# 360 Venture Collective: Redefining Inclusive Early-Stage Investing
High-Level Overview
360 Venture Collective is a woman-founded and led venture capital firm headquartered in Miami, Florida, that operates with an explicitly inclusive investment thesis focused on backing pre-seed and seed-stage companies led by historically underrepresented founders.[1][3] The firm deploys capital ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 per investment, targeting tech-enabled ventures that solve meaningful problems across fintech, health-tech, proptech, and the future of work sectors.[2][4]
The firm's core mission centers on a belief that profitability and purpose are not mutually exclusive. Rather than viewing impact investing as a constraint on returns, 360 Venture Collective positions intentional inclusion and sustainability as drivers of stronger commercial outcomes. The firm invests exclusively in U.S.-based companies that demonstrate venture-scale potential—meaning they target large total addressable markets with clear paths to profitability and exit—while maintaining a commitment to serving underserved markets and solving social problems.[6]
Origin Story
360 Venture Collective was founded in 2021 by three women entrepreneurs, with Kelly O'Connell serving as Managing Partner and Shelley Iocona as General Partner.[3] The firm's choice of Miami as its home base was deliberate: Miami is the largest U.S. city founded by a woman, and its diversity, coastal positioning, and emerging tech ecosystem made it an ideal laboratory for testing an intentionally inclusive investment model.[6]
The firm's capital raising trajectory reflects its evolving ambitions. Initially, the founders planned to raise just $1 million to make ten test investments as a microfund. This expanded to a $10 million target, and by the time of their 506(c) conversion, they were targeting a $25 million fund.[6] The shift to a 506(c) structure was strategic but not primarily driven by promotional needs—rather, it was designed to expand the diversity of the LP base itself, intentionally identifying women and other historically excluded investors to back the firm's mission of supporting underrepresented founders.[6]
Core Differentiators
Founder-Centric Selection Criteria
360 Venture Collective's most distinctive feature is its explicit focus on founders who have been historically underestimated or underrepresented in venture capital. This includes women, LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, and founders from communities that have traditionally received minimal venture funding. The firm views this not as charity but as market inefficiency—identifying talented founders overlooked by traditional VC gatekeepers.[1][3]
Intentional LP Diversity
Beyond founder diversity, the firm actively recruits a diverse limited partner base. By converting to a 506(c) structure, 360 Venture Collective created the ability to publicly promote its fund and intentionally identify women LPs and other historically excluded investors. This approach recognizes that LP diversity strengthens the firm's alignment with its founder base and expands access to capital networks.[6]
Operator-Led Support Model
The firm's team combines deep operational experience with venture expertise. Kelly O'Connell has helped multiple startups achieve unicorn status and advised Fortune 500 companies on disruption and sustainability. Shelley Iocona brings coding, design, and product management expertise. Beyond the core team, 360 Venture Collective maintains a network of advisors—executives, founders, and investors—who provide mentoring, strategic guidance, and resource access to portfolio companies.[3]
Impact-First Sector Focus
Rather than spreading across all technology sectors, 360 Venture Collective concentrates on four high-impact verticals: fintech, health-tech, proptech, and future of work (HR tech). Each sector addresses meaningful market gaps while serving underserved populations or solving systemic problems.[3][4]
ArcAccelerator Program
The firm operates ArcAccelerator, a structured program that meets founders where they are, providing not just capital but operational and strategic support to help companies scale responsibly.[3]
Role in the Broader Tech Landscape
360 Venture Collective operates at the intersection of two powerful trends reshaping venture capital: the rise of impact investing and the growing recognition that diversity drives better returns.
The firm's emergence in 2021 coincided with a broader reckoning in venture capital around founder diversity. Data consistently shows that underrepresented founders receive a disproportionately small share of venture funding despite comparable or superior performance metrics. By targeting this market inefficiency, 360 Venture Collective positions itself as a corrective force—not through tokenism, but through rigorous investment discipline applied to a historically overlooked founder pool.
The firm's emphasis on ESG-aligned, venture-scale companies also reflects a maturing LP base increasingly concerned with sustainable returns and responsible capitalism. Institutional investors, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals are increasingly allocating capital to funds that can demonstrate both financial returns and measurable impact. 360 Venture Collective's model—proving that inclusive investing and commercial success are compatible—provides a template that other emerging managers can follow.
Miami's positioning as a growing tech hub also matters. The city's diversity, Latin American connections, and emerging startup ecosystem make it a natural home for a firm committed to inclusive investing. As Miami's tech scene matures, 360 Venture Collective is well-positioned to become a key node in the city's venture infrastructure.
Quick Take & Future Outlook
360 Venture Collective represents a meaningful shift in how early-stage venture capital can be deployed. The firm's founders have rejected the false choice between impact and returns, instead arguing that intentional inclusion—of founders, LPs, and portfolio company cultures—creates stronger commercial outcomes.
Looking ahead, the firm faces both opportunity and challenge. On the opportunity side, the $25 million fund target positions 360 Venture Collective to scale its model while maintaining the founder-centric, operator-led approach that differentiates it. As more LPs recognize that diverse founder teams and impact-aligned companies can deliver competitive returns, capital should flow more readily to firms like this one.
The challenge lies in execution and proof of concept. The venture capital industry moves slowly, and changing deeply embedded patterns of founder selection and LP allocation requires sustained performance. 360 Venture Collective's ability to generate strong returns from its portfolio—particularly exits and follow-on funding rounds—will determine whether its model becomes a template for the next generation of inclusive VCs or remains a niche player.
The firm's trajectory will likely influence how the broader venture ecosystem thinks about founder diversity, LP composition, and the relationship between impact and returns. If 360 Venture Collective can demonstrate that intentional inclusion is not a constraint but a competitive advantage, it will have done more than build a successful fund—it will have shifted the industry's understanding of what venture capital can be.
