Keynote Topics
Arlan Hamilton is a remarkable entrepreneur who built a venture capital fund from the ground up, while homeless. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT. Started in 2015, […]
Arlan Hamilton is a remarkable entrepreneur who built a venture capital fund from the ground up, while homeless. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT.
Started in 2015, Backstage has now invested over $15M into 175 startups led by underestimated founders and has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Quartz.
Arlan made history by making the cover of Fast Company as the first Black woman non-celebrity to do so, and her book “It’s About Damn Time” is out on Penguin Random House’s business imprint Currency. She and Backstage Studio were also the subjects of Season 7 of the popular Gimlet Media podcast, StartUp. Arlan now hosts Your First Million, a weekly podcast featuring in-depth conversations with how the world’s most successful people finessed their first million dollars, customers, or downloads.
Arlan Hamilton entered the venture investing world from an unconventional path. Before launching Backstage Capital, she authored the groundbreaking blog “Your Daily Lesbian Moment”, which she grew to a monthly readership of 50,000 fans worldwide. She has written for AOL, SuicideGirls, and Curve Magazine, and founded and published the internationally distributed indie magazine Interlude. Arlan Hamilton was also a live music production professional, having served as a tour coordinator to numerous international artists including Toni Braxton, and Jason Derulo. Most recently she worked with Atlantic Records recording artist Janine.
In 2018, Arlan co-founded, along with Investment Partner Christie Pitts, Backstage Studio, a new venture studio designed to build products, services, and initiatives that serve the mission of eliminating underrepresentation in tech by empowering founders and their teams to succeed.
Also in 2018, Backstage Studio announced the launch of four accelerator programs, in Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia, and London, UK. Called the Backstage Accelerator, this three-month program is designed to give founders the support they need to reach their next critical milestone, through mentorship, investment capital, and access to resources and networks.
Arlan Hamilton was recently named on Fortune magazine’s 40 under 40 list, as well as,Vanity Fair magazine’s The 2018 New Establishment List.
In 2019, Arlan and her mother, Mrs. Earline Butler-Sims, announced their new scholarship program, which kicked off with Oxford University’s first-ever undergraduate scholarship for a Black student, as well as a full-ride scholarship for a Psychology student at Mrs. Sims’ alma mater, HBCU Dillard University.
Arlan’s company, Backstage Capital, produced and released ‘jOURney’, a documentary celebrating the five year anniversary of the firm, highlighting the people and companies who made it what it is today and released an impact report highlighting the strides Backstage has made in changing the venture capital scene. They also launched Backstage Crowd, a funding platform giving access to the best diverse deal flow in VC. Backstage ended 2020 having made over 30 investments in underestimated founders.
To cap the year, Arlan Hamilton Academy was launched. Arlan recruited experts from across the tech universe to teach and give insight into what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Now anyone can learn what was only available to those ‘in-the-know’ in Silicon Valley.
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Harry Sideropoulos is an award-winning stage actor, singer, voice- over artist, speaker, business man and foodie, celebrating over 20 years on stage. He started his public career many years ago on 94, 7 Highveld Stereo’s Rude Awakening Breakfast Show and soon became an integral part of the show for 6 successful years, before resigning to […]
Nzinga Qunta is a business news anchor with over a decade of experience in radio and television. She is currently anchoring SABC News’ flagship business news bulletin, OnPoint, where she focuses on the top business news stories from across the world and speaks to a range of decision makers on the top stories of the day. She works on radio on […]
Shelley Walters is a globally recognized expert in sales enablement, a dynamic keynote speaker, and the founder of The Sales Counsel, a boutique Sales Enablement Solutions company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. With over two decades of experience in sales leadership, business development, and training, Shelley has dedicated her career to transforming the way individuals […]
Elma Smit – Sports MC is one South Africa’s most versatile media professionals, a young woman who comfortably holds her own in an all-male sporting environment. Elam Smit facilitates everything from intimate conversations, motivational talks at company-level and award shows for national broadcast with grace and ease. She creates custom, conversation-driven content for your event […]
Kaluba Chikonde is driven by an insatiable desire to empower and uplift others, particularly in the realms of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). With a heart brimming with compassion and a mind teeming with innovative ideas, she tirelessly works to cultivate the next generation of leaders in these critical fields. Kaluba’s commitment to excellence […]
Pierre du Plessis is a visionary dedicated to fostering human development and empowering individuals to become catalysts for meaningful change. With a profound appreciation for ancient wisdom and a keen understanding of its application in contemporary contexts, Pierre inspires audiences worldwide to tap into age-old truths to navigate today’s complex challenges. As the founder of […]
Tim Cohen, a seasoned business editor and journalist, has profoundly shaped South Africa’s economic reporting landscape with his incisive analysis and commitment to truth. Before joining the highly respected Daily Maverick as Business Editor, Cohen served as the editor of Business Day, one of South Africa’s premier financial newspapers. His career began on the pages […]
Hanli Prinsloo’s journey is one defined by a profound connection to the ocean, a passion for adventure, and a commitment to conservation. With a diverse background spanning competitive freediving, documentary filmmaking, and environmental advocacy, Hanli brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her speaking engagements. Hanli’s fascination with the underwater world began at a […]
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