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produce a figure on her returns: “We’re super early,”
she says.) She backs founders “who have integrity”
and are passionate and driven.
Two women in particular inspired Hamilton
throughout her childhood and life: her mother and
Janet Jackson. Jackson was Hamilton’s first example
of “a strong black woman outside of my family who
was making money, who had fans, who was creative,
who expressed herself, and was herself,” she says.
And Hamilton’s mother set the bar high for drive and
perseverance. At some points, while Hamilton was
growing up, her mother worked two jobs. She was
never lazy, Hamilton says, and she knew how to take
care of herself.
“I’ve seen her stand up for people and herself,” she
says. “She was probably my main motivator.”LEADING BY EXAMPLE
As Backstage Capital has grown, Hamilton has
refused to compromise her values for the sake
of funding. “Why would someone trust me if I could
just change course so easily? If I could just be
bought?” Hamilton says. “If I could be bought,
then none of this matters. None of what I say
would have any weight if you could pay me to say
something else.”
Leading by example is how Hamilton runs Back-
stage Capital—and how she ensures it will continue onGETTINGAHEADHamilton speaking
at TechCrunch
Disrupt in
San Francisco.$
36M
AMOUNT
BACKSTAGE
CAPITAL
WILL INVEST
IN BLACK
FEMALE
STARTUP
FOUNDERSwithout her one day. She’d like to
be remembered as a leader who
emphasized the importance of
self-care. She publicly supports
her founders when they face
backlash, and she tells her
employees to take more time
off if they need it.
She’s transparent, too, about
the state of her well-being. She
gives audio updates to her
employees each month, letting
them know if she’s hitting a wall
or frustrated or proud or optimis-
tic. Developing this strategy
comes after decades of working
for great leaders and not-so-great
ones, Hamilton says.
“I took note of the kind of
company I would want to work for
and that I would want to build.
That company is one where
everyone feels like they have
ownership, they have impact,
and what they say and think and
feel matters,” Hamilton says.
“If that is not happening on a
day-to-day basis, then I’m doing
that wrong.
“I really practice what I preach
because I know you can’t tell
someone what to do—then not do
it yourself,” she adds. “I’m making
an investment, and my hope is that
what it does has a part in building
wealth for others.”
It’s perhaps a different philoso-
phy from those her employees and
founders are used to—especially
in the tech industry and Silicon
Valley.
“They grew up and live in a
world that’s so macho in business,
where you sleep when you die;
and if you’re not hustling on the
weekend, you’re not doing it right,”
Hamilton says. “There’s no reason
for that. Just take a nap.”KI
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