Venture Capital Investors in Education

Backstage Capital is a venture capital firm that invests exclusively in startup founders who identify as women, people of color, and/or LGBTQ. The firm addresses the stark reality that less than 10% of all venture capital deals go to these underrepresented groups, viewing this disparity as a significant investment opportunity rather than a pipeline problem. The organization operates through direct investments and has expanded to include the Backstage Accelerator program, which provides $100,000 in capital for 5% equity along with a three-month program featuring mentorship, community building, and co-working space. Their mission centers on the belief that underrepresented founders are underestimated and have the greatest potential for unlocking innovation and creating valuable businesses. Backstage Capital has made a measurable impact in the venture ecosystem by democratizing access to capital for historically excluded founders. Led by Managing Partner Arlan Hamilton, who personally identifies as a woman, person of color, and LGBTQ, the firm has created pathways for diverse entrepreneurs while building a global community of local accelerator programs. Their work challenges traditional venture capital practices and demonstrates that diversity drives stronger business outcomes and more innovative ideas.

Impact Engine is a venture capital and private equity firm that invests in companies driving positive impact across three core areas: economic empowerment, education, environmental sustainability, and health. As a registered investment advisor, they build and manage diversified portfolios that seek to optimize both financial and social returns through their dual approach of fund investments and direct co-investments. Their mission centers on bringing more capital to markets where financial returns drive positive social and environmental impacts. They operate through multiple strategies including private equity fund investments balanced across growth equity and buyout stages, co-investments in select portfolio companies, and bespoke partnership vehicles tailored to meet specific investor objectives in collaboration with partners like Bernstein Private Wealth Management. Impact Engine has established itself as a recognized leader in the impact investing ecosystem, earning recognition as a Top Impact Company 2025 and inclusion in the ImpactAssets 50 as an Emeritus Impact Manager. Their portfolio companies have demonstrated significant real-world impact, with measurable outcomes like preventing millions of pounds of food waste, improving patient quality of life, and saving millions for student loan borrowers, positioning them as a meaningful force in scaling impact-driven businesses.

New Age Capital is a thesis-driven seed stage venture capital firm that invests in tech and tech-enabled startups founded and led by Black and Latino entrepreneurs. They focus on companies at the seed stage with products in market, early customer traction, and some revenue, leading seed rounds up to $3M with an emphasis on capital efficiency. The firm operates with a mission to address the historical underrepresentation in venture capital funding by supporting underinvested, bootstrapped founders from their communities. They are industry agnostic and seek the best software or technology-enabled solutions across various markets, though they exclude fashion/fashion tech, media, crypto/web3, and medical device companies from their investment scope. New Age Capital plays a crucial role in the venture ecosystem by filling gaps in funding for Black and Latino entrepreneurs who have historically struggled to access capital. Founded by Ivan Alo and LaDante McMillon after their own experiences building a fintech company and witnessing peers struggle to raise money, they represent a response to the lack of diversity in traditional VC firms and work to ensure that entire demographics of innovators are no longer ignored in the startup funding landscape.

Reach Capital is a leading early-stage venture capital firm that has been backing visionary founders since 2015 across learning, health, and work sectors. The firm invests in entrepreneurs building technologies that expand access to opportunity and care, with a belief that when people can grow their skills, nurture relationships, maintain health, and find meaning in work, communities thrive. Reach Capital brings a distinctly 'liberal arts' approach to supporting founders, with team members having diverse backgrounds as former founders, operators, educators, designers, and writers. Impact is at the heart of their work, measuring success across three dimensions: access, scale, and quality to ensure solutions reduce barriers and deliver meaningful outcomes.

SustainVC is an impact-focused venture capital firm that backs innovative entrepreneurs working toward a sustainable, more equitable, and healthier world. The firm focuses on two primary impact areas: Climate & Sustainability, and Access & Opportunity, targeting companies that can deliver both positive impact and positive returns. Their mission centers on supporting entrepreneurs who share their vision of creating systemic change through market-driven solutions. SustainVC operates with the philosophy that profitable investments and meaningful impact can go hand in hand, seeking to accelerate positive change through strategic capital deployment. The firm plays an important role in the impact investing ecosystem by bridging the gap between traditional venture capital and social impact. With offices in Boston, Durham, and Philadelphia, SustainVC positions itself as a key player in supporting the growth of companies that can address critical societal and environmental challenges while generating strong financial returns.