Visible Figures - Volume #1
A welcome note and intro to VF 3.0, wisdom from Maya, and the scoop on Art Basel.
Hi there,
Welcome to the first edition of the official Visible Figures newsletter. I founded Visible Figures 7 years ago out of a personal need. As one of the few venture-backed Black women founders in 2016, I contended with overwhelming loneliness, imposter syndrome, opacity, and exploitation. I desperately needed to connect with human Beings on a similar path, wearing a similar uniform, fighting a similar war. What began as a private roundtable hosted by Carla Harris with a dozen or so venture-backed Black women founders has evolved into the largest network (~300) of institutionally funded Black women founders and fund managers in the world! Visible Figures hail from the most prestigious companies, universities, accelerators, and fellowships across the world spanning 5 continents, 19 countries, and 37 industries. We’ve collectively raised $2.9B in capital (and growing). In 2024, we’re rebranding, expanding, and launching Visible Figures 3.0 as a community, multi-hyphenate platform, and fund.
Photo: Visible Figures in 2017 at Morgan Stanley HQ (left), Visible Figures in Vanity Fair 2018 (right)
The lessons learned from exiting a startup and leaving a PGF (post-George Floyd) venture fund has led me to the decision to run Visible Figures full-time. I won’t lie; it was not an easy decision, but when I took a long, hard look at what work brings me joy (with some help from Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde, and Jonathan Lowenhar), all signs pointed to you. I’m here for it. I’m here for you. Let’s do this together, with real data, and real human Beings that have the lenses to see our super bright light (sunglasses recommended 😁)!
What I’m reading: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
What I’m jamming: Abundance Meditation by Londrelle (Apple) (Spotify)
A Maji Moment 👑
Video: Maya Angelou speaking to Dave Chappelle on Sundance Channel’s Iconoclast series 2006
Things You Should Know 👀
Art Basel is scheduled to be in Miami next weekend (December 8th - 10th). Several Visible Figures are going (including yours truly), primarily the week before for networking, fundraising, and general hobnobbing. The jury is still out as to whether this event yields substantial capital for Black women founders, fund managers, and/or artists. But if you are looking for a mixture of art, parties, and international beach vibes, I highly recommend you attend. Red Rooster Overtown never disappoints.
Kimberly Dowdel became the first Black woman and 100th president of the American Institute of Architects in the group’s 165 year history. Originally from Detroit, a graduate of Cornell and Harvard Kennedy School, Kimberly has been shaking up the good ol’ boys club of architecture in Chicago for a minute. Love it!
Three Visible Figures’ companies have been acquired this year: PlanetFwd founded by Julia Collins, The Cru founded by Tiffany Dufu, and Mercaris founded by Kellee James. Selling a company is no easy feat, ya’ll! Congratulations to these amazing founders. We will be hosting a fireside and AMA with these superstars for Visible Figures members and subscribers this month!
A Number to Remember 👇🏾
71.5% of Masters degrees earned by Black students, are earned by Black women according to the American Association of University Women. However, 99.97% of total capital under management by Black venture capitalists is controlled by Black men based on the data compiled Harvard Business professor Paul Gompers and Cleo Capital managing director Sarah Kunst (Axios).