📢 HCP Newsletter: Monumental Milestones & Voyage into VC 📈 – January 2024
Harlem Capital’s monthly recap on our portfolio companies, industry news, events & beyond! 🏎️💨
The Headlines 🗞️
💯 HCP’s 2023 By the Numbers
We begin the year by taking a quick moment to reflect on the year that was.
In 2023, Harlem Capital…
Invested in 11 companies across these three sectors:
5 - Vertical Software
3 - Enterprise Software
3 - AI-focused
Hosted 10 events across 6 cities
Published 10 reports
Extended 3 promotions
Hosted 18 interns
Stay tuned for everything we have in store for 2024!
✈️ HCP Heads West
Last month, the HCP team spent a week in San Francisco for our quarterly retreat. We had the chance to co-host a happy hour alongside Bessemer Venture Partners at BVP’s HQ.
The event aimed to provide a space for individuals motivated to build a more diverse and inclusive tech ecosystem. Top founders, operators, and investors all gathered at Bessemer’s HQ for an evening filled with good eats and even better conversation.
🎨 Harlem Capital Makes a Splash at Basel
Harlem Capital teamed up with Amex Ventures to host our final event of 2023 at Art Basel. Our commitment to community is core to our identity as a fund.
We gathered over 100 founders, investors, and operators to kick off the dynamic and festive week in Miami. In addition to Basel, we also hosted the following events in 2023:
1 Annual Meeting for our LPs
1 Founder Summit: Harlem Capital Homecoming
2 Operator Meetups
3 Team Retreats
6 Founder and VC Happy Hours
6 Webinars for our Harlem Capital portfolio founders
🚀 Ushering in the ‘New Era of Compliance’
HCP recently published a blog exploring the evolving role of compliance in the business world.
While often perceived as a hindrance – or even anti-innovation – compliance is becoming a crucial aspect in highly regulated industries, shaping organizational possibilities beyond its traditional gatekeeper role. With companies, especially those utilizing AI, facing increased regulatory pressures, the focus on transparency in safeguarding information is growing.
If you are building or working in this space, we’d love to chat with you! Reach out to us at info@harlem.capital.
Portfolio News 🏆
🎬 Call it a Comeback
Grab your popcorn! MoviePass announced that subscribers can finally get tickets online, and it’s part of a revolutionary return to the movie theaters.
🎮 Iconic Fintech Collab
California-based fintech firm Grow Credit, has joined forces with HCP portfolio company Ugami, a gaming rewards platform. Ugami, which launched a debit card in 2023, plans to introduce a credit card to a waitlist of 265,000 gamers in 2024.
💭 Community at Chatdesk
Are you a dynamic community builder looking for your next gig? Do you have proven experience leading initiatives online and in person? Do you have experience planning and executing events for a high-growth company? Then we have the perfect opportunity for you: Community & Events Manager at Chatdesk, a startup that’s transforming customer experience for top brands.
🍽️ Sauce Tops The Menu
Sauce co-founder and CEO Colin Webb is a QSR’s 20 Digital Disruptor Pushing the Restaurant Industry Forward.
📦 Packing a Powerful Punch
Katharine Lau, co-founder and CEO of Stuf Storage, was named one of “The 20 young leaders who are building a new future for the real-estate industry in 2023” by Business Insider.
Harlem Capital Related 🚀
🎉 Melody Promoted to Director of Platform and Community
Harlem Capital is thrilled to announce the promotion of Melody Hahm to the role of Director of Platform and Community, celebrating her dynamic contributions since joining in summer 2021.
Melody's strategic thinking and brand-building prowess have been evident in leading the firm's platform responsibilities, including brand and content, post-investment support, and major initiatives like the founder summit and AGM.
Under her direction, the HCP platform has provided six-figure savings for portfolio founders. A much-deserved recognition!
To stay updated on Melody's insights and contributions, follow her on LinkedIn and X.
👀 Henri, Changing the Game
Harlem Capital proudly announces the recognition of Henri Pierre-Jacques in the inaugural UrbanGeekz Top 50 Gamechangers in Tech. Securing the #3 spot on the list, this accolade highlights Henri’s impactful contributions to the innovation economy.
UrbanGeekz’s list celebrates trailblazing Black disruptors in venture, technology, and entrepreneurship.
🎙️ More Equity: Media Masterminds
*tap tap* Mic check, mic check, 1, 2, 3…Learn from some of the most influential brandbuilders in the tech and venture landscape as they give our own Nicole DeTommaso a peek behind the curtain.
A few episodes to binge during your next break or commute: VC Nichole Wischoff | Sapphire Partners’ Beezer Clarkson | Career Karma CEO Ruben Harris | Hustle Fund General Partner Elizabeth Yin
🌟 The Sparkling Winter 2024 Intern Class
We’re elated to introduce our 6 winter interns, alongside our two returning fellows.
Harlem Capital's internship program, now in its 7th year, continues to be a breeding ground for exceptional talent. With a rigorous selection process, this cohort was chosen from a pool of 1,117 applications, representing a 0.5% acceptance rate.
We aim to demystify VC for aspiring individuals and founders seeking funding beyond our network. With 111 interns over 19 classes and a total of 13,908 applicants, we take pride in offering opportunities to diverse talent.
As we open resources like The Harlem Capital Syllabus to the public, we invite VC firms to join our Talent Collective for access to top diverse profiles.
Our Summer 2024 application is now open until February 6th, APPLY or SHARE.
Helpful Resources 💯
Hustle Fund’s Ultimate Fundraising Guide 💲
A comprehensive playbook to help first-time founders raise millions of dollars
Menlo Ventures’ The Modern AI Stack 📚
Design principles for the future of Enterprise AI architectures
Cowboy Ventures: Welcome Back to the Unicorn Club, 10 Years Later 🦄
The firm that dubbed the term ‘unicorn’ reflects on the last decade
If you liked what you read, share it with a friend. See you next month!