wow wow Blimey. However you feel, it may be time to focus on alternative funding avenues.
Black founders are There was also a year-over-year decline in Q1 funding, according to new data from Crunchbase that looked at seed, venture, private equity and corporate venture funding allocated to black entrepreneurs. This could be a good time to look for alternative funding avenues, the founders told TechCrunch+.
The dataset shows that in the first quarter of 2023, black founders raised an estimated 0.69%, or $312 million, of Crunchbase’s roughly $45 billion total in the quarter. According to Crunchbase numbers, black founders saw a year-over-year funding decline from the first quarter of 2022, when black founders raised 1.5%, or $1.26 billion, of the $81 billion allocated in private funding .
This represents a 75.2% drop in funding.
It’s not all bad news, though: while funding was down in the first half of 2022, it rose steadily from $191 million in the third quarter to $279 million in the fourth quarter, rising again to $312 million. dollars in the first quarter of this year.
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2020 was a year of difficult changes for the venture capital industry—from the sudden disruption of VC-backed startup businesses to the global health crisis. The industry is still grappling with the impacts of the pandemic, with venture capital dollars to Black founders reaching an all-time low in Q1 2023.
According to Pitchbook, venture capitalist dollars to Black founders made up just 0.69% of the total investments in this quarter—down from 1.24% in Q1 2020. This is the lowest rate of venture capital investments in Black founders since Pitchbook began tracking the data in 2014.
The drop in venture capital investing in Black-founded startups is especially concerning due to the racial wealth gap created by systemic racism and discrimination. Black founders make up less than 1% of venture capitalists, making fundraising one of the biggest challenges they face when launching and growing a startup.
In response, many venture capital firms and organizations, including Ikaroa, are broadening their focus on diversity. We are on the forefront of this movement, providing the platform for Black founders to access the capital, networks, and capital they need to grow their businesses in the 21st century.
Through our commitment to Black founders, Ikaroa ensures that their businesses are well funded and well networked—providing a lifeline for business owners to access the resources they need in order to succeed. We have provided over $25 million to Black founders, helping to level the playing field and diversify the tech industry.
This latest drop in venture capital investments in Black founders is concerning and shows the urgent need for action to address the systemic racism in the venture capital industry. At Ikaroa, we believe that all entrepreneurs, regardless of race, gender, or background, should have equal access to resources and networks necessary to succeed. We are determined to create more inclusive opportunities for Black founders, working towards a more diverse, equitable future.
