Investors have a huge opportunity to invest in startups led by founders with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

But less than 10% of all venture capital deals go to women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ founders. Luckily the tides are turning, and new funds—as well as many that have been around for a long time—are shifting their focus to seize one of the biggest investment opportunities in tech. 

To date, Backstage Capital has invested over $7M in more than 120 companies led by underrepresented founders.

On today’s episode of the Igniting Startups podcast we’ll be speaking with Anastasia Tarpeh-Ellis. Anastasia joined the team at Backstage in 2016 as Entrepreneur in Residence and ran Backstage Accelerator’s first cohort in Los Angeles as Managing Director. She now leads Special Projects at Backstage Capital, a VC firm that invests in women, people of color, and LBGTQ founders. She’s also the co-founder of bosa, a wellness and productivity app that enables consultants to provide the highest level of service to their clients. 

In this episode, you’ll get to hear Anastasia share her thoughts on why investors should believe and invest in underrepresented founders, how she found a great mentor, the amazing culture at Backstage, and finding a breakthrough in her product. You’ll also get to hear how she was able to get plugged into the culture of tech and the growing tech scene in the Los Angeles area. Tune in for more!

In this episode with Anastasia Tarpeh-Ellis, you’ll learn:

  • How Anastasia broke into tech and entrepreneurship
  • Finding and building a great relationship with a mentor in tech
  • How Anastasia was able to plug into the L.A. tech ecosystem
  • The exciting things happening at Backstage Capital
  • The biggest determinants of success or failure for a startup or an entrepreneur

Please enjoy this conversation with Anastasia Tarpeh-Ellis!

 

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast.

Anastasia Tarpeh-Ellis quotes from this episode of Igniting Startups:

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

Companies and organizations:

Venture capital firms:

 People:

Did you enjoy this conversation? Thank Anastasia Tarpeh-Ellis on Twitter!

If you enjoyed this session and have a few seconds to spare, let Anastasia know via Twitter by clicking on the link below:

Click here to say hi and thank Anastasia on Twitter!

COMMENTS?

What stood out most to you about what Anastasia Tarpeh-Ellis shares in this podcast?

For me, it’s the biggest determinants of success or failure for a startup or an entrepreneur.

You? Leave a comment below.

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