Meet Some of These Power Players of Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital

LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and investors are growing in numbers and influence in the U.S. and beyond. In its most recent listings, the venture capital, private equity and M&A database PitchBook named 47 "founders, entrepreneurs and VCs you should know." Read the June 9, 2023, blog by Kelly Knickerbocker and view the photos and links to these powerhouses of the LGBTQ+ community at bit.ly/PitchBook-List. This list was reprinted with permission from PitchBook.

LGBTQ+ Founders and Entrepreneurs

Alicia Garza

Principal of Black Futures Lab, an Oakland-based think tank that works to transform Black communities into constituencies that wield independent political power at the municipal, state and federal level. Garza is also the co-founder of Black Lives Matter, a globally recognized organizing project that focuses on combating anti-Black state-sanctioned violence and the oppression of all Black people.

Amy Errett

Founder and CEO of Madison Reed, an ammonia-free at-home hair color company. Errett is also an investor at True Ventures, focusing on consumer and e-commerce startups.

Angelica Ross

Founder and CEO of TransTech Social Enterprises, a co-learning and co-working nonprofit with a focus on economically empowering trans, lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer people and allies with practical, career-ready skills.

Brandy Hoffman

Co-founder, alongside Patricia Santos, of Volition Beauty, an online platform that empowers users to help create the products they'd like to see. Hoffman is also president and COO of Matice Biosciences.

Mckensie Mack

Co-founder and CEO of MMG, a Black-led and nonbinary-led social justice organization and change management firm.

Rachel Tipograph

Founder and CEO of MikMak, a global platform that provides analytics and e-commerce enablement software to help product manufacturers and CPG companies understand their customers' online behavior, allocate marketing budget and drive sales.

Coty Craven

Co-founder of Can I Play That?, a provider of accessibility video game reviews, in 2014 with late partner Susan Banks. Despite Craven's departure from the company in 2019, Can I Play That? has revolutionized gaming for the disabled community. Now at Epic Games, Craven continues to empower teams to create inclusive content and products with a passion for developing kind, rewarding communities that companies thrive on.

Peter Arvai

Co-founder and former CEO of Prezi, a cloud-based presentation software company reinventing how people share knowledge virtually.

Emma McIlroy

CEO and founder of Wildfang, a Portland-based apparel marketplace that offers clothing for all genders and body types.

Fran Dunaway

Co-founder, along with her partner Naomi Gonzalez, of TomboyX, a gender-neutral underwear and apparel brand headquartered in Seattle.

Gina Trapani

CEO at Postlight, a startup that designs and builds software platforms. Trapani is perhaps best known for founding blockbuster tech blog Lifehacker, which was acquired by Univision.

Haily Marzullo

Founder and CEO of Humankind, a line of mix-and-match, gender-inclusive swimwear and active wear built for comfort and style.

Hayley Sudbury

Founder and CEO of WERKIN, a people analytics platform using behavioral science to promote diversity through modern mentoring, coaching and training.

Christer Holloman

Founder and advisor at Divido, a fast, flexible online retail finance platform designed to boost sales, customer conversion and average order values. The omnichannel platform connects to multiple lenders wherever customers want to buy online, in-store or over the phone — enabling consumers to buy now, pay later. Prior to starting Divido, Holloman launched Glassdoor in the EMEA region.

Isabella Giancarlo

Founder and creative director of Tart, a New York-based branding and creative studio specializing in the expressive, unexpected and downright fun.

Jake Bullock

Co-founder of Cann, a line of gluten-free, vegan THC-infused beverages that aim to reshape social drinking.

Jess Page

Co-founder of Open Water, a company that sells still and sparkling water in 100% recyclable refillable aluminum water bottles and cans to curb plastic use.

Kara Swisher

Co-founder of Recode, a tech website sold to Vox Media in 2015. After joining the New York Times in 2020, she now co-hosts the Pivot podcast (New York magazine, Vox Media Podcast Network) with NYU Professor Scott Galloway.

Kel Rakowski

Founder and CEO of Lex, a social app that connects queer community members looking to meet new friends, build relationships and have fun.

Vivienne Ming

Founder and executive chair of Socos Labs, a think tank experimenting with new versions of work, education and inclusive economies to inform more human-centered policy. Ming is also chief scientist at Dionysus Health.

Leanne Pittsford

Founder and CEO of Lesbians Who Tech, the largest LGBTQ+ community of technologists in the world with 100,000 members from 40+ global cities. Lesbians Who Tech's San Francisco Summit is the largest professional LGBTQ event in the world, and its programmatic work includes a coding scholarship, a mentoring program and a leadership program for nonbinary people and LGBTQ+ women in tech.

Paola Fernandez

Founder and CEO of High Hemp, the first all-organic herbal wrap company, based in Orlando. Prior to High Hemp, Fernandez worked at her father's tobacco company for seven years, cultivating a breadth of knowledge and experience she draws on today.

Nicole Doucet

CEO and co-founder of Open Water, which became the world's first climate-neutral bottled water company, which has eliminated the need for more than 20 million plastic bottles.

Maya Satya Reddy

Former pro golfer and founder of Queer Asian Social Club, a community that increases the visibility of queer and trans-APISWAD (Asian-Pacific Islander-Southwest Asian-Desi) people.

Michelle MiJung Kim

CEO and co-founder of Awaken, a startup offering workshops and trainings on authenticity, social justice and inclusive leadership to transform the way people show up and thrive.

Rachael Rapinoe

Co-founder and CEO of Mendi, a Portland-based, direct-to-consumer CBD health brand that empowers active lifestyles and sports recovery. Mendi offers gummies, salve sticks, tinctures, massage oils and creams that prioritize wellness through product innovation. Rapinoe's products are endorsed by her twin sister, world-renowned athlete, professional soccer player and U.S. Women's National Team Captain Megan Rapinoe.

Scott Lewallen

Co-founder of Grindr, alongside Joel Simkhai, a social networking app for gay, bisexual, trans and queer people. Lewallen is also an accomplished artist based in Los Angeles and CEO of Mezic Media.

Stephanie (Lampkin) VanPutten

Executive in residence at The Equity Alliance, which invests in diverse emerging VC fund managers. VanPutten is also the founder and executive director of Visible Figures and founder of BlendScore.

Damian Pelliccione

CEO and co-founder, alongside Alia J. Daniels and Christopher J. Rodriguez, of Revry, a global LGBTQ+ streaming media network that champions diversity and inclusion in media and entertainment through live TV, movies, series, news and exclusive originals. Pelliccione is also the co-founder of QueerX, a one-of-a-kind festival designed to recognize the world of brilliant digital content created by and for the global queer community.

Suki Sandhu

Founder and CEO of Audeliss, a London-based executive search firm dedicated to leveling the playing field for women, ethnically diverse and LGBTQ+ candidates.

Traci Keen

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LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and investors are growing in numbers and influence in the U.S. and beyond.

CEO of Mate Fertility, a fertility clinic that provides in-person services in several U.S. states and via telemedicine for those seeking fertility treatments, therapies and end-to-end fertility services.