Black Star
Venture capitalSacramento · Pre-Seed–Seed · 5 people tracked
Find your way into Black Star
657 people in our graph share verified history with the Black Star team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Investment thesis
Black Star Fund is a Black-led venture capital firm focused primarily on backing Black founders. It invests in innovators who view new enterprise as a path to a more abundant, balanced, and productive world. The firm emphasizes diversity and inclusion, with a majority of capital deployed to Black women and gender parity across its portfolio, which spans technology, consumer goods, media and entertainment, and other sectors.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 5 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 7 of 20 portfolio companiesDirect to Consumer ×3Consumer ×2Creator Economy ×2Hardware ×2Crypto & Web3 ×1Digital Health ×1E-commerce ×1Fintech ×1
HQs:United States×7
Investments · 20 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
Actively Black is a direct-to-consumer athletic apparel brand selling clothing and accessories such as shirts and gym bags.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerce
Lanny Smith(Founder)inBianca Winslow(Founder)in
Co-investorsNew Voices
Greenville, US
HAROLD HUGHES(Executive Officer)Hampton Smith, Ph.D.(Founder)inARSHAD SYED(Executive Officer)SAMOTRIA HOLMES(Executive Officer)GREG SMITH(Director)
BoardKWAME ANKU(Director)in
Co-investorsBackstage Capital
CEEK is a blockchain-based platform that turns creators' videos, music, posts and digital art into tokenized digital assets that can be streamed, sold, licensed and traded across VR, AR, mobile, desktop and smart TVs.
Creator EconomyCrypto & Web3Media & Entertainment
Mary S.(Founder)in
Co-investorsPortfolia
A software platform that increases peer-to-peer engagement and collects data at live and virtual events through real-time matching and surveying.
Birmingham, US
Ashlee Ammons(Executive Officer, Director)Kerry Schrader(Executive Officer, Director)inKerry Schrader, MBA(Founder)in
Co-investorsBackstage Capital
Partake Foods makes allergy-friendly cookies and snacks designed for people with dietary restrictions including common allergens like peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish.
Direct to ConsumerFoodTechNew York, US
Denise Woodard(Sole manager.)
Co-investors37 AngelsBackstage CapitalCleveland AvenueFourward VenturesGold House VenturesPortfolia+5 more
Reviver manufactures RPLATE, a digital license plate with an embedded display and cellular connectivity that replaces traditional metal plates.
HardwareIoTMobility & TransportationGranite Bay, US
NEVILLE BOSTON(Executive Officer, Director)inAndrew Iorgulescu(CEO & President)in
BoardNICHOLAS BRATHWAITE(Director)inSIMON SZEWACH(Director)ERNST LIEB(Director)
Co-investorsCelesta CapitalCelesta CapitalMoneta VenturesWRV
Win-Win is a platform that hosts prediction tournaments hosted by influencers and celebrities where participants predict outcomes of matchups, make charitable donations, and compete for prizes while supporting nonprofit causes.
Creator EconomyFintechImpact & Social GoodSocial
Michael Tauiliili-Brown
Co-investors500 GlobalBackstage CapitalDuke Capital Partners
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
AcclinateAYO FoodsBandwagonCEEK MetaversePartakeTake Back The Mic StudiosTbtmThe MOSTUnknownViuHealthVurple
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Reviver · finance.yahoo.com · Aug 19, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Black Star made?
- Black Star has 20 tracked investments.
- What stage does Black Star invest at?
- Black Star invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is Black Star's typical check size?
- Black Star typically writes checks of $50K – $1M.
- What sectors does Black Star focus on?
- Black Star focuses on Consumer, Media & Entertainment, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Black Star located?
- Black Star is headquartered in Sacramento, US.
- Does Black Star lead rounds?
- Black Star typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
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