7. Building a New Kind of VC Through Hustle and Grit with Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital

First Pitches with Lolita Taub and Eric Bahn

According to author Angela Ducksworth, the secret to success is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.”

In short, it’s the ability to persist in the face of hardship to achieve your goals no matter how long it takes.

When you have this type of grit you become a force to be reckoned with, much like our guest on this week’s episode of First Pitches.

We’re talking about Arlan Hamilton, founder of Backstage Capital.

You may have seen Arlan before as she’s graced the cover of Fast Company as the first black businesswoman and is the author of an Amazon Best Seller: It’s About Damn Time.

She also happens to be friends with the cast of the daytime soap show, General Hospital.

But just five years ago, it was a different story. She was just another underestimated founder.

In 2015, Arlan was quickly judged as being: an LGBT black female; non-college-educated, and at one point, homeless--sleeping at SFO airport while she raised money.

Since then, she’s managed to hustle her way through all these headwinds and raised a combined $12 million for Backstage Capital and the ArlanWasHere Investments fund.

And through these vehicles, Arlan has invested in over 130 underestimated founders.

Interested in learning how Arlan developed her grit? Listen to find out how.

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