“However, I was also able to conduct interviews with Arlan Hamilton and other leaders at the firm. Laura continued: “Backstage Capital is certainly very media savvy, which was very helpful in gathering publicly available information and learning more about the firm’s background on my own. “This case introduces students to important concepts in entrepreneurship, such as the world of early-stage financing, diversity, inequality, and implicit bias.” Combining field research and published sources Hamilton, an LGBTQ, African-American woman, has sought to redefine the historically white male-dominated venture capital space by founding Backstage Capital, an investment fund which seeks to only support African American female entrepreneurs. “This case explores the journey of venture capitalist and founder Arlan Hamilton, whose work has challenged the status quo of venture capital. “The entrepreneurial world has historically been a white male-dominated space, and to this day female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of colour continue to struggle for a seat at the table. Laura said: “I was inspired to write this case to push business students to consider the value diversity has in entrepreneurship and imagine what a more inclusive entrepreneurial industry might look like in the future. Where?Īrlan is based in Los Angeles, US, but her crew members (staff) are located remotely around the country.

It was April 2018 when Arlan hatched her fourth funding plan. $1 million each would be invested in 15 to 20 companies led by black women founders, with the remainder reserved for later-stage funding. Raising nearly $5 million across three funds and investing in 85 companies, Arlan’s latest goal was to launch a fourth fund with an ambitious target of $36 million. What?īackstage is a venture capital firm that makes early-stage investments in underrepresented founders.Īrlan started her own Venture Capital firm (they provide a form of private equity to start-up companies and small businesses that are believed to have long-term growth) after growing frustrated at unsuccessful attempts to convince existing funds to invest in companies founded by women, people of colour, and LGBTQ people.

Arlan Hamilton, Founder and Managing Partner, Backstage Capital.

Arlan hamilton