Arlan Hamilton
In 2015, Arlan Hamilton was homeless. But at the same time, she was building Backstage Capital, a fund that invests in start-up founders who identify as people of color, women, and/or LGBTQ+. It all started when Hamilton became deeply interested in start-ups and entrepreneurship and dove deep into the world of venture capital. What she found fueled a need to create major change in the industry. “I found out that only 0.2 percent of venture capital funding was allocated to Black women founders, and that most of the time, venture capitalists had a ‘type’ they invested in,” she tells GO. “I wanted to show that people like me: people of colour, women, and those in the LGBTQ community, were just as smart, inventive, and worthy of investment as the straight white men of the world.” Since its founding, the fund has raised more than $10 million and has invested in 130 companies that are often overlooked and underestimated. Hamilton expanded her mission In 2018 when she started Backstage Studio, which launched a number of accelerator programs for underestimated founders in Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and London. The same year, she became the first Black woman non-celebrity featured on the cover of Fast Company magazine. And whether she’s speaking in a boardroom or posing for a photoshoot, Hamilton doesn’t try to be anyone but herself. “You are a unique person,” she says, “and only you can provide your point of view, so speak up, let yourself be heard, and let yourself be seen!” Hamilton’s book, “It’s About Damn Time,” about her life and the transition from “food-stamp recipient to venture capitalist,” is out now. —GP
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