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§ Private Profile · New Orleans, LA, USA
Nonprofit supporting entrepreneurs of color and women with fellowships, mentorship, and capital for social ventures.
Key people at Camelback Ventures.
Camelback Ventures is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based nonprofit organization that provides fellowships, mentorship, and startup funding to early-stage women and entrepreneurs of color. Operating with 21 to 50 employees, the entity runs two entrepreneurial fellowship cycles annually alongside programs focused on establishing equitable funding practices within the broader philanthropy sector. The organization supplies its selected participants with intensive one-on-one coaching, access to investor networks, and up to $40,000 in direct capital to scale their operations. To date, the accelerator has supported more than 220 fellows across the country, backed by significant grant funding from major philanthropic donors including MacKenzie Scott. The organization's venture portfolio features recognized social innovators such as Jamila Sams, operating under the executive leadership of chief executive officer Shawna Young. Camelback Ventures was founded in 2015 by Aaron Walker.
Key people at Camelback Ventures.
Camelback Ventures is a venture accelerator and investment firm dedicated to increasing access to capital and opportunities for entrepreneurs of color and women, particularly those building social impact ventures.[1][4] Its mission is to empower these underrepresented leaders by investing in their ventures and leadership while advocating for fairness in funding, with a vision of creating livable communities and generational wealth through a diverse social innovation ecosystem.[1][2] The firm's investment philosophy emphasizes supporting innovative, diverse founders addressing systemic inequities in areas like education, economic opportunity, and community development, providing not just capital but also coaching, fellowships, and ecosystem convenings.[1][5][7] In the startup ecosystem, Camelback has catalyzed change by launching programs like its Fellowship (starting with a $1M raise for the first cohort) and Capital Collaborative to promote equitable grantmaking, influencing over 100 impact investors and fostering "racing to equity."[1]
Founded by Aaron Walker around 2013-2015 as a bold experiment supporting three early-stage entrepreneurs (two of which still thrive today), Camelback Ventures originated in New Orleans before evolving into a hybrid remote organization post-pandemic.[1][3][4] Walker, a former ninth-grade English teacher in West Philadelphia, lawyer, and portfolio director at the NYC Fund for Public Schools (with degrees from University of Virginia and Penn Law), drew inspiration from Jackie Robinson's impact-driven ethos to address inequities in education and social innovation.[1][4] Pivotal moments include raising $1M for the first official Fellowship cohort, convening the initial Ecosystem Summit (later Guardian Summit) with over 100 stakeholders, and launching Capital Collaborative to reform funder practices amid realizations that fellows needed more capital and support.[1] The firm's growth reflects strategic expansions in team capacity and programming to scale systemic change.[1][3]
Camelback Ventures rides the wave of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in venture capital and social impact investing, addressing chronic underfunding of entrepreneurs of color and women amid broader calls for systemic equity in tech and innovation ecosystems.[1][4][6] Its timing aligns with post-2020 momentum around racial justice and pandemic-driven remote work shifts, enabling hybrid models and global reach while capitalizing on philanthropy-philanthropy's push for equitable practices.[1][3] Market forces like growing impact investing (projected to hit trillions globally) and recognition of diverse founders' higher returns favor Camelback, as it influences the ecosystem by convening stakeholders, reforming grantmaking, and proving underrepresented talent drives solutions to education, economic, and community challenges.[1][2][5] This positions it as a blueprint-shaper for inclusive entrepreneurship beyond traditional VC.
Camelback Ventures is poised to expand its blueprint for diverse social impact, potentially scaling Capital Collaborative and fellowships with deeper philanthropic ties amid rising demand for equity-focused funding.[1][3] Trends like AI-driven social solutions, climate justice, and global DEI mandates will shape its trajectory, amplifying its influence as regulators and investors prioritize underrepresented voices.[6][7] Its evolution from New Orleans pilot to remote powerhouse suggests growing clout in redefining who builds "what's next," tying back to its core mission of unlocking genius in underinvested entrepreneurs for generational wealth.[1]
