Ivan Alo and LaDante McMillon (@newagecapital) are here for the culture. They were recognized by Forbes 30 under 30 and are part of the new wave of venture capitalists that are happy to call the industry out on its bullsh*t. Ivan and LaDante are the founders of New Age Capital, a seed-stage venture fund investing in tech startups founded and led by Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. Prior to New Age, Ivan was a portfolio manager at a multi-billion dollar real estate fund and LaDante was a filmmaker who said 'Nah' to Hollywood, instead opting to launch his own consultancy to help entrepreneurs use the power of storytelling to reach their customers. The New Age guys never set out to be VC's but they realized they were uniquely equipped to fund and support Black and Latinx founders. Founders that were creating dope companies and adding a ton of value to their markets but only getting less than 2% of VC dollars. Let's put some respect on their names. The guys also host an interview web series called CHOP’N IT UP, which highlights a few of the Black and Latinx founders within the New Age Capital network.

In this episode, Ivan and LaDante, break down how they turned a 12-year old friendship that started with getting lit at orientation at Boston College, into a GP partnership. They explain why "Multiculturalism is eating the world," how to go from literally knowing NOTHING about venture all the way to being a fund manager, learning how to provide value to startups with non-technical backgrounds, what it's like to be seeded by Lightspeed Venture Partners, and how they built relationships with amazing mentors like Barry Eggers, Josh Kopelman, and Jerry Neumann. Ivan and LaDante also talk about VC ghosting culture, and lessons learned from dealing with flaky people. Empathy is at the center of what the New Age guys do, and a big reason why founders are looking for diverse representation on their cap tables.

Keeping it real and providing a fresh perspective, Ivan and LaDante teach us how to call out the bs, and build a great fund from Day 1.