Unlocking the Potential of Underrepresented Managers: Bahiya Robinson
About Bahiya Robinson: “Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson is a recognized innovator of new avenues for VC and Impact investment. Her expertise in leading technology, investment and social impact initiatives culminated in creating VC Include (VCI) in 2018. VCI was created because she didn't see any platforms specifically cultivating the type of undervalued, outperforming product led by diverse managers that would drive alpha and innovation in Private Equity and Alternative Investments over the next 30 years.
With just 1% of the $70 Trillion of assets in the U.S. managed by diverse asset managers, VC Include meets this market opportunity by building an ecosystem of women, Black, Latinx, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ managers in alternative investments.
Born in Palo Alto, California, and raised between NYC and central California, Robinson’s expertise is enriched by real-life and professional practice and demonstrates an aptitude for building and managing a matrix of high-level partnerships. She expanded the first online technology competitions and conferences in Africa, partnering with The U.S. Department of State, The World Bank, Microsoft, Mozilla and Nokia to provide early-stage capital to the first wave of technology entrepreneurs throughout the continent. At Ashoka, she devised value-added propositions for clients including Exxon Mobil, G20, AMGEN, The Ebay Foundation, HUD, Google and Omidyar Network. She launched Young Art Collector in 2012 to connect art collectors with artists within the African Diaspora.
Robinson was a former Co-chair with the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, and is a graduate of University of California, Davis. Her work has been recognized by the Knight Foundation, Echoing Green, Entrepreneur, CNN and Forbes."
Below are the She-VC topics we discussed:
With just 1% of the $70 Trillion of assets in the U.S. managed by diverse asset managers, VC Include meets this market opportunity by building an ecosystem of women, Black, Latinx, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ managers in alternative investments. Tell us what inspired you to start VC Include and the VCI fellowship that you are launching.
Can you elaborate about the new market opportunities for emerging black fund managers who are creating their own funds ? And how has the market changed in the last 5 years with so many seed funds around betting on the early stage market ?
VCInclude convene conscious institutional investors that are core to the VC ecosystem, with a focus on inclusion across gender, ethnicity, sexual identity and race. If I give you a magic wand what changes you want to bring institutionally in venture capital/PE as an asset classes in terms of fundraising from LP.
What is the future of multi-asset class allocations strategy in order to create a more efficient process for investing in Black, LatinX, People of Color (BIPOC) and women-led fund managers.
How are you maintaining the work life balance, especially now when work life has diffused.