Arlan Hamilton
highly-reviewedAbout Arlan Hamilton
“Everything was great, as always! Thank you! ”
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Arlan Hamilton, the founder at Backstage Capital and HireRunner.co, is a serial entrepreneur, author of “It’s About Damn Time," and master multi-tasker. Despite not having a background in finance or venture capital, she has raised millions of dollars in funding for over 200 companies and has become a leading advocate for diversity and inclusion. Hear her remarkable journey from homelessness to successful venture capitalist and entrepreneur, and be prepared to be inspired to write your own headlines.
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Arlan Hamilton Went From Homeless to Running $20 Million in VC ...
Mar 6, 2022 ... Arlan Hamilton was homeless and sleeping on the floor of the San Francisco Airport in 2015, when an investor wrote the first check that set her on the way ...
Books by Arlan Hamilton
“Your First Million: Why You Don’t Have to Be Born into a Legacy of Wealth to Leave One Behind” (2024)
Your First Million: Why You Don’t Have to Be Born into a Legacy of Wealth to Leave One Behind
“It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest Advantage” (2020)
From a black, gay woman who broke into the boys’ club of Silicon Valley comes an empowering guide to finding your voice, working your way into any room you want to be in, and achieving your own dreams. In 2015, Arlan Hamilton was on food stamps and sleeping on the floor of the San Francisco airport, with nothing but an old laptop and a dream of breaking into the venture capital business. She couldn’t understand why people starting companies all looked the same (white and male), and she wanted the chance to invest in the ideas and people who didn’t conform to this image of how a founder is supposed to look. Hamilton had no contacts or network in Silicon Valley, no background in finance—not even a college degree. What she did have was fierce determination and the will to succeed. As much as we wish it weren’t so, we still live in a world where being underrepresented often means being underestimated. But as someone who makes her living investing in high-potential founders who also happen to be female, LGBTQ, or people of color, Hamilton understands that being undervalued simply means that a big upside exists. Because even if you have to work twice as hard to get to the starting line, she says, once you are on a level playing field, you will sprint ahead. Despite what society would have you believe, Hamilton argues, a privileged background, an influential network, and a fancy college degree are not prerequisites for success. Here she shares the hard-won wisdom she’s picked up on her remarkable journey from food-stamp recipient to venture capitalist, with lessons like “The Best Music Comes from the Worst Breakups,” “Let Someone Shorter Stand in Front of You,” “The Dangers of Hustle Porn,” and “Don’t Let Anyone Drink Your Diet Coke.” Along the way, she inspires us all to defy other people’s expectations and to become the role models we’ve been looking for.
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