Gaingels

Our portfolio company, Volley, a San Francisco-based pioneer in voice-controlled gaming, has successfully raised $55M in its Series C funding round! Under the visionary leadership of CEO Max Child and James Wilsterman Volley has been making waves in the gaming industry by creating games for the Amazon Alexa platform. In 2023, they expanded their reach with a gaming hub on Roku and a mobile app for iOS and Android. What sets Volley apart is their AI voice interface, making gaming accessible to a broad audience without the need for traditional controllers. Imagine just talking to your device and diving into a game—how cool is that? A huge shoutout to the other amazing investors who believe in Volley's vision, including M1, Microsoft's Venture Fund, Lightspeed, and many others. This funding will help Volley expand and keep innovating, bringing even more fantastic games to you. Looking forward to all the exciting things to come! ✨ #VentureCapital #SeriesCRaise #Innovation #TechNews #GamingRevolution #VoiceControlledGames #AI #StartupSuccess

Cardino, a pioneer in the used electric vehicle market, has secured €4 million in seed funding led by Point Nine , with support from top investors including us at Gaingels, Rosberg Ventures, and leaders from Vinted.com, Bolt, and others! Founders Henrik Sachs and Lukasz Pajak are building Cardino to revolutionize the used electric vehicle marketplace with a digital-first approach, making the process convenient and efficient for both sellers and dealers. Driven by their commitment to innovation and #sustainability, they will continue to set a new standard in the industry by addressing the underserved market of consumers seeking to purchase used electric vehicles. #VentureCapital #ElectricVehicles #Innovation #Funding #BusinessNews

Starting this month, we are opening one of our exclusive Gaingels members' events to the public to give you a taste of what it’s like being part of the Gaingels ecosystem 🙌 In honor of #WorldPRDay, we hope you will join us for "How to Engineer a PR Strategy That Works," an insightful session with Amy Jackson, CEO & Founder of TaleSplash. 🌟 In this session, the seasoned PR professional will provide concrete examples of how to orchestrate a PR strategy that actually works across tech, lifestyle, health, and more. Learn how to: Boost your brand's credibility to attract customers and investors. Connect with journalists at the right time and place. Earn media coverage in trusted national and local publications. 📅 Date: July 24th, 12-1PM EST 📍 Location: Virtual 🔗 Register below https://lnkd.in/erBHmK5b #Gaingels #PRStrategy #Startups #TaleSplash #PRTips #MediaCoverage #WorldPRDay

The Gaingels Healthcare Fund SPV on Alto Marketplace gives investors the distinct opportunity to gain exposure to venture capital focused on positively impacting diverse communities with investments in the healthcare space. Learn how high-growth startups can intertwine with healthcare inclusivity through the Gaingels Healthcare Fund I on Alto Marketplace at: https://lnkd.in/gBbb9xcg

Mason Ashe Joins Cerebro Sports' Advisory Board! We’re excited to announce that veteran sports attorney Mason Ashe has joined the Advisory Board of Cerebro Sports! 🏀 Cerebro Sports is the world's largest database of basketball player data, and Mason's expertise will help drive their ambitious plans for innovation and growth. Mason brings a wealth of experience, from leading Ashe Sports & Entertainment Consulting to teaching sports law at top universities. Ryan Girardot, CEO of Cerebro Sports, says: "With Mason on board, we're ready to elevate our offerings and reach new audiences." Cheers to a new chapter, Mason Ashe and Cerebro Sports!! https://lnkd.in/eVYmZnmt #BoardPlacement #Basketball #Leadership #Gaingels #CerebroSports

#NowHiring 🌟 Are you looking to bring your finance expertise to a mission-driven company? We are excited to spotlight an amazing opportunity within the Gaingels portfolio: VP of Finance at Verto Education. 🔍 About Verto Education: Founded to provide the best possible start to college, Verto Education offers affordable, experiential education abroad, transferring students seamlessly to partner universities in the US. Verto is backed by top VCs like First Round Capital. 💼 Role Highlights: Design and manage the finance department Implement scalable financial systems and processes Create business plans and financial models Oversee financial reporting and investor communications 📈 Qualifications: 8+ years of finance experience, with startup expertise Excellent communication and organizational skills Proven ability to lead in a fast-paced environment 👥 Who They’re Looking For: A strategic thinker, influential communicator, strong executor, and mission-driven leader who believes in transforming lives through education. If this sounds like you, apply today! 📍 Location: Remote, with travel as needed Ready to apply? Click here: https://lnkd.in/epFme5nJ #opentowork #hiring #education #financeroles #missiondriven

For entrepreneurs like Christopher Rhodes, CEO and co-founder of Mimio Health, fundraising is more than just securing capital—it's about expanding networks, gaining insights, and increasing brand exposure. Despite their remarkable economic performance, LGBTQ+ founders receive only 0.5% of startup funding in the U.S. from 2000 to 2022 (StartOut, 2023 State of LGBTQ Entrepreneurship Report) Startling statistics and founder testimonies like these drive our commitment to changing these numbers by investing in diverse founders, funders, and leaders—not only financially but also through our inclusive portfolio network and invaluable community events. More about Mimio Health: Mimio Health, a biotech company focused on longevity supplements, raised $1.75 million in a seed round led by Better Ventures, with our support and participation from other esteemed investors. https://lnkd.in/eWbXjppg

“More than 70 unicorns—firms that have reached US$1 billion valuations—have been funded at different stages by Gaingels. These include Seattle-based telehealth platform Ro and Vancouver-based digital games firm Dapper Labs". We are proud to be recognized alongside firms like Colorful Capital and Backstage Capital for our commitment to empowering underrepresented entrepreneurs. Since 2019, our members have invested over $800 million, backing innovative companies in health, fintech, and enterprise software. We believe in the transformative power of diversity and are dedicated to creating more opportunities for LGBTQIA+ startup founders. Thank you, Rob Csernyik for crafting such an insightful article about the strides we have made in supporting LGBTQIA+ founders and businesses, contributing to a more inclusive and diverse venture capital landscape. Thank you to everyone who supports our mission and helps us drive positive change. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact. #Gaingels #LGBTQIA #VentureCapital #DiversityInTech #Equity

We concluded Pride Month in New York City with an unforgettable gathering celebrating Pride with puppies! It was so special to see our community come together to honor our progress, both as a community and as an organization. We were grateful to have Yummers, fable, and Muddy Paws Rescue join us. Muddy Paws Rescue brought along 4 adorable dogs looking for their forever homes 🐶. Muddy Paws shared their incredible mission of saving pups, Fable showcased their innovative pet toys that keep our pets safe and playful, and Yummers brought their innovative and nurition-packed pet food toppers. To everyone who joined us: Thank you! Your presence made this event special and allowed us to end Pride Month with a strong sense of community and purpose. Here’s to making every month feel like Pride Month! 🌟🌈 #GaingelsPride #LGBTQIA #AdoptDontShop #YummersPets #FablePets.

🏠 Full Circle Moment at the White House Truly a full-circle moment for me. Last Wednesday, I was invited to speak at The White House at an impactful roundtable of diverse, women and LGBTQ+ VCs and people in the VC ecosystem. We offered policy recommendations to people from the Biden administration’s Dept. of Treasury, National Economic Council, and Dept. of Commerce to get more venture capital and investments to LGBTQ+, women and diverse-led companies. Over a decade ago, I lived in DC for several years, just off Pennsylvania Avenue, working at the law firm Morgan Lewis, just a few blocks from the White House. After moving back to NYC, I often traveled to DC for work for another law firm near the White House. During my White House presentation, it was truly an honor to share my journey from attorney to angel investor to VC (with Portfolia and now my fund 125 Ventures) over the past decade. I started investing when I heard that only 2% of VC investments went to women, less than 1% go to both Blacks and Latinos, and there is no tracking of this data for LGBTQ-led companies. StartOut (a non-profit that supports LGBTQ founders, is starting to track this data). If these founders are given more access to capital, our entire US economy will grow because they generate jobs, which means more money flows into the economy and a larger tax base. 💵 I recommended providing incentives for removing barriers to investment by creating more onramps for investor accreditation, such as training and certification to broaden the investor base beyond wealth and professional investment criteria, supporting emerging manager capital formation through the passage of the DEAL Act, and modernizing the definition of a qualifying venture capital fund. I also discussed the recent Fearless Fund litigation and how this administration can implement policies so marginalized founders can get more access to capital. It was great to present with my colleagues Patrick Driscoll, Amy Siskind, Brian Richardson, and Dr. Vivienne Ming. Big thanks to Patrick Driscoll, who worked tirelessly to secure this meeting with the White House in coordination with Kate Balcerzak. Thank you for meeting with us Steve Benjamin, Jonathan Lovitz, Suzanne Fritzberg, and Michael Koncrzal. #whitehouse #VentureCapital #VC #women #diverse #LGBTQ+ #accreditedinvestors #DEALact Us Department Of Commerce Us Department Of Commerce Venture Out Partnership Gaingels 100KM Ventures The Equity Alliance HubSpot National Venture Capital Association Chasing Rainbows cc: Pipeline Angels, Recast Capital and VC Include