Venture Access Alliance

The Venture Access Alliance is a coalition of startup investors who believe NYC’s diversity is its greatest strength and opportunity for growth. Alliance members will work together with NYCEDC to achieve diversity throughout the startup value chain and build the world’s best, most inclusive tech and venture ecosystem in NYC.

The Alliance is part of Venture Access NYC, an NYCEDC initiative to build a more diverse and equitable tech ecosystem in NYC for startup founders and funders. It is inspired by successful public-private initiatives like PledgeLA, an initiative launched by the Annenberg Foundation and the City of Los Angeles. The Alliance is co-chaired by Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures and Jarrid Tingle of Harlem Capital Partners and is supported by the Ford Foundation and Annenberg Foundation.

The Alliance is centered around:

• Tracking Diversity: The Alliance collects data on diversity in NYC’s venture industry and publishes a report with best practices and benchmarks for startup investors.
• Setting Goals: The Alliance sets ambitious yet feasible goals to improve diversity among NYC venture investments and decision-makers.
• Committing to Action: The Alliance commits investors to develop, fund, and implement actions and collaborative programs that work toward the diversity goals in NYC.

Benefits of Membership Include:

• Leadership: Alliance members play a key role in building the best, most inclusive tech and venture ecosystem in the world.
• Access: Alliance members gain access to diverse talent pools, deal flow, and leverage best practices from industry peers.
• Visibility: Alliance members leverage visibility of their diversity-focused efforts and thought leadership across media and press opportunities.

Meet the Alliance Members