Arlan Was Here Productions

Arlan Was Here Productions is a Los Angeles, California-based media company that produces podcasts, live events, and educational materials focused on entrepreneurship and early-stage investing. The organization generates revenue through media sponsorships, event ticket sales, and digital courses targeted at aspiring founders, particularly women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Originally stemming from early online blogging projects like Your Daily Lesbian Moment, the entity now operates as the primary production vehicle for broader media initiatives. The company produces the Your First Million podcast and organizes an associated multi-day live business conference of the same name. While specific financial metrics remain undisclosed, the production unit leverages an audience built alongside venture capital firm Backstage Capital, which has invested in more than 200 startup companies. Arlan Was Here Productions was founded prior to 2015 by Arlan Hamilton.

High-Level Overview

Arlan Was Here Productions is not a standalone company or investment firm but an early personal blog and production entity created by Arlan Hamilton, a prominent venture capitalist, author, and entrepreneur.[6] It emerged as part of her pre-venture capital career, where she built a digital presence through blogging before founding Backstage Capital in 2015, a VC firm that has raised around $30 million and invested in over 200 startups led by underrepresented founders—people of color, women, and/or LGBTQ+ individuals.[1][4][5] Hamilton's broader mission emphasizes equity in entrepreneurship, extending to co-founding the women's basketball league 3XBA, entrepreneur communities like Arlan’s All-Access, and scholarship programs for Black students and innovators.[1] This production arm reflects her initial foray into content creation, humanizing her shift from music tours and indie publishing to disrupting VC by backing underestimated founders across sectors like fintech (e.g., CapWay), tech platforms (e.g., Hello Alice), and transportation (e.g., Dollaride).[2]

Origin Story

Arlan Hamilton, born in 1980, launched Arlan Was Here Productions as her personal blog following her notoriety on "Your Daily Lesbian Moment," a platform connecting women for platonic and romantic relationships.[3][6] This came after her work in the music industry as a tour manager for artists like Janine, Toni Braxton, and CeeLo Green, and founding the indie magazine *Interlude*.[3] Inspired by her mother Earline Sims' suggestion to "help founders backstage" like she did artists, Hamilton pivoted to VC in 2015, starting Backstage Capital from homelessness with no industry connections—securing an early $1 million from Mark Cuban.[4][5] Pivotal moments include raising initial funds via crowdfunding, announcing a $36 million fund for Black female founders in 2018, and publishing *It's About Damn Time* in 2020, blending memoir with advice for the underestimated.[1][3] Her blogging through Arlan Was Here Productions laid the groundwork for her voice as a culture-shifter.

Core Differentiators

• Accessible Entry for Founders: Unlike traditional VC requiring connections, Backstage (stemming from Hamilton's production roots) reviews thousands of applications annually, investing in 30+ based on traction like revenue or marketplace solutions, not elite networks.[2]
• Focus on Underestimated Talent: Targets people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ founders, investing in diverse sectors with a portfolio of 200+ companies, emphasizing evidence of activity over perfection.[1][2][4]
• Innovative Funding Models: Uses Jobs Act provisions for non-accredited investors and special purpose vehicles, providing runway beyond traditional management fees (limited by sub-$30M AUM), while Hamilton invests her own capital.[2][5]
• Holistic Support Ecosystem: Extends beyond capital via communities, coaching (e.g., Inner Circle), books, and scholarships, plus sports ventures like 3XBA, building lasting networks.[1]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Arlan Was Here Productions marks the digital origin of Hamilton's influence in amplifying underrepresented voices, fueling her VC disruption amid funding disparities—where women and people of color receive under 2% of VC dollars. It rides the wave of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) trends in tech, accelerated by post-2020 social movements, with timing amplified by remote tools enabling bootstrapped starts like hers from homelessness.[4][5] Market forces like institutional LPs seeking impact investments and regulatory shifts (e.g., Jobs Act) favor her model, influencing the ecosystem by proving underrepresented founders yield strong returns via exits, IPOs, or acquisitions—normalizing "underestimated" as a competitive edge and inspiring copycat funds.[2][4]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Hamilton aims to scale Backstage to $200M AUM in five years through LP expansion, marketing, and personal investment, potentially via larger funds or sports/media synergies.[2] Trends like AI democratization (echoing early portfolio bets) and equity-focused crowdfunding will propel her, evolving her influence toward legacy-building via books like *Your First Million* and scholarships. From a humble blog production to VC trailblazer, Arlan Was Here Productions symbolizes betting on the underestimated—positioning her to redefine access in tech's next decade.[1][5]