Zeal Capital Partners

We are excited to announce that Zeal Capital Partners has led the $8 million series A financing round for Rising Team, a team performance platform that enables companies to increase employee engagement and retention, scale talent development, and improve culture and connection. The role of team development tools in today’s workplace is crucial for maintaining culture and profitability. We have strong conviction in Jennifer Dulski's leadership and are thrilled to invest in Rising Team's next stage of growth.

We are looking forward to our Fourth Annual Zeal Summit: Reimagining Work, Wealth, and Wellness! On November 13-14, 2024, we will convene in Washington, DC, bringing together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers. This year’s Summit tackles market trends that continue to shape financial services, health, and work. Our goal remains consistent, to embark in meaningful discussion that is directly tied to building a stronger, and more equitable entrepreneurial and venture ecosystem. A special thanks to our partners Amazon JPMorganChase, and Cooley LLP for powering this year’s convening. Richard Odior Emily Zhen Bianca Phillip Susannah Burrage Stefanie A. Thomas Nasir C. Qadree #ZealSummit #FinancialServices #Health #Work

🎉 We are thrilled to announce that our Founder & Managing Partner, Nasir C. Qadree, has been honored with the Dealmaker of the Year Award at this year's Smart Business Dealmakers Conference! Congratulations to Nasir and the outstanding local ecosystem investment leaders being recognized, including Tarrus Richardson, Melissa Bradley, Dahna Goldstein, Lisa Friedlander, Tien Wong, and McKeever (Mac) Conwell,II. This recognition highlights the incredible work being done across the DMV region, and we’re proud to be part of a community driving innovation & policy, impact, and growth.

At Zeal, we have pioneered Inclusive Investing, a strategy that enables systems change while keeping financial returns front and center. We partner with diverse management teams who are narrowing wealth, skills, and healthcare gaps. For today’s Founder Feature, we're excited to hear from Fernando Rodriguez-Villa and Brian DeAngelis of AdeptID! "In our own ways, we each grew up watching our parents do 'meaningful work' that combined hard skills, a good wage, a sense of values, and enjoyment. Sadly, there are realities that make this pursuit too hard for too many. Most working people have skills, experiences, and profiles that existing employers struggle to understand. Increasingly, employers are burdened with costs as they struggle to find talent for roles they need. The more the economy changes, the more this gap (and this expensive pain point) widens. Employers fail to find the great talent that is out there - which is an amazing and important opportunity for the AI we've spent our careers working on. Our firsthand observations of this problem drove us to start AdeptID, a Boston-based B-corp that uses AI to better understand human talent and connect overlooked workers to in-demand jobs. We’ve grown revenue 3X year over year and are working with partners such as UKG, Bullhorn, Avionte, Year Up, and OneTen. These players use AdeptID's technology to rapidly identify promising candidates in a pipeline, while simultaneously growing that pipeline by identifying those who might otherwise be overlooked for a job. We are only getting started. AdeptID is powerful enough to truly understand human talent and connect it to the ever changing demands of the 21st century economy. Soon, simplistic matching solutions that fail to identify nuanced skills and labor intensive staffing firms that cost far too much will be solutions of the past. At AdeptID, we aspire to support every job transition in the world."

We are thrilled to announce that our portfolio company, Sigo Seguros, has successfully raised $10.5M in their Series A financing! 🎉 Sigo Seguros is leading the way in providing inclusive insurance products for the underserved Spanish-speaking community, breaking down barriers in the insurtech space. This financing round will help them further expand their operations, enhance product offerings, and continue their mission to create equitable access to essential services. We proud of the tireless leader in Nestor Hugo Solari, the amazing work the team at Sigo is accomplishing, and excited for what’s ahead! 👏🏽 #Insurtech #InclusiveInnovation #SeriesA #MissionDrivenInvesting #FinancialInclusion #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #InclusiveInvesting

We’re proud to support Miraj Patel, Andrew Scarborough, and the Harness team on this game-changing partnership with GameChange. Together, they are revolutionizing how fans can support school athletic programs, creating impactful connections within communities. Harness’s innovative approach continues to redefine the giving landscape, and we couldn’t be more excited to back such visionary leaders. Here’s to amplifying community growth and empowering local schools across the country! Let’s keep pushing boundaries and #HarnessTheFuture! 🚀🎉 Let's gooo!

I just finished watching this interview and it's motivating to hear someone like Nasir tell his story and the "why" behind his firm Zeal Capital Partners...

Join us for the next session in our workshop series, focused on mastering the Venture Capital term sheet. Andrew Harper and Hilarie Bellis Sexton from Goodwin and Teddy Tankersley from EY will guide you through a sample term sheet, covering key economic and control terms, and sharing real-world examples to help you navigate common pitfalls. We'll also explore how specific provisions can impact future financing rounds and discuss strategies for negotiating terms that support long-term growth. The session will conclude with an interactive Q&A, where you can address specific challenges. The workshop will be moderated by Emily Zhen from Zeal Capital Partners. These workshops are open exclusively to EVCA members. To register, check Slack and watch for RSVP links in the upcoming member digests.

We are excited to share that our very own Bianca Phillip, will be speaking at this years Baddies in Tech convening in NYC Aug. 15-18th. Bianca will lead a discussion on best practices for women of color entrepreneurs securing capital for their businesses. This panel aims to demystify the funding process and provide actionable tips for entrepreneurs considering raising their first or next financing round. #WomenofColor #AccessToCapital #Equity #VentureCapital

Elevating the stories of fund managers and entrepreneurs is a must for all of our collective growth and success. It's important that we recognize and understand each other's unique track records and contributions. I thoroughly enjoyed this interview with Tony O. Lawson, which highlights the impactful work we're executing at Zeal Capital Partners and founders we are proud to champion. Let's continue to share and celebrate our respective journeys! #Entrepreneurship #FundManagers #Storytelling #InclusiveInvesting