Zeal Capital Partners’ Post

Crunchbase reported that only 0.48% of VC funding in 2023 went to Black founders. This disparity is unacceptable. The DFW Black MBAs remain committed to creating wealth-building opportunities for the Black community through equitable access to capital.✊🏾 We are thrilled to announce our return as community partners for this year's Impact Ventures Inclusive Capital Summit . Together, we can find and share resources that allow everyone to live the American dream. 📅 Key Details: Friday, July 26: Economic Justice Jam Summit Kick-off at Life in Deep Ellum, 6 PM - 8 PM (VIP Networking 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM) Saturday, July 27: All-day summit at the Center for Brain Health, 8 AM - 4 PM (light breakfast and lunch included) 🎟️ General Admission: $100 | VIP Experience: $200 DFW Black MBA Members: Check your emails for an exclusive registration offer. 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/g9qSPQyG #DFWBlackMBAs #ImpactVentures #InclusiveCapital #BlackFounders #EconomicJustice

Set-back or step Forward? On Saturday, I was fortunate enough to be selected out of 50 shortlisted companies for a chance to win £10,000 for my company. Firstly, I want to Thank Black Seed, NatWest and anyone else involved in putting on this event. Secondly, I'd like congratulate bubble on their deserved win. The raw emotion they showed emphasised why they were the correct choice. Lastly, shout out to the other finalists, you were amazing too! I won't lie, I'm super competitive and wanted to win. The £10,000 would have helped to roll out the next part of my plan. But it wasn't to be. Over the past couple of weeks I've been getting feedback on my pitch deck and I know where I need it to improve to be investor ready. So Saturday was definitely a step forward, I got to practice my pitch in a room full of people (public speaking makes my skin crawl), I connected with at least 30 amazing people and got some really good advice. Even for the super competitive like myself, it's not always about winning. It sounds so cheesy but learning is just as good. I could have chosen not to pitch, I could have chosen not to attend. The aim is and always will be to push forward. Next stop is to refine the pitch, complete my SEIS and get in touch with some angel investors. I'm also not a boot guy, but I think I'm pulling them off (I take all the small wins hahaha).

Dillon Iwu's article reflects on the transformative financial landscape during the George Floyd era, highlighting a surge in diverse investors supporting underrepresented founders, with a focus on Black entrepreneurs. The piece emphasizes the potential economic impact, as evidenced by a sixfold increase in diverse managers and a commitment from private funds, such as AltFinance, pledging over $90 million to create a talent pipeline from HBCUs. 🚀 Despite challenges, the call for effective public policies to sustain this wave of diverse investments, spearheaded by organizations like the American Investment Council, echoes the need for continued support and expansion. Article Link: https://lnkd.in/e_syuYj8 #FinancialEmpowerment #DiversityInFinance #BlackBusinessInvestment"

I can appreciate this point of view a ton.

This is solid.

UCF is deeply committed to a platform of investment funds that values, prioritizes and benefits from diverse-owned asset managers. To that end, UCF has set industry-leading benchmarks for hiring diverse managers and holding all managers accountable for their own commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion across their firms. Currently, over 60% of UCF’s domestic equities are managed by diverse asset managers, and we are continuing our efforts to achieve at least 60% diverse management across our entire domestic portfolio, with an emphasis on Black-owned and/or Black-managed firms. As part of our celebration of Black History Month, we are pleased to feature Auldbrass Partners of New-York, a Black-owned private equity manager in our Alternatives and Alternatives Balanced Funds. Watch here https://bit.ly/3SvMZOQ #blackhistorymonth #blackhistorymonth2024

The Black Investors Championships: Compete for Black Wealth and Investing Success Join the Black Investors Championships, an exciting stock market competition exclusively for black individuals and families. Compete for the prestigious Black Investors Cup and lifetime access to the Black Business School. Showcase your investing skills and potentially win $50,000! Don't miss out - sign up now for free in Money in the Morning. #BlackInvestorsChampionships #InvestingCompetition #BlackWealth #StockMarketChallenge #InvestingSkills #BlackBusinessSchool #FinancialSuccess #InvestmentStrategy #WealthBuilding #MoneyManagement

The recent article from Wall Street Journal on how more Black Americans are buying stocks moved me to write a blog encouraging them to also become angel investors and why they should do it. Here's a snippet from the blog: "While the rise in Black stock ownership is an encouraging development, it opens up an important discussion about the next steps in wealth-building strategies. Building on this momentum, it’s time to explore the potential for Black investors to transition from being stock buyers to becoming angel investors. This shift could further empower the community by actively participating in the early-stage funding of innovative startups and, in turn, contributing to the creation of generational wealth." Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/etGuQKB9

The investment landscape is diversifying, with more Black professionals and firms rising to prominence despite historical underrepresentation. These firms are not only achieving financial success but are also deeply committed to fostering community empowerment Here’s a look at top Black-owned investment firms leading the way in wealth creation: 🌟 Bay Street Capital Holdings - Based in Palo Alto, this firm is dedicated to inspiring a new generation of diversified investors through investments in alternative asset classes. 🌟 Advent Capital Management, LLC - Established by Tracy Maitland in 1995, Advent uses ESG principles to guide its long-term investment strategies aimed at capital preservation. 🌟 Ariel Investments - Founded by John W. Rogers, Jr. Jr., Ariel Investments stands as the largest Black-owned mutual fund in the U.S., with a focus on supporting minority-owned businesses and enhancing financial education. 🌟Bronze Investments - Stephen DeBerry founded this venture capital firm in 2009 to create impactful investments that are economically, socially, and environmentally positive. 🌟 Brown Capital Management - Led by Eddie Brown since 1983, this is one of the oldest African-American founded asset management companies, focusing on identifying exceptional growth companies. 🌟 Channing Capital Management - Founded in 2003 by Rodney B. Herenton and Wendell E. Mackey, focusing on investments in high-quality value stocks across various sectors. 🌟 GenNx360 Capital Partners - Launched by Ronald Blaylock and Lloyd Trotter in 2006, focusing on sustainable growth within the manufacturing and business services sectors. 🌟 Pugh Capital Management, Inc. - This Seattle-based firm was founded in 1991 by Mary Pugh and Scott Greiwe, specializing in active fixed-income management for institutional clients. 🌟 Vista Equity Partners - Established by Robert F. Smith in 2000, Vista invests in technology firms that leverage software and data to improve economic outcomes and promote diversity. 🌟 Williams Capital Group - Founded by Christopher Williams in 1993, specializing in private and alternative lending secured by real estate. Learn more about these influential firms that are shaping the future of investment. Full article by Bay Street Capital Holdings/William Huston here: https://lnkd.in/d2iak3Y5 #Investment #BlackOwnedBusiness #FinancialInclusion #WealthCreation

The reason Black founders are underfunded is because Black capital allocators are underfunded, because Black institutions and individuals with capital are either underfunded or mismanaged. The reason for all this is because we lack any meaningful productive capacity, which means we do not contribute to the economy except as labor and consumers, neither of which have power in Western capitalism. There's no incentive for any other group to solve this problem for us. Civil Rights Era strategies do not work. Black businesses contribute less than 1% to national GDP. Until we address this, everything we do will amount to treating stage 4 cancer with advil. Non-exhaustive list of solutions: 1) Better management of existing resources, such as: a) using political pressure to 10X the number of municipal, state, and federal contracts going to Black-owned businesses, b) demanding that Black institutions move all deposits to Black-owned banks, and increase their private market allocations to Black fund managers (especially VC, PE, and hedge funds), and c) Asset managers coordinating across asset classes (i.e. hedge funds create platforms and aggregate large sources of demand, which are supplied by VC and PE portfolio companies) 2) Every Black accredited investor should have at least 30%-40% of their portfolios in private markets (not including real estate) in order to move the needle. There's another strategy for retail. 3) Picking 1 or 2 HBCUs to focus on and upgrade to R1 research institutions (this feeds more talent & deal flow into the system at early stages and increases the opportunity for massive asymmetric returns) 4) Concentrate the majority of investment activity in bottom-of-pyramid industries, and dominate at least one of them in key markets 5) Coordinate to keep deal flow internal as much as possible. We need to collaborate on pipelines all the way from friends and family through IPO and back into LBO using both private and public equity and debt. 6) Coordinate with African governments and sovereign wealth funds to contribute to their economic development goals and help increase African productive capacity 7) Engage and activate Black employees at every fortune 500 to use their positions to benefit Black-owned businesses (purchasing, distribution, talent, etc.) Finally, we don't need yet another organization or conference or summit to do this. We have plenty if we can get buy-in and effective leadership/management. Unfortunately most legacy organizations are grossly mismanaged and leadership will most likely need to be replaced, governance structures reimagined, and management systems upgraded in most of them. The level of ignorance about basic economic development among the leadership of most Black organizations I've interacted with is truly maddening, but explains why many are focused on the wrong things. Therefore, members of these organizations must stand up and make demands or withdraw support. See comments for how to support.