Jarrid Tingle, Managing Partner of Harlem Capital — Transforming the Face of Entrepreneurship
Miguel Armaza sits down with Jarrid Tingle, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Harlem Capital, an early-stage, diversity-focused venture capital firm that was founded in 2015 with the specific mission to fundamentally change the face of entrepreneurship.
Jarrid and team now manage a $174 million portfolio comprised of 61% Black or Latino led companies and 43% female-only led companies. Harlem Capital aims to invest in 1,000 diverse founders over the next 30 years.
Jarrid is also a proud alum of our amazing Wharton School!
In this episode, we discuss:
- Jarrid’s background and how he and his co-founders raised Harlem Capital’s initial fund while still in business school. After working at ICV Partners, a black-owned private equity shop, Jarrid and co-founder, Henri Pierre-Jacques, left PE and headed to Harvard Business School with the goal of turning what had once been an angel syndicate into a full-fledged Venture Capital fund. They raised $12.5 million within their first year of school and then closed their main $40 million fund shortly after graduation between May of 2019 and November of 2019.
- The story behind Harlem Capital’s very own Harvard Business School case. Barely three months after graduating, HBS published a case study about Harlem Capital, written by a professor that taught Jarrid and Henri.
“We think it’s a great opportunity to be in the curriculum. Have people use your story as a way to learn about different ways to approach business and potentially motivate them and have them ask the hard questions to us and, hopefully, help the next generation of business leaders grow and develop.”
Full interview → Spotify | Soundcloud | Apple
- Importance of backing founders that fundamentally can sell and are analytical. Since inception, Harlem capital has backed 23 companies led by what they consider to be visionaries that can execute at a high level, but are also great storytellers that are also analytical.
“I like to look for people that can sell and people that are analytical. I think if you can do those two things, then you can build a business, you can find good opportunities, you can win customers, you can hire the best employees, you can evangelize your brand, and all these things can then help a lot.”
- Debunking the myth of the pipeline problem and why it’s really just about giving people access and opportunities. Harlem Capital is a community fund that brings people together and aims to invest in 1000 diverse entrepreneurs over the next 30 years. To get there, not only are they backing diverse entrepreneurs but they have also taken concrete steps to help create opportunities for people of color in Venture Capital through their intern and angel programs. Over the last couple of years, they’ve had over 50 interns and 17 of them have joined a Venture Capital or Private Equity fund full time.
- Why he’s hopeful but not satisfied with the progress of the VC and Tech industry as it relates to diversity. Despite all the progress the industry has made over the last few years, the aggregate stats still aren’t good. Black and Latino entrepreneurs in the US get just around 2% of all VC funding and women get around the same percentage, regardless of race.
“We need more diverse check writers, more diverse VC firms that are motivated and excited about backing diverse entrepreneurs.”
- The biggest lesson he’s learned as an investor… And a lot more!
Jarrid Tingle
Jarrid Tingle is Managing Partner of Harlem Capital where he focuses on deal sourcing, organizational strategy, and due diligence efforts. Jarrid was featured on the 2019 Forbes 30 under 30 list, 2019 Inc. 30 under 30 list, and the 2018 Ebony Power 100 list.
He received his MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS) in 2019 where he was a Baker Scholar (top 5% of class). During HBS, Jarrid was a fellow in the Robert Toigo Foundation and Management Leadership for Tomorrow MBA Programs.
Previously, Jarrid was a Private Equity Investment Professional at ICV Partners. Prior to ICV, Jarrid was an Investment Banker in the Global Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group at Barclays.
Jarrid graduated cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Concentration in Finance. Jarrid was an active member of Friars Senior Society, Onyx Senior Honor Society, and The Lantern Senior Society. Upon graduation, Jarrid received the Wharton Undergraduate Dean’s Award for Excellence (Wharton’s highest honor).
Jarrid’s favorite activities include reading, weight training, traveling, and attending concerts.
About Harlem Capital:
Harlem Capital (HCP) is an early-stage, diversity-focused venture capital firm. HCP makes initial investments of $750k to $1.5mm in U.S. Seed rounds for 10%+ ownership.
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Robinhood’s COO, Gretchen Howard — Democratizing Finance, Navigating a Crisis, & Embracing Change
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Charles Moldow, General Partner at Foundation Capital — Investing in Fintech Gems
Ali Tamaseb, Partner at DCVC — What Does It Really Take to Build a Unicorn?
Miguel Armaza is Co-Host of the Wharton Fintech Podcast and Co-Founder of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas.
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