, our footprint on the evolution of the industry grows year after year.
As a follow up from our Juneteenth event, we're bringing together 3 of the leading voices in tech entrepreneurship. This time the discussion is focused on how venture capitalists evaluate the competitive edge of a company and its founders.
Chris Lyons, Candice Matthews Brackeen, Charles Hudson, and Jewel Burks Solomon are headlining as we talk about their investment philosophy, and the score card they use to evaluate whether a founder is primed to thrive in the future of tech.
Chris leads the Cultural Leadership Fund (CLF) at Andreessen Horowitz. The CLF aims to connect African American cultural leaders to the best technology companies. CLF invests in companies within the Andreessen Horowitz portfolio. CLF has raised 40 million dollars from Limited Partners including Sean “Diddy” Combs, Shonda Rhimes, Will and Jada Smith, Quincy Jones, Kevin Durant, Chance the Rapper, and more.
Prior to starting the Cultural Leadership Fund, Chris was Chief of Staff to Ben Horowitz for over five years. He first got his start in the technology industry as an entrepreneur when he founded restaurant technology startup PictureMenu. Prior to that, he worked as a music producer and engineer with Jermaine Dupri at SoSo Def.
Candice Matthews Brackeen is founder and General Partner at Lightship Capital. Lightship made history last month when it announced a 50 million fund focused on underrepresented founders. The raise makes Lightship likely the largest-ever venture capital fund dedicated to investing in Midwestern, minority-led startups. Lightship is also believed to be the largest initial fund run by a Black woman to date.
Charles is the Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in the first institutional round of investment for the most promising software and hardware companies. Precursors' philosophy is that all entrepreneurs, no matter their background, can benefit from having an institutional investor from the very beginning.
Jewel is Managing Partner at Collab Capital, and Head of Google for Startups. Collab provides social and financial resources to Black-owned companies who’ve created a pathway to building sustainable and profitable businesses. Google For Startups recently announced a 5 million dollar fund and accelerator specifically for Black founders.
