Phirst. Market. Ventures.
Catalyzing growth for women of color entrepreneurs
Philosophy
We support women founders who operate early-stage companies in various industries from technology to health & beauty products and provide integrated capital (grants, loans and patient equity.) resources and connections to scale their businesses.
Investment Thesis
Diverse Management Teams
We believe that diverse teams will always outperform. Our core investment focus is investing in startups with at least one black or brown female founder or C-Suite level executive.
Leading Big Ideas
Looking for companies with a long term vision and deep ambition. We invest in companies with solutions that have the potential to impact millions and have large ($1B+) market sizes.
Early Stage
We aren’t afraid of seed or even pre-seed. We want to be the first institutional capital in and to leverage our expertise to help companies find product market fit.
Geography
Investing along the central Atlantic cost from Washington, DC to New York City with a focus on Philadelphia. Part of our mission is to invest in companies who will have a positive impact on local economies.
HOW WE INVEST
PROCESS
1. Apply. Introduce yourselves to us via Airtable.
2. Review. Our team reviews 100% of the applications we receive and are committed to delivering unambiguous decisions to all of our founders.
3. First Meeting. A 30-minute meeting for us to get to know each other.
4. Ongoing Due Diligence. Over a series of additional calls and review stages, we’ll make an informed decision using our framework and follow up with next steps.
PORTFOLIO HIGHLIGHTS
Our portfolio companies are chosen based on our belief in the founder, the product, and most importantly— our ability to meaningfully support them through funding and portfolio service.
Amelia Zellander
Biolatice
Biolatice aims to transform innovative ideas into medical products as a means of expanding patient access to solutions that restore, repair or rebuild damaged cornea tissue.
Angela McIver
Trapezium Math
Trapezium Math Club is a “technology-free after-school program” that builds confident, fearless math learners. Using out-of-your seat games and activities, they make hard math fun.
Ashley Cimone & Moya Annece
Ashay Handbags & wallets are rooted in travel, cultural awareness, and the act of unifying style and utility.
FOR INVESTORS
At Phirst Market Ventures we’ve invested in 12 companies led by underestimated founders, and we’re actively investing now.
Join the journey as an investor in Phirst Market Ventures.
FAQs
Yes, all companies we work with must have some presence between New York and Washington DC, but we give preference to companies based in Philadelphia.
We are industry agnostic, but we focus on areas where we feel our team can add value and where there is significant room for disruption.
While we will considered solo founders, companies are rarely successful without a well-rounded team. One of the criteria we look for is the strength of the team, and we this often requires multiple people with unique skillsets.