future fund

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Future Fund

Our mission is to empower diverse teams and ambitious founders with venture-backable businesses that can scale rapidly and demonstrate global impact. Program Thesis

The Future Fund is looking to invest $50M into venture-backable, tech-enabled startups that champion diversity. We are looking to back high-quality teams that are building businesses in growing markets. CI will typically lead or co-lead Seed or Pre-Seed rounds, with an average initial check size from $250,000 - $1.5 million. Our Team

Alison Malloy

Managing Director, Investments

Get To Know

Danny Qiao

Director, Investments

Get To Know THE FUNDING REALITY Approximately 2%

of venture capital funded startups have solely a female founder Approximately 1%

of venture capital funded startup founders are Latinx Approximately.5%

of venture capital funded startup founders are black Future Fund Portfolio

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Dream Payments Corp.

Ellis Brooklyn, LLC

Empirium

FlyteHealth

GoodSam

Hally Hair, Inc.

HealthyBaby

Jodie

Marlow

Matrix Rental Solutions, Inc.

PHȲND

The Real Feel Our Fund Manager

Alison Malloy is a managing director of investments for Connecticut Innovations, focusing on tech investments and consumer product goods. She manages CI’s $50M Future Fund, which prioritizes diversity in its portfolio. Alison is responsible for sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities, structuring investment terms and accelerating portfolio companies through active board participation. She is also the co-founder of Tidal River, Connecticut’s women investor network, and serves as a regular speaker, judge and member at several entrepreneur organizations, including Golden Seeds, AIF’s Angel Investor Forum and Springboard Enterprises.

Alison contributes to CI’s expertise in tech with more than 20 years in the industry. Alison was the CEO and co-founder of Design2Launch (D2L), a leading Connecticut-based tech startup in workflow collaboration for the CPG and pharma industries, with two successful exits, to Eastman Kodak Company in 2008 and Danaher in 2018. She started her career with GE Capital and General Electric and graduated from GE Capital’s business financial management program. She was also the chief financial officer of the NBC Retail Experience Store in NYC and integrated the acquisition of the Mexican bank Banco Alianza with GE Capital Mexico. Alison co-led a management consulting practice for Arthur Andersen Management Consulting and started her investing career at the Slovak American Enterprise Fund in Slovakia. Alison graduated from Boston College. CRITERIA FOR INVESTMENT

CI seeks companies led by CEOs whose resilience, creativity and resourcefulness will lead to outsized returns. While the fund will invest in early-stage companies of all types, diversity at the board and executive level is key. Preference will be given to disruptive and high-performing early-stage companies that have high growth potential.

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contact tamyra davis company stage

We’re looking for early-stage companies that are looking to accelerate their growth, test their innovations, build minimum viable products or run customer pilots. Both first-time founders and seasoned entrepreneurs are welcome. capital raised

To ensure that outside capital is leveraged, co-investment will be required, either at the time of funding or shortly thereafter. Companies that join the portfolio will also have access to other investors who make it their mission to champion diversity. focus on innovation

CI’s investment criteria have been honed over decades to help us select companies with the highest potential for outsized returns. As such, we prioritize companies that are developing a technology that is unique and difficult to copy due to patents, design or go-to-market strategy. co-investment

Co-investment is required. primary location

To be considered for the Future Fund, companies must have and maintain a presence in Connecticut. funding amount

From…

Topic areas: Social Innovation and Community Development, Gender Equality and Diversity, Workforce Development.

Funding amount

This grant provides Varies in funding.

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no single fixed deadline.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to the following applicant types:

• Not specified by the program.

Eligibility

The program did not publish a separate eligibility statement. See the official opportunity page for the full eligibility criteria.

Agency

future fund is administered by Connecticut Innovations / CTNext (CI), listed via Connecticut Innovations / CTNext.