GRANT · HOW TO WIN THIS
Varies — no fixed check size disclosed.
Rolling submissions — no set deadline.
FUNDING TYPE
Venture Capital
CAN YOU GET THIS?
YOUR REAL ODDS
They have backed 200 companies to date, but no public acceptance rate is stated.
Backstage receives broad attention as one of the few VCs explicitly targeting underrepresented founders, which likely means significant inbound volume. Competition is real despite the mission-aligned focus.
WHAT IT TAKES
Submit application via their Apply page — 1-2 hours
Review and follow-up from Backstage team — Weeks to months, rolling basis
WORTH KNOWING
Arlan Hamilton, the Managing Partner, personally identifies as a woman, person of color, and LGBTQ — the mission is founder-led, not just institutional, which shapes how the firm evaluates and supports its portfolio.
MORE LIKE THIS
Dream Big
$2,000 (Fall, women-owned) or $2,500 (Winter/Spring, all businesses); awarded twice per year
Small businesses in the Fox Valley/Heart of the Valley area that are chamber members can apply twice a year for cash awards.
MaC Venture Capital
$1M–$4M equity investment per deal
Pre-seed and seed-stage founders globally, with MaC collecting ethnicity and demographic data as part of its intake process.
Astia Investment
Amount not specified; Astia manages $65M+ AUM across 180+ investments.
Women-led high-growth companies in health, climate, or prosperity sectors can apply globally.
$50B+ in available capital across grants, VC funds, CDFIs, and accelerators. Filter by your industry, stage, and region, and see everything you qualify for.
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