Visible Hands
Boston, MA · Invests in US · Website
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🔒 $•• – $••Thesis
Exceptional founders from overlooked backgrounds (women, people of color, LGBTQ+) can build unicorns if given capital, support, and belief at the earliest stage. We invest before institutional bias catches up, capturing outsized returns while advancing founder diversity.
Likely not a fit for
We avoid founders who lack resilience, are not coachable, or cannot dedicate time to support programs. Sector-agnostic but require evidence of founder-market fit or MVP.
How they invest
- Lead or follow
- Usually leads
- Typical decision
- ~1 month
- Warm intro
- Not required
- Involvement
- Takes a board seat
- Fund status
- Actively deploying
- Assets under mgmt
- $10.5M
- Decision process
- Partnership vote
Partners & team
5 contacts on file
Portfolio
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Recent activity
- Mar 2025
Spill
Pre-Seed · Lead
Visible Hands in the news
Norman Oder | Substack
The Tsais' BK-XL Accelerator Put $4M+ Into 17 BIPOC-Led Start-Ups. Was This "Wealth Creation in Brooklyn"?
4 months ago
NYCEDC Unveils Selection of 60 Early-Stage Startups to Participate in Fifth Cohort of the Founder Fellowship
6 months ago
Endowment OCIO: ‘Stronger demand than ever’ for VC funds
6 months ago
NYCEDC Announces Applications for 2026 Founder Fellowship Program, Addressing Inequities in Tech Ecosystem and Launch of Founder Alumni Program
9 months ago
Family offices are quietly using venture studios to build companies
Jul 2025
Family offices are quietly using venture studios to build companies
Jul 2025
Nancy Torres joins Open Opportunity Fund
Apr 2025
Visible Hands: Professional Asset Managers’ Expectations and the Stock Market in China
Apr 2025
Yasmin Cruz Ferrine
Feb 2025
All Stage 2025
Jan 2025
Boston Tech Leaders: Yasmin Cruz Ferrine, Visible Hands
May 2024
'A difficult but prudent decision:' Visible Hands cuts staff
Dec 2023
From Public Health to Platform and Marketing for Startups - Sumia Shaikh's Unconventional Path to Venture Capital
Aug 2023
fundsforngos.org
Get a Chance to access $200K Investments under Visible Hands Accelerators Program (US)
May 2023
Rivet Relocates From Boston to Chicago, Secures $500K Investment
Feb 2023
Clara Wu Tsai establishs a start-up accelerator for Brooklyn entrepreneuers
Nov 2022
Brooklyn Nets owners Joe and Clara Wu Tsai will invest up to $6 million via BIPOC accelerator in 2023
Nov 2022
Brooklyn Nets owner invests in overlooked founders
Nov 2022
peopleofcolorintech.com
Visible Hands Welcomes 51 Founders To Its Flagship Program
Aug 2022
Google Cloud doubles down on its support for startup founders
Jun 2022
This new Boston VC firm wants to level the playing field by focusing on women and entrepreneurs of color
Aug 2021
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Research briefRead more
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