Black Star Fund

Black Star Fund Research Investment Thesis Black Star Fund is one of only six US venture capital firms that are both Black-led and have an all-Black founder portfolio. The fund's core thesis is that best-in-class Black-led, high-growth companies represent a new asset class that produces outsized returns. The firm believes that Black founders and their companies, which have been historically overlooked, undervalued, and undercapitalized, represent a watershed investment opportunity. Rather than just providing capital, Black Star Fund takes a "harvest is only as good as cultivation" philosophy, providing extensive portfolio support and operational guidance to hyper-accelerate founder success. Investment Philosophy Black Star Fund goes far beyond capital deployment. Their investment model emphasizes: High-touch Portfolio Management : Direct business development and operational support from a dedicated team Strategic Network Leveraging : Extensive network of decision-makers throughout the United States to facilitate investment syndication and partnership opportunities for portfolio companies Marketing and Brand Expertise : Decades of production and media expertise to enhance brand equity and market positioning for portfolio companies Founder-Centric Approach : Recognition that founder quality and diversity drive outsized returns Stage and Check Size Focus Black Star Fund primarily invests at the early stage: Pre-Seed to Seed : Typical investments in the $50K-$1M range Primary Focus : Pre-seed and seed-stage companies with Black founders Portfolio Range : The fund has deployed capital across 19 portfolio companies with $180M+ raised collectively across the portfolio Capital Efficiency : With only $12M AUM in Fund I, the fund demonstrates capital discipline and focus Portfolio and Sector Distribution Black Star Fund's portfolio spans multiple sectors including: Technology : Including companies like CEEK Metaverse, Vurple, Acclinate (health tech) Consumer Goods : Partake Foods, AYO Foods, Win-Win Media & Entertainment : Take Back The Mic Studios, Bandwagon, Mixtroz (music platform) Healthcare : ViuHealth, Acclinate (digital health solutions) Consumer Apps : Actively Black (social commerce), Reviver (retail tech) Other : The MOST (consumer), PopCom, Soko The firm maintains a remarkable 50:50 gender parity in its portfolio and has deployed 62% of capital to Black women entrepreneurs—demonstrating a clear commitment to intersectional diversity. Team and Leadership Kwame Anku - Managing Partner & Chief Investment Officer Founding Managing Partner of Black Star Fund Named 2022 Entrepreneur of the Year by Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow (one of only 21 recipients) Previously recruited by Prince to develop his mobile app, managing teams across Africa, Asia, and US Subject matter expert on CNN, MSNBC, BBC Worldwide, SiriusXM, NPR Invited to Obama White House twice to discuss innovation and entrepreneurship Keynote speaker at Harvard Business School, Stanford Law, Aspen Ideas Festival, SXSW, TEDx Ghana Stanford University honors graduate Sarah Lynn - Head of Operations Designs and implements fund operations policies and procedures 12 years in events industry, including 5+ years at SXSW managing 400+ VIP speakers Bachelor of Science from Stephen F. Austin State University Based in Dallas, TX Alex Gill - Head of Growth Strategy Strategizes and executes growth opportunities for portfolio companies Former Consultant at Bain & Company (4 years) Stanford graduate (2018) in Symbolic Systems with HCI focus Based in New York, NY Fund Status and Recent Activity Fund Structure: Black Star Fund I: $12M AUM (Closed July 2021) Black Star Fund I Growth Fund: In fundraising for follow-on investments in Fund I companies Black Star Fund II: In fundraising for new company investments Recent Activity (2024-2025): Latest investment: Partake Foods (April 2024) Recent investment: The Most (February 2024) Active portfolio engagement across all 19 companies with increasing press features Geographic Focus Primary : United States (Sacramento-based, but national reach) Secondary : Africa (explicit mention in investment thesis) Founder Preferences Black Star Fund explicitly targets: Black founders (all-Black founder portfolio) Experienced entrepreneurs Founder-operators with vision Sectors with Black consumer relevance Notable Portfolio Companies Companies with major recognition include Acclinate (digital health), Actively Black (social commerce), Partake Foods (better-for-you snacks), Take Back The Mic Studios (content), CEEK Metaverse, and Reviver (retail tech). Portfolio has collectively raised $180M+ demonstrating strong investor appeal.