The Bootstrapped VC - A Backstage Capital Podcast

Hear about some exciting developments at Backstage directly from Arlan herself.

Peter Rojas loves gadgets and made a career around sharing the stories behind the devices, including vintage mobile phones. Christie Pitts worked on the front lines of consumer device sales at Verizon. Today, they're both VCs investing in startups – Peter at Betaworks, and Christie at Backstage Capital. But, while they look toward the future of technology, they can't refrain from reminiscing about the weird and wonderful evolution of phones that many have left behind in the past. Join us in this fun preview of Christie and Peter's new podcast, "0G: A History of Forgotten Phones". Listen to 0G: https://anchor.fm/0g Full show notes: https://backstagecapital.com/podcast/0g/‎ Credits: Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Co-Host: Christie Pitts Co-Host + Editor: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Jeff Kaale

Join a live fireside event that happened November 7, 2018. #MoveTheDial Global Summit in Toronto, Ontario in Canada, brought together incredible tech leaders and influencers dedicated to promoting the participation and leadership of all women in tech. Listen in as Bea Arthur, Founder + CEO at Backstage Headliner The Difference and a Host + Contributor at Forbes, speaks with Arlan about the origins of Backstage Capital, being true to yourself in the face of adversity, and all of us working together to change representation and opportunity for more people. Find out more about #MoveTheNeedle: https://movethedial.com/ Full show notes: https://backstagecapital.com/podcast/arlanwashere-movethedial-2018/

Andrea Barrica shares the story of being raised in a religious, conservative, first-generation Filipino-American family that only taught abstinence to becoming the CEO + Founder of O.school, a non-judgmental source for information on sexuality and dating through medically-accurate videos, articles, and live streams. Greer and Andrea discuss raising venture capital for a Sex Tech company as an LGBTQ woman of color, and Andrea's path to O.school after co-founding inDinero with Jessica Ma and working as a Venture Partner at 500 Startups. Full show notes: https://backstagecapital.com/podcast/oschool/ Credits: Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Host: Greer Engonga Producer: Bryan Landers Editor: Chris Keene Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Lakey Inspired

Greer interviews Headliner Damola Ogundipe, CEO + Co-founder of Civic Eagle, a political technology company that helps organizations win their policy campaigns with a SaaS platform that’s powered by artificial intelligence — legislative intelligence made simple. Full show notes: https://backstagecapital.com/podcast/civic-eagle/ Credits: Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Host: Greer Engonga Producer: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Lumenbeats.

Listen in on Arlan’s keynote talk from Vision 2018, the small business innovation symposium held October 19 in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s a charming, hilarious, and inspiring interview that reveals stories you’ve never heard from Arlan’s past — a candid conversation with Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Moore, Director + Lead of the Bioscience Entrepreneurial & Workforce Inclusion Initiative. Full show notes: https://backstagecapital.com/podcast/arlanwashere-vision-2018/ Credits Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Producer: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional music by: DeKobe

Listen in to another episode of Arlan's notes, an intimate conversation with you. Hear more about what the Fast Company cover means for representation, and how the good and bad things in life go on even while you experience achievements and accolades. Join Arlan as she seeks to shift things to their core, break ground, and make change. Full show notes: https://backstagecapital.com/podcast/arlanwashere-still-here/ Credits: Host + Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Producer + Editor: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine

Get to know the Directors of Program Development for the recently announced Backstage Accelerator. Melinda Epler and Wayne Sutton have been helping underestimated founders for years through accelerators, conferences, and corporate consulting. Learn more about their amazing career paths as well as their advice to founders interested in applying to Backstage Accelerator. Full show notes: https://backstagecapital.com/podcast/accelerator-2/ Credits: Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Host + Producer: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Lakey Inspired

Arlan, Christie, and Bryan share more about the newly announced Backstage Accelerator! Why now was the right time? What will it be? Who’s running the programs? Who’s welcome to apply? Find out all the latest details about Accelerator. Also, hear Arlan’s reaction to being featured on the October 2018 cover of Fast Company magazine. Full show notes: https://backstagecapital.com/podcast/accelerator/ Credits: Executive Producer + Co-host: Arlan Hamilton Co-Host: Christie Pitts Co-Host + Producer: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Es-K, Ashka

Greer chats with Headliner Mike T. Brown, Founder + CEO of Win Win, the only place where sports fans can compete in games to win epic experiences and amazing prizes from their favorite pro athletes, all while supporting charitable initiatives. Also, learn more about Backstage Crew member Anastasia Tarpeh-Ellis. Full show notes: http://backstagecapital.com/podcast/win-win/ Credits Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Host: Greer Engonga Producer: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Lakey Inspired

Here's an inspiring interview with the talented and driven Yelitsa Jean-Charles, Founder + CEO of Healthy Roots Dolls, a toy company that teaches natural hair care to young girls of color with beautiful black dolls. While at the Rhode Island School of Design studying Illustration, Yelitsa redesigned the fairy tale character Rapunzel as a brown girl with beautiful kinky hair. The exploration quickly gained traction and with a grant from of the Brown University Social Innovation Fellowship, support from the RISD E'Ship Program, the Masschallenge Accelerator program, and 674 dedicated Kickstarter backers, Yelitsa brought Healthy Roots to life. Join us as we discuss entrepreneurship, representation, and finding yourself in the world. Recorded at SXSW 2018 in Austin, Texas. Full show notes: http://backstagecapital.com/podcast/healthy-roots/ Credits: Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Host + Producer/Editor: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Birocratic

In this fun bonus episode, Arlan chats with her LA-based, celebrity hair stylist, Treenie, who works at the renowned studio of Kim Kimble. Listen in as they chat about working with Mary J Blige, Tamar Braxton, Beyonce and crew at Coachella, and even hear a bittersweet story about working with Whitney Houston. Enjoy! Full show notes: http://backstagecapital.com/podcast/arlanwashere-treenie/ Credits: Host + Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Producer + Editor: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional music by: Birocratic

Meet the co-founders of Backstage Capital Headliner CurlMix, Kim + Tim Lewis. CurlMix started as a DIY hair care products subscription box and through customer demand grew into a whole hair care line. Join us as we discuss mixing family and startups, finding the right business model, building to customer demand, deciding if venture capital is right for your business, and learning to succeed as a startup founder without a network or money. Recorded at SXSW 2018 in Austin, Texas. Special event: Brooklyn Popup Shop with CurlMix – July 21, 2018 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brooklyn-pop-up-shop-with-curlmix-tickets-47529434819 Full show notes: http://backstagecapital.com/podcast/curlmix/ Credits: Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Host + Producer/Editor: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: vbnd

This incredibly special episode is the culmination of a liftime of training and preparation for Arlan Hamilton. By day she’s a venture capitalist, but also by day (and sometimes night), she’s an avid watcher of the longest-running American soap opera in production and the second longest-running drama on television in American history, General Hospital. Tag along as Arlan lives out one of her life goals to hang out with the GH cast. Listen in as Arlan speaks with 3 delightful stars from of her beloved show and even chats with the Executive Producer. The conversations are wide-ranging — how could they not be — and cover entrepreneurship, representation, leaving and returning to the show, memorizing never-ending scripts, and so much more. Buckle up because this here is a celebration of life, love, and television that you are not gonna want to miss. Full show notes: http://backstagecapital.com/podcast/gh1/ Talent featured: Steve Burton (Actor, Jason Morgan) Tamara Braun (Actor, Kim Nero) Vinessa Antoine (Actor, Jordan Ashford) Frank Valentini (Excecutive Producer) Credits - Host + Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Producer: Bryan Landers Arlan’s Audio: Dianne Cherrez Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: DeKobe

This episode is the third and final in a special 3-part podcast mini-series about maternity technology. In Part 3, Greer Engonga from the Backstage Crew is joined by Melissa (CEO) and Linda (Chief Clinical Officer) Hanna, the mother and daughter co-founders of Headliner Mahmee, a HIPAA-secure platform that makes it easy for hospitals, health systems, and their patients to coordinate comprehensive prenatal and postpartum healthcare from anywhere. In this mini-series finale, discover how Mahmee was born, a mission and passion to provide care for women, the frightening statistics regarding the morbidity rate of women of color during childbirth, and a peek into the mother/daughter co-founder dynamic. Thank you for tuning into our Maternity Tech mini-series! Full show notes: http://backstagecapital.com/podcast/maternity-tech-mahmee/ Credits: Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Series Host: Greer Engonga Editor + Producer: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Birocratic

Arlan and Backstage are the subject of Season 7 of Gimlet Media’s podcast StartUp. Fair warning: there will be spoilers for the episode discussed, so go listen to the episode before listening to the reaction! We’ll be recording our reactions to each StartUp episode as they’re released so you can get our take on what really happened and how we felt about it. Here is the reaction to StartUp Season 7 Episode 6 — the series finale! It’s been a wild ride. We’re so thankful to all of you who have listened to the series and these reaction episodes, and for those who have shared your reactions on Twitter and elsewhere. We’ve had fun sharing a bit of what the experience was like for us, and we hope you enjoy this last one, our reaction finale. Here’s to everyone out there who is underestimated, unabashedly seeking wealth and creating impact, and brave enough to speak your mind and your heart when it matters, because you matter. Full show notes: http://backstagecapital.com/podcast/startup-reaction-6/ Credits: Co-host + Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Co-host: Christie Pitts Co-host + Producer/Editor: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Torrie Vogt, Big Al Beatz

Arlan and Backstage are the subject of Season 7 of Gimlet Media’s podcast StartUp. Fair warning: there will be spoilers for the episode discussed, so go listen to the episode before listening to the reaction! We’ll be recording our reactions to each StartUp episode as they’re released so you can get our take on what really happened and how we felt about it. In this reaction to StartUp Season 7 Episode 5, penultimate in the series, things brighten up a bit. Learn more about Mrs. Simms, what Arlan would do if she were producing StartUp, as well as super geeky VC stuff like returns sustaining impact, angel vs institutional investors, and different types of institutional funds. Oh, and do stick around for a musical finale you will not want to miss…or maybe after you’ve heard it you’ll wish you had missed it, but that’s for you to decide. Full show notes: http://backstagecapital.com/podcast/startup-reaction-5/ Credits: Co-host + Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Co-host: Christie Pitts Co-host + Producer/Editor: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Big Al Beatz

Arlan and Backstage are the subject of Season 7 of Gimlet Media’s podcast StartUp. Fair warning: there will be spoilers for the episode discussed, so go listen to the episode before listening to the reaction! We’ll be recording our reactions to each StartUp episode as they’re released so you can get our take on what really happened and how we felt about it. In this reaction to StartUp Season 7 Episode 4, we dive headlong into the difficult subject matter featured by Amy and the StartUp production team. VCs selling GP to cover operating costs, coping with tough personal news in professional settings, VC funds + startup studios vs startups, shooting for the moon, and so much more. We laugh (a lot), we cry (a little), and we shine light on some of the missed story opportunities in this latest episode. Full show notes: http://backstagecapital.com/podcast/startup-reaction-4/ Credits: Co-host + Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Co-host: Christie Pitts Co-host + Producer/Editor: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Big Al Beatz

This episode is the second in a special 3-part podcast mini-series about maternity technology. In Part 2, Greer Engonga from the Backstage Crew is joined by Headliner Phil Martie, the Founder + CEO of Nicolette, a startup that builds empowerment applications for patients fighting acute health battles. Their first product, NicoBoard, gives parents the competence and confidence to participate in their baby’s healthcare decisions. Hear more about how a father turned a personal tragedy into an opportunity to better the lives of millions. Full show notes: http://backstagecapital.com/podcast/maternity-tech-nicolette/ Credits: Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Series Host: Greer Engonga Editor + Producer: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional Music by: Birocratic

Arlan catches us up on the latest news at Backstage and shares more about the recently announced $36M fund to invest in startups led by Black women. We also hear a clip from the 'Techish' podcast where the hosts share their reaction to the new fund. Full show notes: http://backstagecapital.com/podcast/arlanwashere-about-damn-time/ Credits: Host + Executive Producer: Arlan Hamilton Producer + Editor: Bryan Landers Theme by: Janine Additional music by: DeKobe