📢 HCP Newsletter: Championing Black Voices – Feb 2025
Harlem Capital’s monthly recap on our portfolio, industry news & beyond! 🏎️💨
The Headlines 🗞️
⭐ Changing the Face of Entrepreneurship
February is a special time at Harlem Capital — a moment to reflect, celebrate, and reaffirm our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Black History Month serves as a powerful reminder of why our mission to back diverse founders remains as urgent as ever.
In a recent interview with the Financial Times, our managing partner and founder, Henri-Pierre Jacques, put it best:
"We knew the George Floyd moment would pass. I don’t think we expected it to pass as deeply and as quickly as it did. DEI is an easy target because it’s a formal system. It’s much harder to dismantle informal ones."
At Harlem Capital, we remain steadfast in driving change not just during Black History Month, but every day of the year. 💪
⛳ Putts & Pitches
In partnership with Brex, our Managing Partner Henri hosted a mini golf mixer in Miami to bring together founders and VCs. Nothing beats great company, engaging discussions, and a round of margaritas on the green! 🏌️
🌎 If You Could Change the World
What’s stopping you from thinking bigger? ⛰️
This is the question Partner Brandon Bryant posed to Stanford University Masters and PhD students earlier this month. Brandon shared his 3 steps to change the world and why starting a company will be extremely hard.
Thank you to all the students who joined us for the inspiring session! 🙌
💸 Trailblazing Investors
Our Partner Gabby Cazeau recently spoke at Harvard Business School’s 52nd H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference, joining a panel of industry leaders to discuss the importance of diverse managers and the future of private markets.
She was honored to share the stage with Willie Woods (ICV Partners), Marques Torbet (5th Century Partners), Jason Howard (New Catalyst Strategic Partners), and Saron Tesfalul (Dragoneer).
A big thank you to the HBS Black Investment Club for hosting us!
Portfolio News 🏆
🏡 Insuring the Future with Faura
We’re excited to welcome Faura to our portfolio, an insurtech startup transforming how insurers & homeowners tackle climate risk.
Faura prepares your properties today for the disasters of tomorrow. Congratulations to Co-Founders Valkyrie Holmes and Amanda Southworth! 🔥
🔗 Click here to learn more about the raise.
✨ Black Founders Shaping the NYC Tech Ecosystem
Only 0.4% of all funding went to startups with Black founders last year. Learn more from founder and CEO of TestParty, Michael Bervell who explains why he decided to build in NYC and how he is working towards a more accessible internet for the Tech:NYC Blog. 💡
Harlem Capital Related 🚀
🎖️ Nicole on Venture, Vision & Values
Featured on VC Uncovered, our Principal Nicole DeTomasso she talks about her journey into venture capital, investment philosophy, and future vision:
“I realized there are two critical inputs to success: determination and resourcefulness. If you have both, you can do anything, regardless of who tells you ‘no.’ ”
🥳 Interns After Hours
A gathering of Boston’s brightest! Alongside Partner Gabby Cazeau, current and previous Harlem Capital Interns met up to discuss life updates, AI, and of course, venture capital. Once you join Harlem, you join a life-long community!
🚨 Jobs in VC 🧑🏾💻
Nicole’s weekly VC jobs roundup
Student VC opportunities:
Jobs at HCP portfolio companies harlem.capital/jobs
Helpful Resources 💯
The secret sauce for a successful startup is a Chief of Staff.
Job Openings at Stuf Storage 💼💼
Career openings at Stuf!
The Economics of Generative AI 💰💰
Insights on where value has accrued in GenAI so far.