
Main Activities
The main activity of The Pride Fund is venture capital investment, with a particular focus on supporting entrepreneurs, companies and projects originating from the LGBTQI+/queer community. The company primarily provides resources and capital to startups and businesses at the pre-seed, seed and Series A stages, with an emphasis on LGBTQI+ founders and ventures. In addition to investment, The Pride Fund offers educational and support initiatives to cultivate the knowledge and experiences of entrepreneurs and the community. The target market consists of LGBTQI+/queer entrepreneurs, investors wishing to support diversity and inclusion, as well as high social-impact companies within that community.
History
Pride Fund (Pride VC) is a venture capital fund founded on the values of transparency, honesty, responsibility, and high diligence. Its main mission is to support and invest in LGBTQI+/queer businesses and entrepreneurs, with a focus on positive impact within the relevant communities.
Key milestones in its development:
- Creation: Pride Fund was created to address a lack of representation and support for LGBTQI+ entrepreneurs in the venture capital sector.
- Positioning: The fund focuses on investing in companies at various stages (pre-seed, seed, Series A) led by LGBTQI+ founders or having a direct impact on these communities.
- Products and services: Pride Fund offers investments, resources, educational support, and a network to foster the success of LGBTQI+ entrepreneurs.
- Partnerships and recognition: The fund was invited to the White House, marking an important milestone for LGBTQI+ venture capital visibility. It has also participated in major events such as the NYSE Impact Investment, highlighting its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Recent innovations: Pride Fund now accepts donations via Donor Advised Funds (DAF) thanks to a partnership with Inspire Access, thus expanding its funding sources.
- Community engagement: The fund highlights cultural and media initiatives, such as the broadcast of “King of Drag” on the LGBTQ+ platform Revry, and regularly shares testimonials and news about its activities and impact.
Pride Fund continues to grow by investing in innovative companies, educating the community, and inspiring the next generation of LGBTQI+ entrepreneurs.
Team
The Pride ESG Fund and the Pride VC investment fund are led by a team whose main members are:
- T. Wolf Starr – Managing Partner (he/him)
LinkedIn | Twitter - Michael J. Smithson – Chief Growth Officer (he/him)
LinkedIn | Twitter - Densil R. Porteous – CEO-Emeritus (he/they)
LinkedIn | Twitter
The team focuses on investing in, educating, and empowering LGBTQI+ and queer entrepreneurs.
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