Screendoor: Supporting Underrepresented Voices with Capital and Community

We don’t want to wait around for change; we want to accelerate it.

In venture capital, I see diversity not as a hollow buzzword, but a mission to make the startup ecosystem—and thus, the larger world—a more representative place. This mission extends beyond the founders and executives in our portfolio, but also to the fellow funders who are well-positioned to back a broad range of businesses with customers across backgrounds, genders, races and ethnicities. Investors who approach the market with a diverse lens offer a more holistic view of the landscape and arguably have advantages in identifying, connecting with and championing diverse founders and leaders addressing genuine whitespaces that deserve attention.

At Forerunner, we are committed to bringing more underrepresented voices to the venture ecosystem. We make that a priority within our firm and we’re always looking for ways to extend diversity beyond our walls. That’s why I’m thrilled to be part of the collective at Screendoor, a $50M+ investment vehicle managed by a coalition of experienced seed-stage investors intent on accelerating diversity in our industry faster than the status quo will accommodate.

Screendoor’s goals are simple, yet lofty. Goal number one is to get capital into the hands of underrepresented General Partners faster, and goal number two is to build the networks to support the growth of lasting firms.  In doing so, Screendoor aims to advance a vision of the future where underrepresented voices are heard loud and clear, championing a new generation of winners that will resonate with all communities and demographics.  

With a rolling application process, Screendoor will deploy investments across promising U.S.-based individual General Partners and venture funds with at least one diverse GP at the helm in the coming months. With this initial fund, Screendoor will write checks from $500K to $5M across roughly 15 firms, and provide ongoing support and mentorship from the seasoned team of Screendoor advisors and LPs.

In addition to pursuing the above goals, I’m thrilled for the opportunity to collaborate with fellow investors: Shauntel Garvey (Reach Capital), Eva Ho (Fika Ventures), Chris Howard (Fuel Capital), Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), Aileen Lee (Cowboy Ventures), Kanyi Maqubela (Kindred Ventures), Satya Patel (Homebrew), Leah Solivan (Fuel Capital), and Hunter Walk (Homebrew) and grateful to Screendoor’s initial LPs committed to leadership in venture and our shared desire to foster diversity: Princeton University, the University of Michigan, Harvard Management Company, Sapphire Partners, and The James Irvine Foundation, among others.

We don’t want to wait around for change; we want to accelerate it. We already know diversity improves investment outcomes, which means there’s no excuse for standing idle.