The BFM Fund (Black Founders Matter)
The BFM Fund is a seed-stage investment fund that prioritizes Black and innovative founders who are creating impactful ventures and unique business models. We believe that different lived experiences help shape our realities, pain points, and perceived solutions.
We invest in founders that can bring their unique lived experience and solve pain points in a differentiated way and/or create organizations that encourage disruption within an ecosystem. We are truly industry-agnostic and have both B2B and B2C, tech and non-tech companies in our portfolio. Our fund strategy is to work closely with Series A-Series C industry specific funds and experts to then create metrics and guidelines to support companies post-investment and help get them funded at the next level with industry-specific capital and resources.
The BFM Fund is run entirely by a Women of Color leadership team, who come from blue collar backgrounds, and our board is comprised of people of color and women who have all built their own funds and companies. Our General Partner is a former school social worker, which helps guide our mission towards equitable access and representation.
Equity is important to us on all levels; we launched several initiatives and philanthropic projects to increase both founder and funder representation through our non-profit entities, Venture Partners and The Emerge Initiative.
Stage of capital: Seed
Location: Portland, OR
Fund manager diversity: Woman-led, Black and African American led, Asian American and Pacific Islander led
Diversity focus: Women, Black and African American
Industry focus: Environmental Sustainability, General Tech- and Tech-Enabled, Consumer and Retail, B2B, Fintech and Payments, Healthcare and Wellness (incl. FemTech), Future of Work and Living (incl. Education/EdTech), Food and Agriculture