Harlem Capital Partners

Harlem Capital Partners (also known as Harlem Capital or HCP) is an early-stage, diversity-focused venture capital firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 2015 and originally established as an angel syndicate, the firm states a mission to change the face of entrepreneurship by investing in 1,000 diverse founders over 20 years, with capital directed primarily toward women and minority entrepreneurs. It closed a $40 million inaugural fund in November 2019 and a $134 million second fund in March 2021, at which point it reported $174 million in assets under management; one profile reports assets under management of $230 million.

The firm invests at pre-seed, seed and Series A stages, with Fund II focused on early seed-stage companies that are post-product. It is industry agnostic with a deeper emphasis on enterprise and consumer technology, and has invested across sectors including fintech, e-commerce, software, healthcare/wellness, data and analytics, media, real estate and web3. Reported check sizes vary by source, from initial investments of $750,000 to $1.5 million in U.S. seed rounds at the time of Fund II's close, to ranges of $500,000-$2 million and $1 million-$2.5 million in later third-party profiles. The firm targets 10%+ ownership and will lead or participate in rounds. Portfolio companies named in sources include Pangaea, CashDrop, Malomo, Repeat, Wellory, Expectful, Wagmo, Shine, Drip, Gander, Portabl, Glow Labs and Because Intelligence.

The team is led by co-founders and managing partners Henri Pierre-Jacques and Jarrid Tingle, alongside Partner Brandon Bryant and Principal Gabby Cazeau; the firm's site describes five dedicated investors. Other named personnel across sources include Kelly Goldstein, Nicole DeTommaso and Ricardo Matias.

Founding story

Harlem Capital was founded in 2015 by managing partners Henri Pierre-Jacques and Jarrid Tingle, beginning as a small angel syndicate before institutionalizing into a fund manager.

Business model

Harlem Capital operates as a venture capital fund manager, raising capital from limited partners into closed-end venture funds and deploying it as equity investments in early-stage startups, targeting 10%+ ownership positions and leading or participating in rounds. Fund II's limited partners included 14 institutions, 4 global corporations and 6 family offices, with 18 GPs of other investment funds among backers and 42% of individual LPs being women or people of color.

As a venture capital firm, returns are generated from equity stakes in portfolio companies. With Fund II the firm introduced "Culture Carry," under which portfolio founders split 1% of the fund's carried interest, a benefit also extended retroactively to Fund I founders.

Traction

The firm reports 70+ investments across 10+ cities. Fund I invested in 23 companies, with a portfolio 61% Black- or Latino-led and 43% women-only led, and a target of five additional initial investments at the time of Fund II's announcement. Fund II is sized to invest in 45 companies. Third-party trackers list 59 to 71 investments, a historical average check of $402.1K and a historical maximum check of $4M.

Latest developments

Third-party profiles report a most recent investment date of June 2024 and recent firm blog posts introducing its next chapter and its Winter 2026 intern class. The firm's site publishes ongoing research and commentary, including a review of five years of impact and analysis finding 1,257 Black and Latino startups have raised $1M+ in venture funding.