Collab Capital Secures $75M to Fuel Black Entrepreneurs
Jewel Burks Solomon, former Amazon executive and founder of Partpic, has done it again. Her venture capital firm, Collab Capital, just closed a $75 million fund to back early-stage Black-led startups.
This brings the firm’s total assets under management to $125 million, a major milestone considering Black fund managers receive less than 1% of venture capital funding annually. The new fund will focus on startups in work, health, and community infrastructure, areas often overlooked by traditional investors.
Why This Fund Is a Game-Changer
Collab Capital isn’t following the usual venture capital playbook. Instead, it’s built by founders, for founders. Burks Solomon and her co-founder, Barry Givens, both have firsthand experience launching startups.
Burks Solomon sold her company, Partpic, to Amazon in 2016. Givens founded Monsieur, a tech hardware startup that debuted on TechCrunch’s Disrupt Battlefield. Their deep understanding of founder struggles sets Collab apart.
Investing in an Inclusive Economy
The firm plans to deploy $1M to $2M in each of about 30 startups over the next five years. Forty per cent of the fund is reserved for follow-on investments in top performers.
“Fund I showed us what’s possible when you back the right people,” said Burks Solomon. “Fund II is about scaling that belief. Founders closest to the problem are best positioned to solve it.”
A Long-Term Vision for Wealth Building
Givens believes now is the time to invest, not pull back. “Alpha lives where others aren’t looking,” he said. The firm’s strategy combines early funding with hands-on support to maximize success.
Their mission goes beyond just funding. “It creates jobs, economic mobility, and generational wealth,” Givens added. With this new fund, Collab Capital is paving the way for a more equitable startup ecosystem.
