Collab Capital

Collab capital

Firm Headquarters: Atlanta, GA

Date Founded: December 2019

Investments to Date: Under 10

www.collab.capital

This Page was Updated September 2020

Investment Approach

Collab Capital’s mission is to decrease the racial wealth gap by helping Black founded businesses overcome the funding and network challenges that often stifle their growth. Our intention is to invest in a new class of entrepreneurs who are building sustainable, profitable companies, hiring in their communities, and reinvesting in the founders that come after them. To do these things, we’ve designed a new investment product which aligns our interests with both the investors and founders we serve.We focus on investing in Black founders because they represent both the fastest growing entrepreneurial segment and the most under-resourced and under-networked segment in the US. At the intersection of these truths is a massive market opportunity. 

Our goal is to create optionality for the founder and early liquidity opportunities for LP’s while allowing the company itself to scale responsibly. Returning capital to investors via profit sharing provides an alternative stream to traditional venture capital funds. While most Venture Capital funds typically deliver returns to their investors between years 7 and 10, Collab Capital’s profit sharing format allows us to provide returns to our Limited Partners as early as year 3.

Along with our broader objectives, we also seek to create a diverse set of Limited Partners (LPs) from many industries and areas of expertise. This is an important part of both our capital raise and deployment strategy as we seek to activate the diverse networks of our active LPs. This strategy will allow some of our LPs to support our portfolio companies, directly or indirectly in a meaningful way.

Focused Geographic Regions of Investment: 

  • Is all of your activity in the US?

    • Yes, all activity is in the US for Collab Fund I. We cover all states in the US.

  • What countries outside of the US are you active in?

    • None.

Focused Industries of Investment:

  • Transportation

  • Consumer Retail

  • Consumer Services

  • Banking and Finance

  • Manufacturing

  • Data, Software and Technology

  • Media, Publishing and Entertainment

  • Healthcare

Previous or Active Portfolio Companies:

The General Managers have a combined 20 years of experience as technology entrepreneurs. They lean heavily on their experiences building and growing their own companies to inform their investment thesis. In addition to experience as company operators, over the last 5 years they have become advisors and investors in early stage tech companies. Through their advisory in over 60 startups, cumulative of $250K of angel investments and $2M in investments through Techstars in over 10+ businesses they have sharpened their ability to find, vet and invest in promising companies. You can find a breakdown of their investments here.  

Currently, Collab Capital has an investment in a direct to consumer company, Hairbrella. Our initial investment of $500K has empowered the founder to add on key executive staff, fulfill orders for the new Hairbrella Pro product line, and develop new media and marketing strategy for other sales channels. Hairbrella achieved 65% growth in July compared to June and that July’s revenue was 86x what it was a year ago.  The business is on track to hit $2M in revenue in 2020. 

Hairbrella’s founder was recently featured in Forbes and is in the last stages of review for supplier diversity certifications for potential commercial wholesale opportunities. 

We are excited to announce that we will be making our next investment into Music Tech Works. MTW is a B2B SaaS and machine learning company solving the challenge of music licensing in content creation across Film, TV, and Social Media. What we like about MTW is that they are solving a problem, through proprietary tech, that has been antiquated and fragmented for years.  Additionally we will be able to showcase the benefits of the collaborative endorsement process of our model with their growth partner who is well established in the music and entertainment industry.

Investment Example:

N/A

Capital Raise Strategy

  • Total Assets Under Management: $7M

  • Total Number of Investors: 34

  • Average Investment: $500K for institutional investors

  • Minimum Amount: $250K

  • % of Capital from Top 3 Investors: 25%-50%

  • Financial Reporting Frequency to Investors: Quarterly Reports

  • Setup to accept charitable capital through the National Christian Foundation or other listing platforms?
    We are able to accept capital through capital access lab.

Leadership Team

  • Cumulative Leadership Experience in Accredited Investing: 10-20 years

Jewel Burks Solomon | Managing partner

Jewel Burks Solomon is an advocate for representation in and access to the technology industry. As co-founder of Partpic, a startup designed to streamline the purchase of maintenance and repair parts using computer vision, Jewel and her team built groundbreaking technology poised to change the way people everywhere locate products. Partpic raised over $2 million in seed funding and integrated its software into mobile apps/websites of large parts distributors and retailers. Jewel successfully negotiated the deal to sell Partpic to Amazon in late 2016, where she led the integration of Partpic’s technology into the Amazon Mobile App. After launching Partpic (which became Part Finder), Jewel went on to serve as the product marketing manager of other visual recognition applications, including StyleSnap, Amazon’s visual fashion finder. 

While at Amazon, Jewel began spending countless hours mentoring, advising and angel investing in early stage, black led startups. This experience led her to realize the current funding models do not provide the optionality, support and structure that many Black owned founders need. In response to this, Jewel joined forces with entrepreneurs Justin Dawkins and Barry Givens to solve this problem. 

Jewel is currently Managing Partner at Collab Capital, an investment firm that focuses on providing Black entrepreneurs the social, human and financial capital they need to build profitable businesses. In addition to her role at Collab Capital, Jewel also serves as Head of Google for Startups, US, where she works to level the playing field for underserved startup founders by bringing them the best of Google’s resources, people, and storytelling. This position provides unparalleled access to great startups and mechanisms to support startups with the products and tools they need to run their business.

Before founding Partpic, Jewel served in management, enterprise sales, and strategic diversity roles at McMaster-Carr Industrial Supply and Google, Inc. Jewel is a native of Nashville TN, and graduate of Howard University. Jewel serves on the Advisory Board for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and sits on the Board of Directors for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. 

She is also a member of the 2019 Class of Henry Crown Fellows within the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute. 

Barry Givens | Managing Partner

Barry Givens is a techie, an entrepreneur, and a lover of everything helping to add color to the tech Industry. He founded a cutting edge hardware company named Monsieur in 2012 in Atlanta, GA. At Monsieur, he and his team developed a patented mixing technology that evolved the way the hospitality industry sells, markets, and dispenses mixed adult beverages (cocktails). The technology is currently being utilized in popular locations ranging from sports venues (e.g. Churchill Downs), to large cinema chains (e.g. Regal Cinemas).

Monsieur officially launched on stage at Techcrunch Disrupt Battlefield in 2013 and subsequently successfully raised nearly $5M in seed and Series A funding. In 2018 Monsieur received 4 acquisition/IP licensing offers and chose to license the IP to one of the leading adult beverage dispenser manufacturers in the US.

Through this experience, Barry was featured in notable publications such as CNN, CNN Money, Wired, TechCrunch, Entrepreneur Magazine, Huffington Post, Fast Company and many more.

Prior to founding Monsieur Barry graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. While in college Barry sparked his entrepreneurial fire when he launched Slushie Kicks with his roommates where they sold high end custom designed tennis shoes and clothing. During the 1 year they operated that business they sold over $40k worth of product out of their dorm room and coined the phrase “Money is Just an Idea” which became a blog for young college entrepreneurs. After graduating he co-authored a book titled Plan “B” Sucks: Work on Your Dreams, not Your Boss’s and traveled to over 20 colleges teaching students the value of following your passions and entrepreneurship. He also spent his early career with John Deere as a design/manufacturing engineer and with Caterpillar as a project manager. 

Currently Barry serves as a Managing Partner at Collab Capital, an investment firm that focuses on providing Black entrepreneurs the social, human and financial capital they need to build sustainable (profitable) businesses.  He also serves as the Managing Director for the Techstars Social Impact Accelerator where he leads a team of 5 and invests in 10 companies per year striving to make a positive impact on underserved communities, underrepresented people, or the sustainability of the planet. Through Techstars Barry reviews between 250 – 300 companies per year (half have been Black founders in 2019) leading to a direct pipeline for Collab Capital.  All of this work coincides to allow Barry to fulfill his purpose of bringing racial parity to the economics, education, and workforce of the tech industry.

Justin Dawkins | Managing Partner

Justin Dawkins is a full stack software engineer and Metro Atlanta native with over 15 years of marketing, technology and entrepreneurial experience. After studying marketing at Georgia State, and a short stint in technology consulting, Justin went on to work for Atlanta based email marketing services startup, SilverPop which was later acquired by IBM in 2014 (now Acoustic). After several years of contributing to the digital marketing success of UPS, General Mills, and Honda USA Justin spent the next four years creating marketing technology solutions for various companies across various industries as marketing technology consultant. Justin is best known for creating digital experiences for the TV and film industry. Some of the productions Justin had the opportunity to work on include the films: Notorious, Lucas Film’s Red Tails, The Help, and Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns, just to name a few. Additionally, he’s created digital experiences for the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Walmart, and many more.

In 2013 Justin moved to San Francisco and began working on SoClick, a social listening and analytics company for brands. Deciding to bootstrap the business Justin returned to Atlanta to engage directly with Atlanta-based companies, providing social analytics to marketing firm Liquid Soul and media brands like CNN. After nearly 2 years Justin shuttered SoClick to found Inflex Digital Studio where he works to develop and integrate technology to help small businesses and entrepreneurs launch and grow their digital presence. In 2017, through his work at Inflex Digital Studio, Justin forged a partnership with Google to become Atlanta’s first Google Digital Coach. As Google’s Digital Coach Justin has the opportunity to connect Atlanta’s small businesses, creators and startups to educational resources designed to nurture and help grow Black-owned businesses. To date, Justin has coached thousands of small businesses, startups and creatives in Atlanta’s emerging entrepreneurial community.

Along with his entrepreneurial work Justin is a dedicated member of the 100 Black Men’s young professional auxiliary, the Emerging 100 where he serves as the organization’s technical advisor and most importantly a mentor to young men at Atlanta’s BEST Academy. Additionally, Justin is the Co-founder, and Co-chair, of Atlanta’s social impact organization Goodie Nation. During his tenure at Goodie Nation, Justin has helped hundreds of everyday people and dozens of entrepreneurs discover a role in an innovative process designed to solve some of the world’s toughest problems. 

Most recently Justin launched and serves as Managing Partner for Collab Capital, an investment firm that focuses on providing Black entrepreneurs the social, human and financial capital they need to build profitable businesses.

elliot Holland | cfo

Elliott Holland is a Harvard Business School alumnus and finance guru who has over 12 years experience in private equity finance, investment banking, strategy consulting and entrepreneurship. After attending business school, he learned financial modeling and due diligence from leading private equity firms like Linx Partners and The Watermill Group. He then started two separate private investment firms (Ellsworth Partners and Spartan Capital Partners), and most recently started Guardian Due Diligence, a firm focused 100% on buy side due diligence for investor clients who seek to evaluate potential investment opportunities in order to protect their capital investments.

Elliott began his career at Accenture’s Strategy Practice where he provided financial and strategic consulting to Fortune 5,000 companies. Subsequently, after business school, he spent several years working on sales strategy & operations at Workday software during a period of 300%+ growth where he learned how to scale sales and revenue inside of an enterprise SaaS software company. He also co-founded a SaaS healthcare company that was featured in Inc. Magazine and received funding from Blue Cross Blue Shield Venture Partners, HLM Venture Partners, Merrick Ventures, and Sandbox Industries.

Being a Black man working in investing and finance, Elliott knows well the challenges Black founders and entrepreneurs face when seeking capital and producing credible financial projections. His passion for teaching has motivated him to mentor countless Black entrepreneurs helping them raise capital and properly pitch their ideas. He is often called on to consult with founders of both early and late stage companies. Elliott is a proud alumnus of the dual-degree program between Morehouse College where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and the Georgia Institute of Technology where he earned membership in Pi Tau Sigma – the international honor society for mechanic engineers.

Rachel Wilson | Director of operations

Rachel is a passionate change agent for operational excellence. She has extensive global experience working across different industries and segments from Food & Beverage, Automotive, B2B & B2C Tech, Healthcare, Music, Fashion, Media, and Public Sector. She has lead projects for top Fortune 500 companies such as Diageo, Home Depot, Wahlburgers, Louis Vuitton, HMS Host, Marriott, AMC Theaters, and Disney. One of her most recent experiences in improving and leading supply chain strategies was at Combs Wine & Spirits, a Sean “Diddy” Combs Company, where she spearheaded national accounts, global product expansion, and national military base marketing programs.

Rachel serves as the Director of Operations for Collab Capital where she acts as right hand to the General Partners and manages a variety of strategic and operational efforts related to the functioning and lifecycle of the fund. Rachel is also an advocate for mental health and wellness and serves as Chairwoman of the Board for her family ran addiction and mental health center Omnis Health Life Wellness Center.

Because of her passion for community outreach she has been on panels for Georgia Association of Career & Technical Education (GACTE) and featured on podcasts and local news for Mental Health & Wellness. She has also been awarded for her leadership and business acumen with the Maryland Governor Award for Community Care & Innovation, NY Congressional Certificate of Military Appreciation & Stewardship, a CÎROC Empowerment Honoree, the Diageo President Award for Ambassadorship & Leadership and the GA Minority Business Eagle Award for Entrepreneurship & Leadership. 

Rachel has a B.A. in Economics & Business from Agnes Scott College and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Spiritual Integration and Impact:

Faith Driven Investing can span a wide range from high yield to concessionary returns that have a higher level of spiritual integration. Having clear expectations of this philosophy is key for the movement. Each investment is unique and you might want to select multiples but if you had to choose one quadrant that best fits your groups spiritual integration and financial performance targets … What would it be?

…

Describe the Spiritual Integration Activities of the Fund:

  • Pending response

Is Impact and Spiritual Integration Tracked?

  • Pending response

Are you partnered with any other organizations?

  • Pending response

A lot of Investing Conversations look at Social Impact related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Is there one of these that most resonates with your organization?

  • Pending response

WHY The FAITH DRIVEN INVESTOR?

  • Why are you compelled to be certified and a part of the Faith Driven Investor Group?

    Pending response

  • Does the leadership align with the Unifying Principles on Faith Driven Investor and agree to the Code of Conduct?

    Pending response

  • Who nominated you to be listed on the FDI site?

    Pending response

AFFILIATIONS- Are you a part of any third party groups, affiliations that you would like to list here?

  • Pending response

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