Founder Friday: Celebrating LGBTQ+ Founders & VCs
We couldn’t have Pride Month pass without featuring some of the top LGBTQ+ founders and VCs on Founder Friday. We did the heavy lifting for you and curated some of the best articles we found celebrating the LGBTQ+ startup world…
First, we recommend checking out PitchBook‘s “33 LGBTQ+ founders, entrepreneurs and VCs you should know.” You’ll see organizations and platforms you know and love but might not have any idea their founders are LGBTQ+. And while their VC list includes some recognizable names, it also highlights LGBTQ+ specific funds and investors.
Next up is a Medium post by Cristal S. Harris of FounderGym titled “Meet 5 LGBTQ+ People Showing Their Pride as Tech Startup Founders.” This article gave some real meat and potatoes about what LGBTQ+ founders have faced on their startup journeys, how their being LGBTQ+ makes them stronger founders, how to find and/or create a community with other LGBTQ+ founders, and more. Great piece.
Third on the list is a post from The Helm; a venture firm focused on funding female founders. “23 LGBTQIA+ Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2021” features tech founders tied to wearable tech, mitigating unconscious bias in hiring, and DE&I workplace initiatives. You’ll see some familiar names on PitchBook’s list and some new ones, not just tied to tech.
Finally, we recommend reading ImpactAlpha‘s “LGBTQ+ focused venture capital firm comes out for Pride month.” It’s focused on the startup story for a new venture firm, Colorful Capital. It mixes some of the partners’ stories with what some LGBTQ+ founders were facing when trying to raise funds. While a short read, it’s fantastic.
Additional readings that we highly recommend but that aren’t precisely founder-focused…
- Fast Company: Announcing The 2022 Queer 50 List
- TechGig: Top 5 most influential LGBTQ+ tech leaders