At Collab Capital, we are committed to investing in innovative, early-stage, Black-owned companies. We are particularly interested in companies focused on three core areas:

The Future of Learning

Schools, universities and adult education providers have traditionally lagged behind other sectors from a technology standpoint. The Covid-19 pandemic and the move to remote learning emphasized a number of pre-existing pain points, including many that disproportionately affected Black students. We would love to meet startups on the cusp of the latest research and trends in education who are finding innovative ways to deliver information via technology.

We see broad access to knowledge, high quality care, and tools to work efficiently as core to a productive and enjoyable life. Historically, Black people have not been adequately considered in the systems, products and services that govern these areas. We want to ensure Black-owned companies have an equitable stake in the future of these industries and a platform to deliver more inclusive solutions and better outcomes for Black communities.

Black founders represent both the fastest growing entrepreneurial segment and the most under-resourced and under-networked segment in the US. At the intersection of these truths lies a massive market opportunity.

We are laser-focused on investing in companies that have at least one founder who identifies as Black/African American (this founder must also have a controlling equity stake in the company). To learn more about our mission to support Black founders, check out this blog post from our Managing Partner, Justin Dawkins.

We are looking for early-stage companies . At minimum, we like to see a minimally viable product that has already been tested. Ideally, the product should already be on the market and generating some recurring revenue, as it signals that people are willing to pay for it. If your product is still in the idea stage, or you’re still building your MVP, you are likely too early for us.

We write first checks between $500-750K and follow on investments up to $2M. Our initial check size typically allows founders to reach the key milestones in their early stage startup, and therefore we prefer to either lead deals or be the sole investors in the round. We will participate in larger rounds on a very limited basis, however, the majority of our investments will be made on our SPACE agreement. To explore investment scenarios please read Jewel’s blog post.