Nilay Patel talks with venture capitalist Arlan Hamilton. Arlan founded VC fund Backstage Capital in 2015 and focuses on investing in “underestimated founders,” many of whom are people of color, women and LGBTQ. They discuss the importance of representation in tech and business, how the VC world works, and why Arlan is hopeful about the future at Backstage.
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Nov 24
What the climate story gets wrong
Hey everyone, it's Nilay. It’s been great being back in the Decoder chair this fall, and we’ve got a bunch of great episodes coming up to round out the year. But the production team is off this week for the holiday, so today, we’re going to share this episode of The Gray Area wit ... Show More
50m 32s
Nov 20
The DoorDash Problem: How AI browsers are a huge threat to Amazon
Okay, let’s talk about AI and what I’ve been calling the “DoorDash problem.” This is about to define the next battle in AI, and it might completely transform not only how you order a sandwich, but also how the entire internet economy works in general.
If you’ve been listening to ... Show More
30m 55s
Nov 17
Ring's Jamie Siminoff thinks AI can reduce crime
Jamie Simonoff, founder of Ring, won't let me call him the CEO. He says his title is and always has been 'chief inventor.' His mission with Ring is to make the world safer, and he has a pretty expansive view of what that means. He told The Verge last month he thought Ring could ' ... Show More
1h 10m
Nov 2021
How VCs Raise Money w/ Lo Toney
<p>Lo is the Founding Managing Partner of Plexo Capital, which is an institutional investment firm he incubated and spun out from GV (Google Ventures).</p><p>On this episode, Lo talks with AfroTech's Will Lucas about how VCs raise capital, the myth of Silicon Valley, and how legi ... Show More
31m 56s
Jun 2024
Don’t Fundraise Unless You Have to, But if You do, Look for this in your Investors - with Sonia W. at VentureSouq | The Perfect Pitch Podcast Ep5
<p>We were thrilled to speak with Sonia Weymuller, one of Dubai’s most active investors who started her VC career by launching the largest angel investor syndicate before professionalizing the firm to become <a href='https://lucidityinsights.com/investors/venturesouq-63'>VentureS ... Show More
41m 16s
Nov 2020
#99 The Friends & Family Gap
In VC, before you pitch investors, you’re expected to get some initial cash from friends and family. Getting this money is a critical first step for a new startup. But what if your friends and family aren’t wealthy? Two founders tell us what that experience is like, and how it’s ... Show More
29m 18s
Oct 2020
20VC: Arlan Hamilton: "We Have Come For Cake, Not The Crumbs", Arlan's Plan To Return $1Bn in 10 Years, Why Arlan Plans To Giveaway or Invest 90% of Her Wealth & What The LP Class Can Do To Ensure More Under-Represented Managers Get Funded
<p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/ArlanWasHere">Arlan Hamilton</a> is the Founder and Managing Partner @ <a href= "https://www.backstagecapital.com/together">Backstage Capital</a>, the seed fund that has paved the way investing exclusively in startups t ... Show More
36m 25s
Dec 2020
ZigZag: Arlan Hamilton says capitalism is still the great equalizer
<p>"Today we're sharing an episode from another TED podcast: ZigZag, hosted by Manoush Zomorodi. </p><p>In 2018, Backstage Capital's Arlan Hamilton was on the cover of Fast Company magazine. The headline was irresistible: homeless, gay, Black woman becomes hot-shot Silicon Valley ... Show More
43m 3s
Apr 2022
1954: The Boston Based VC Fund With 15 Exits and 3 Unicorns
Flint Capital is a Boston-based international VC fund that has raised $250M in two funds and announced that it closed its second fund. Its portfolio includes 45 companies like Flo, Socure, Walkme, CyberX, Cyolo, and 15 successful exits, 3 of which are unicorns. But what is the st ... Show More
31m 44s