Arlan Capital - Portfolio

Hi! I'm Arlan, the founder and managing partner of Backstage Capital, a boutique venture fund that invests in overachieving, underestimated, founders. In addition to my firm's nearly 200 direct startup investments made since 2015, I have committed personal capital to more than 20 emerging managers. I believe this is another way I can catalyze the startup and investment ecosystem in a meaningful way. Below are some of the amazing funds that I am proud to back with funding and other support. If you are an LP (limited partner), consider reaching out for more information. If you are a startup founder from an underrepresented, underestimated community, these savvy investors want to hear from you!

Description: Capitalize VC is a Chicago-based venture capital investment firm focused on connecting Black and Latinx founders with access to a diverse community of investors and advisors. The Firm’s investment approach features what it believes to be a unique structure that has the potential to deliver venture capital returns via traditional venture investments, plus the potential for earlier liquidity generated from its revenue-based equity buy back model.

The Firm focuses on enterprise venture solutions in fintech, ad tech, the future of work and direct-to-consumer e-commerce lifestyle brands.

Description: First Close Partners backs venture funds owned by underrepresented managers (“URMs”) -- especially to help them get to a “first close.” We invest in venture capital firms owned and operated by URMs who are people of color, women, LGBTQIA+, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, and members of other groups that have been historically underrepresented, especially (but not solely) in the venture capital industry. The venture capital funds into which we have invested are predominantly located in the US, Europe and Africa.

Description: Ganas Ventures invests in pre-seed and seed Web 2 and Web 3 community-driven startups in the US and Latin America.

We write $100K checks to founders with ganas and a big vision to address big problems in growing markets thru a sustainable go-to-community strategy.

We help our portfolio companies with sales, community, and fundraising strategies by leveraging our expertise, proprietary tools, WhatsApp, and our Ganas LP, mentor, and support community.

We’re on a mission to produce outsized returns con ganas! And, while we’re at it, we’re changing the narrative of who VCs are, who we invest in, and how companies become unicorns by just being us.

Description: Realist Ventures strategically invests in founders and ideas at the development, seed, and early stage of Saas, technology and software companies. We invest in companies that are capital efficient with realistic valuations of progress today and in the future. Our pragmatic approach aligns both founders and investors in a trajectory for optimal returns and success.

With an experienced team and network of technologists, operators, academics, management consultants, industry thought leaders, etc., we work diligently with founders to build sound business foundations that advance holistic objectives of stellar growth and profitability.

Description: Sahil Lavingia Rolling Fund is structured as a series of quarterly funds.

Unlike investing in a traditional venture fund, when an LP invests in Sahil Lavingia Rolling Fund:

1An LP follows a flexible, quarterly investment schedule rather than a one-time commitment to a fund. An LP participates in investments Sahil Lavingia Rolling Fund makes for each quarterly fund the LP invests in.

2LPs can subscribe for future quarterly funds in advance and easily commit more or less capital as their investment goals change.

Description: The mission of 100 Black Angels & Allies Fund I is to align smart, affluent, innovative and skilled Black and ally capital to build a scalable and sustainable Black technology, startup entrepreneurship and venture ecosystem that powers a global Diasporic engine and platform to ensure that Black people everywhere are equitably represented at all levels in the future of work, startup ecosystem and forthcoming 4th Industrial Revolution as a definitive path to decreasing income inequality and the racial wealth gap. This is the path to shared prosperity and multi-generational wealth creation with no reliance on pre-existing multi-generational wealth.

Arlan's LP Portfolio

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