I’ve always lived in two worlds and had to navigate the challenges that come with being biracial.
My white mother would tell me, “Now believe me, you came through me. However, in this world, you will always be perceived as Black, and that’s who you need to help. White people will get all the help they need by hook or by crook. But if you have the opportunity in your career or life, you should help people that look like you.”
My dad called me a “professional volunteer” for always giving my time and energy to every cause I believed in from helping train LA police officers to understand the point of view of Black males during the Rodney King era, to directing a program where we brought banking CEOs to inner city schools to teach kids the basics of banking.
As a master of living between two worlds and two cultures, and as VCI’s Director of Programs, it’s a pleasure to help our fellows break into an industry where very few professionals look like them. I’m used to being the only Black woman in the room. Similarly, our fellows and all the funds in our ecosystem have been uncomfortable for so long that we want to make it comfortable for everyone that comes after us.
These funds, these people, this program make me believe that more people will be able to see more, do more, and be more. We will remove systemic limitations that are placed on us. We will make possibilities into reality.
All of us at VCI believe our individual success is only possible with our collective success. With that, we are thrilled to announce our newest cohort of VCI fellows.
With success,
Jodi Brockington
Director of Programs
Drumroll 🥁
We are thrilled to announce this year's cohort for VC Include's Fellowship for BIPOC First Time Fund Managers! Twelve venture capital and private equity funds were selected who collectively represent a total of fifteen emerging fund managers that joined the 2-month education and mentoring program.
“I’m thrilled to welcome this year's cohort of New Majority, next generation fund managers and wealth creators, coming on the heels of a massively successful first cohort of fund managers that have closed their first VC and PE funds” says VCI’s founder, Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson.
This year's INCLUDE Conference will be on November 11th, 2022 in the Bay Area! The INCLUDE team will host a day of intimate connection with inspiring women and BIPOC-led asset management firms that are creating impact by investing in climate solutions, diverse teams, and leading-edge technology companies.
The INCLUDE Conference convenes a curated community of New Majority emerging fund managers + LPs (corporations, family offices, foundations and endowments) who are looking to explore + deepen relationships with pre-screened, diverse GPs in Venture Capital and Private Equity that are focused on generating alpha + impact.
Space will be limited, so if you are interested in attending please RSVP below.
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact erika@vcinclude.com.
Give a big round of applause to our inaugural 2021 cohort of VCI fellows who have successfully raised significant capital or have closed their fund! 👏🏼👏🏾👏🏿
+ Apis & Heritage Capital Partners
+ Collide Capital
+ E2JDJ
+ NIREMIA Collective
+ Ruthless for Good
+ Supply Change Capital
+ Wynne Studios
Also, congratulations to Sergio Marrero who is executing his strategy at The Robin Hood Foundation!
New Partnership!
We're thrilled to share that The Nasdaq Foundation is supporting VC Include with a grant towards our Fellowship for BIPOC First-Time Fund Managers! This grant will help us advance our mission of building a more accessible and diverse investor ecosystem by educating and training the next generation of institutional grade BIPOC and women impact fund managers.
“We’re excited to add VC Include to our community of passionate Nasdaq Foundation grant recipients that work tirelessly to accelerate investor engagement. Their programs focused on promoting and mentoring historically underrepresented and women-led fund managers align very well with The Nasdaq Foundation’s mission to advance inclusive growth and economic progress for all, and I look forward to celebrating the impact of their programs,” said Jailan Griffiths, President of the Nasdaq Foundation and Head of Purpose.
Thought Leadership
Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson joined Alicia Hanf, Claudette Zepeda, Genevieve LeMarchal, and Katie Loeb at the LG Nova Innovation Festival for a conversation about the role of women in innovation, the challenges yet to be overcome, and next steps in bringing more women to the table to drive positive outcomes for our communities and the planet.
Coming Up
Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson will be featured, October 13th, on TBLI Talk: Inclusive Impact Investing: Mining the New Source of Alpha hosted by Robert Rubenstein where they will discuss:
The leading women investing in climate change + sustainability in the US, the UK and Africa
How impact investing is scaling + driving more gender, racial and regional diversity internationally
What measurement frameworks are working for double + triple bottom line impact
