Venture:
Level
Founders:
Nikoa Milton '14BUS and Jenny Tolan '14BUS
Industry:
Angel investing, education, and professional network
Venture Type:
For-profit
What is the social or environmental issue being addressed?
Our networks overall are segregated: on average, 91 percent of white people's friends are white and 83 percent of Black people's friends are Black. Personal and professional networks are key to financial success, healthcare, legal support, and building empathy and understanding, but our segregation drives the racial wealth gap – and no women’s network has overcome this barrier. At the same time, Black women start businesses at 3x the rate of other women, but have received less than 0.35 percent of all venture funding.
Innovation:
Level was born from the idea that by working together toward the common goal of investing in Black women, we can attract powerful Black and non-Black women and build authentic cross-racial relationships, leading to a groundbreaking network. Level’s foundational offering is the Women’s Equity Circle, a course to discuss the racial wealth gap, learn angel investing, hear pitches from exciting entrepreneurs, and pool money and in-kind expertise to invest in a Black woman-led business. While other women’s networks fail to attract women of color, Level’s community is made up of 50 percent Black and 50 percent non-Black women leaders across industries.