Fearless Fund
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Look, Fearless Fund just survived one of the biggest legal battles in modern VC—they settled with Edward Blum's anti-DEI crusade in September 2024, shutting down their grant program but keeping the core VC operations intact. The personal toll was brutal: Simone received death threats, corporate sponsors dropped from 20 to just 3 (UPS, JPMorgan, Costco), and co-founder Ayana Parsons stepped down in June 2024. But here's the thing—they're not backing down. They launched the Fearless Global Initiative, expanded to Africa, and are still cutting million-dollar checks to WOC founders. The settlement actually shows their resilience and strategic thinking—they avoided a Supreme Court case that could have nuked DEI investing nationwide.
- —Best for: Consumer brands led by WOC founders who want media-savvy investors with real operational experience
- —Watch out for: Still rebuilding from lawsuit fallout—fewer sponsors, smaller team, but mission unchanged
- —Known for: Survived the biggest anti-DEI legal battle in VC and came out swinging with global expansion
Fearless Fund invests in under-resourced entrepreneurs including women of color led businesses seeking pre-seed, seed level or series A financing. Our mission is to bridge the gap in venture capital funding for women of color founders building scalable, growth aggressive companies.
Early-stage investor (pre-seed to Series A) following or co-investing rather than leading rounds, with strong preference for consumer products (beauty, food, fashion), media/entertainment, and social impact focus. Portfolio includes Slutty Vegan, Thirteen Lune, The Lip Bar, and Bread Beauty Supply.
Serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, angel investor, author, and PR & marketing specialist with over 17 years of entrepreneurial experience from founding Fearless Magazine to building relationships with billion-dollar corporate clients like Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures. She has become a thought leader in diversity and inclusion within venture capital.
Co-founded the fund in 2019 but stepped down from her leadership role in June 2024 during the lawsuit period, though she remains an investor in the fund. She had been general partner and COO before transitioning to focus on other ventures.
Joined Fearless in 2021 as an active participant on the investment team, now manages fund operations and deal flow as well as investor relations. Prior to Fearless, he founded a startup in the connected health wearable devices field and brings experience from both sides of the deal desk.
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