Tessa Flippin is the Founder and Managing Partner of Capitalize VC, a pre-seed and seed stage VC fund purpose-built to reduce the racial wealth gap by investing in early-stage Black and Latinx founders, while simultaneously creating access for diverse LPs.
Show Notes
Tessa Flippin is the Founder and Managing Partner of Capitalize VC, a pre-seed and seed stage VC fund purpose-built to reduce the racial wealth gap by investing in early-stage Black and Latinx founders, while simultaneously creating access for diverse LPs.
Tessa began her career in venture capital as a venture investor at TechNexus, a Chicago-based fund, where she invested in enterprise SaaS technologies at the seed stage. She went on to join Genius Guild Greenhouse Fund as a Venture Capitalist in Residence, investing in Black founders in fintech, health tech and connectivity.
Prior to venture capital, Tessa founded La Plataforma, a fintech payments platform, sending international money transfers throughout Latin America.
Tessa attended Stanford University for undergrad where she ran Track and Field and joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She went on to receive her MBA from Columbia Business School where she studied entrepreneurship, venture capital and social impact.
Tessa actively serves on the board of BLCK VC Midwest and the advisory board of Chicago:Blend working to bring diversity to the Midwest tech ecosystem. She is also a member of the Cap Table Coalition investment committee.
What is Chicago Capital?
The Chicago Capital Podcast explores the startup and Venture Capital ecosystem in the Windy City. Each episode will feature a prominent founder, Venture Capitalist, or Angel investor who plays an integral part in the city's entrepreneurial story. Join host Matt Castellini as he chats with guests about their career journey, their perspective on a particular market, and their thoughts on the Chicago VC and startup scene.