HCP Newsletter: Road to 1,000 - Jan 2020 🚀
The Road to 1,000 newsletter is Harlem Capital’s monthly recap of updates on our portfolio companies, industry news, content, and events we suggest to check out and more!
Happy 2020!
It's our first newsletter, thank you for "joining the mission"! 2019 was a BIG year for the Harlem Capital team. Let's go by the numbers.
We oversubscribed our Harlem Capital Fund I at $40.3mm. Comprised of 55 LPs (investors) who were 50% women or POC. Invested in 8 companies + 2 follow-on investments. Hired a Senior Associate; Gabby Cazeau. Received 1,485 intern applications and hired 25 interns.
Full recap of 2019 will be sent out in the February newsletter!
Portfolio News
More than two-thirds of households in the United States own a pet, and Americans spend about $70 billion on pets a year. See how Wagmo, a wellness first pet company plans to help Americans take care of their pets. via Alley Watch
With 2019 behind us, many folks have shared their learnings from being a founder. Read the five lessons learned in 2019 from Co-founders of Shine (Naomi Hirabayashi & Marah Lidey), the self-care community for all of us.
Top Diversity & Tech News
One of the most thorough breakdowns of diversity and inclusion in tech in 2019, and a brief glimpse of the future from Megan Rose Dickey. via Tech Crunch
Take a deep dive to understand the parts of the black tech ecosystem and how more black founders can raise venture capital. via Fast Company
Have you ever wondered if there was a "secret playbook" that explains how to raise your first round of capital or follow-on rounds? What metrics to include, how to tell the story, and even templates? Our friends at Emergence Capital created a "secret playbook" for fundraising.
Harlem Capital Related
To announce the close of Harlem Capital Fund I, the partners made a few stops to share our mission to invest in diverse founders on live TV. Check out the interviews; Jarrid & John Henry stopped by Yahoo Finance and Henri & Brandon went to the NYSE to chat with Cheddar.
"In order to create robust solutions in our rapidly changing world, the businesses of tomorrow need to reflect the ideas, potential, and creativity of a more diverse set of people. We will only see those outcomes realized when we provide capital to founders that have historically been underfunded" Gabby Cazeau, learn more in her recent interview with Supermaker.
We are pleased to announce Harlem Capital’s 2020 Winter Intern Class, our seventh intern class. The applicants were chosen from a pool of 565 applications, 32% of which were women and 60% Black and Latinx. There continues to be a diverse pipeline of talent as this was our largest application pool to date. via Medium
Suggested Content
Not many folks have the story of intern to CEO. It doesn't stop there, add board member of JP Morgan, Starbucks, Estee Lauder and video content company Quibi. Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO of Ariel Investments, shares insights from her 28 year career with quite a few quotes you may want to share to your twitter feed. via Forbes
Coming Up Soon!
2/20 - Black History Month Event in Partnership with Facebook @ Facebook HQ
4/22 - Inaugural Harlem Capital Pitch Competition @ Harlem Location