Interview: Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital on Diversity, Hustle and Playing to Win

Summary: We talked with Arlan Hamilton, theFounder & Managing Partner of Backstage Capital. Backstage Capital has invested more than $2M in 50+ companies led by underrepresented founders.  Arlan is a venture capital fund manager, but she got her start publishing the internationally distributed indie magazine INTERLUDE, and toured extensively as a live music production professional, she enters the venture investing world from an unconventional path. Arlan is dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are of color, women, and/or LGBT.  We discuss diversity in tech, her story to becoming an unlikely VC and her advice for founders on how to stay focused and prioritize.