Happy Holidays from B. and the DVRGNT Ventures Team!
Yes we have a team and new logo folks!
DVRGNT Ventures came into the world officially on December 9, 2022, at around 3 AM, when I decided that I couldn’t sit on the sidelines anymore and instead wanted to build a firm that could provide the type of capital to Middle America that would change the landscape of places like my hometown in Tate County, MS.
Along the way, I met incredible humans like La Keisha Landrum Pierre at Emmeline Ventures, who worked with me to launch The Wealth Salons. I met Laurel Mintz of Fabric VC, who is not only my virtual birthday twin but also became my legal consultant on all the things as I learned the difference between VC and other industries. I got tip after tip about fund modeling from Kelly O’Connell from 360 Venture Collective. And Ben Stokes & Patrick Driscoll from Chasing Rainbows VC added me to every event they found. I met Catherine Gray, a phenomenal connector and the person who put me on the big screen in her fantastic movie, Show Her the Money, a game-changing documentary about the importance of funding women in VC. I met Adimika Arthur, who leads HealthTech 4 Medicaid and agreed to be The Wealth Salon's first Chairperson. I met Shira Yevin, who has gotten my wife and me out on school nights after 9 PM, supporting her unique marketplace, IN Pink. LaShawn McGhee is co-founder of Revry, and my new ops lead for The Wealth Salons. I reconnected with Brooke Skinner Ricketts of Beyond Barriers when it became clear that many folks in VC need to be reminded of their “why?” Then I connected with Brandon Gerson and Brian MacMahon at ExpertDojo, the first “real” VC guy who said I was onto something. And finally, it allowed me to meet people like Paige Hendrix Buckner, the CEO of All Raise, who reminded me that we all belong in VC and it's our responsibility to help each other achieve.
In addition to these folks, I have been so fortunate to build a great team that has rolled up their sleeves and thrown themselves into helping me build an enduring firm. They are:
Konstandinou Onwuaduegbo, Chief of Staff
Nishieda Price, Associate
Eunice Choi, Venture Intern
Ashley Lund, Marketing Lead
Jeremy Veatch, Partner
This team has dozens of years of experience across finance, founder development, startups, and community building. And honestly, they are both brilliant and hungry to know more.
At the end of 2023, I have a VC firm that will do amazing things in 2024 and a nonprofit, The Wealth Salons, allowing us to have an even more significant impact today.
I am writing this note because the holiday season is a time to reflect and share thankfulness and also to share a bit of the amazingness that is out there in our community. Whether you celebrate or do not, I wish you all a happy, healthy, and relaxing Holiday season.