Jenkins and co-founder Ralonda Johnson
recruited additional NFL players and industry
leaders to represent the fund. Among them
are defensive backs Devin and Jason McCourty
of the New England Patriots, safety Rodney
McLeod of the Philadelphia Eagles and
free agent wide receiver Jordan Matthews.
Jenkins played with McLeod and Matthews in
Philadelphia. Also, television broadcaster Sharrie
Williams is part of the fund.
“While less than 1% of American venture
capital backed founders are Black, an even
smaller percentage are women of color,”
Jenkins told The Associated Press. “We need to
break down those barriers, and this is why I’m
proud to have Ralonda at the helm of Broad
Street Ventures and Sharrie coming on board as
an investor. Black women are helping to rewrite
the narrative and we are inviting more Black
women to the table to create generational
wealth for themselves and others. This is an
important initiative to me, as my businesses
are not only run by strong women but also
supported by women.”
Jenkins, who plays for the New Orleans Saints,
and the McCourty twins have known each other
since they played football against each other in
high school in New Jersey.
“Malcolm is a guy off the field that has just done
a ton for a ton of people, whether it’s his social
justice work, his business stuff, his hand is always
in something, so when he came to Devin and
myself with this opportunity, it’s something that
you don’t take lightly because if he’s in it, it’s
something that’s probably bound to succeed,”
Jason McCourty said.