Arlan Hamilton — Founder, Backstage Capital

**Arlan Hamilton** is the founder and Managing Partner of **Backstage Capital**, a venture capital firm that invests exclusively in companies led by underrepresented founders — women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. She founded Backstage in 2015 while experiencing homelessness, raising her first fund by cold-emailing investors and sleeping on the floor of the San Francisco airport between meetings. She has since invested in 200+ companies and raised multiple funds.