Capitalize VC

Capitalize VC: Commerce-Enablement Tech with Racial and Gender Equity Mandate Investment Thesis Capitalize VC is a Black-founded, woman-led venture capital fund investing exclusively in commerce-enablement technology companies serving Black and Latinx founders and consumers. The fund was founded in 2021 with an explicit racial equity mandate, pairing platform and CPG investments while recognizing that emerging tech and AI are fundamentally changing the commerce landscape. The firm believes in powering the future of commerce by investing in cutting-edge enablement technologies that support retailers, brands, creators, and manufacturers—particularly those serving underrepresented communities. They focus on solving critical problems across data collection, payments infrastructure, marketing, and operational efficiency. Sector Focus Capitalize VC invests across multiple commerce enablement subsectors: Data & Intelligence: Zero and first-party data collection platforms that unlock retailer and brand intelligence Fintech & Payments: Embedded fintech and financial tools making payments more seamless Marketing Technology: Solutions helping brands attract customers in authentic ways Operations & Sales Tech: Tools creating operational efficiencies that drive revenue or savings Consumer Brands: CPG brands and consumer products serving Black and Latinx consumers Stage Focus and Investment Criteria The fund focuses on two primary investment types: Technology Companies: Pre-seed and seed stage Valuation cap under $10M Post minimum viable product Total addressable market of $1B+ Consumer Brands/CPG: Annual revenue of $250K-$3M Product in market for 1+ year Total addressable market of $500M+ Open to all fast-moving consumer goods categories Check Size Pre-seed technology: $100K-$200K Seed stage: up to higher levels based on traction Consumer brands: $100K-$200K range Fund deployments total approximately $790K across 5 new investments in 2025 Lead Tendency Capitalize VC demonstrates a lead tendency , particularly in pre-seed deals. They led their Series Seed investment in Omega 3 Nutrition in May 2025 and actively structure deals alongside co-investors in their network. Fund Status and Recent Activity Fund Status: Actively Deploying 2025 was an exceptional year with 5 new investments and $790K capital deployed As of January 2026, the fund has made 23 total investments across 20 portfolio companies Fund was founded in 2021 with initial $10M target Fund is in healthy deployment phase with consistent deal flow Recent Investments (2025): Omega 3 Nutrition (May 2025) - Series Seed lead investment Fanfare.io - Creator commerce platform Atronous.ai - AI-powered logistics and intelligence Multiple pre-seed investments throughout year Portfolio Highlights Capitalize VC has built a diverse commerce enablement portfolio with 20 active companies including: Technology Platforms: Airpals (logistics), Bump (retail tech), Gildform (design), Fanfare (creator commerce), Digiphy (digital marketing), Noise (retail analytics), Rivet (operational software), Talawa.ai (AI logistics), Symphonie (supply chain AI), Warrant (retail intelligence), RX-Post (health logistics), Atronous.ai (AI infrastructure), Vow (consumer engagement), Gudea.ai (commerce AI) Consumer Brands: Kribi Coffee (premium coffee), Hanahana Beauty (beauty products), Waitify (hospitality platform) Team Tessa Flippin - Managing Partner & Founder, led fund launch in 2021, prior experience at TechNexus and Genius investing in early-stage companies Vanessa Stepheps - Principal, focuses on sourcing and evaluation of technology investments Simmone Seymour - Associate, supports deal sourcing and portfolio operations Decision Process Partnership with collaborative decision-making. Tessa Flippin leads investment decisions with input from principals and partners. Investment decisions involve the team's collective expertise in commerce tech and understanding of underrepresented founder ecosystems. Founder Preferences Capitalize VC explicitly prioritizes Black and Latinx founders and entrepreneurs, teams building for underrepresented communities, diverse founding teams with authentic understanding of target markets, and founders committed to innovation and inclusivity. Geographic Focus Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with national sourcing networks for diverse founders. Primary focus on companies serving US commerce market with secondary interest in multicultural customer bases. Notable Recognition Signatory to "All for One" open letter (70+ venture funds) supporting racial equity in venture capital. Recognized by Business Insider as one of 50 Black investors changing the VC industry. Supported by Bank of America. Featured in Chicago Inno's Fire Awards. Part of Midwest impact investing movement. Anti-Thesis Capitalize VC avoids ventures not serving their racial equity mandate, non-commerce tech outside their thesis, teams without genuine connection to underrepresented communities, and ventures with primarily white male founding teams outside their specific commerce focus. Warm Introduction Preference Moderate warm introduction preference. Accepts both referrals from existing portfolio, co-investors, trusted ecosystem partners, and direct pitches via Airtable form.