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Available for
Fireside Chat, Q&A, Panel, KeynoteFee Ranges
US East: $25,000 – $35,000*
US West: $25,000 – $35,000*
Europe: $35,000 – $50,000*
Asia: $35,000 – $50,000*
Other: Please inquire
* Ranges are presented as a guideline only. Speaker fees vary by engagement type and are subject to change without notice. For an exact quote, please contact Gravity Speakers.
Traveling From
California, USAAbout
Arlan Hamilton is a remarkable entrepreneur who built a venture capital fund from the ground up, while homeless. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT. Started in 2015, Backstage has now invested nearly $5M into 100 startups led by underestimated founders and has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Quartz. Arlan made history by making the cover of Fast Company as the first Black woman who is not an entertainer or athlete to do so. She and Backstage Studio were also the subjects of Season 7 of the popular Gimlet Media podcast, StartUp.
Arlan entered the venture investing world from an unconventional path. Before launching Backstage Capital, she authored the groundbreaking blog “Your Daily Lesbian Moment”, which she grew to a monthly readership of 50,000 fans worldwide. She has written for AOL, SuicideGirls, and Curve Magazine, and founded and published the internationally distributed indie magazine Interlude. Arlan was also a live music production professional, having served as a tour coordinator to numerous international artists including Toni Braxton and Jason Derulo.
In 2018, Arlan co-founded, along with Investment Partner Christie Pitts, Backstage Studio, a new venture studio designed to build products, services, and initiatives that serve the mission of eliminating underrepresentation in tech by empowering founders and their teams to succeed. Also in 2018, Backstage announced the launch of Backstage Accelerator, a 3-month program designed to give founders the support they need to reach their next critical milestone. Backstage is a fully-remote team that has quickly scaled to 20 employees working together with an ever-expanding roster of world-class mentors and partners.
Topics
Being the Change You Want to See
Ecosystem Innovation
Bootstrapping a Venture Capital Fund
Garnering Attention in a Crowded Landscape
Breaking Rules While Breaking Ground
Approaching Investors
Managing a Remote Team
Black Women in Tech
Launching Startups with Humanity
Arlan Hamilton is available for booking directly through Gravity Speakers and is currently represented by CAA.
Videos
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CES 2019: Technology's Innovators and Disruptors
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CNBC: Backstage Capital Founder Arlan Hamilton wants to Close that gap
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Tech Inclusion SF 2017: Fireside Chat with Arlan Hamilton
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Startup Grind New Haven: Arlan Hamilton - Backstage Capital
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Inspirefest 2018: Arlan Hamilton: Challenging the Status Quo
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Entrepreneur First: Why I Got Into Startups
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ArlanWasHere at San Diego Startup Week
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This Week in Startups: Arlan Hamilton, Backstage: Self-Taught VC, Funds 64 Underrepresented Founders in 2 yrs
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Mary Betsy: Homeless to Venture Capital - Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital
Articles
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Fast Company: Memo to the Silicon Valley boys’ club: Arlan Hamilton has no time for your BS
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Quartz At Work: The improbable rise of America’s hottest VC
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Forbes: Why Arlan Hamilton Created A $36M Fund For Black Women
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GeekWire: How Arlan Hamilton turned her hustle and grit into a minority-focused VC fund investing millions
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INC.com: How This Woman Went From Homelessness to Running a Multimillion-Dollar Venture Fund
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Essence: With Her 'It's About Damn Time' Fund, Arlan Hamilton Is Bringing $36 Million In V.C. Funding To Black Women
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BusinessInsider: A little-known venture fund is raising $36 million to invest exclusively in black female founders, and the head of the firm is calling it the 'About Damn Time fund'
