The Fund Promises an Authentic Commitment to Invest in Diverse Founders and to Create Opportunity for the Next Generation of Investors
SAN MATEO, Calif., July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Twenty Five Ventures today announced its first fund: 25V Diversity Fund. The venture capital fund will invest up to $10 million in early-stage real estate, property and fintech startups led by Black, Latinx, Asian, LGBTQ+ and/or women entrepreneurs.
Twenty Five Ventures believes the 10-year fund—and the subsequent series of funds—will help entrepreneurs build successful technology companies and accelerate growth in their respective industries and create a more equitable playing field for minority founders and executives.
"We look for founders and limited partners who demonstrate grit and tenacity. And we find those qualities quite frequently among entrepreneurs who belong to marginalized communities," said Twenty Five Ventures Founder Maximillian Diez. "Investing in diverse founders benefits everyone and creates opportunities where other funds do not."
Black and Latinx founders, for example, have historically had fewer funding options than their non-minority counterparts. According to Crunchbase, these demographics have raised more than $15 billion since 2015—a scant 2.4% of all venture capital raised in that same time period. Diez's 25V Diversity Fund is setting out to right that wrong—for altruistic reasons but also for strong returns.
"Diversity in our investment pool is not only the right thing to do, it is also smart business. We believe real estate professionals have the pulse of the industry and can be better predictors of which companies will be successful because we live and breathe this business", said 25V Diversity Fund Co-Founder Alexandra Tieu. To be truly diverse, you must open up the investment pool and change who decides where the capital goes."
According to a recent McKinsey report: "Ethnic diversity in the executive team and board correlates with stronger profitability." Diversity, equity and inclusion positively affect worker morale as well. On average, employees approve of a diverse founder 12% more than those who report to a non-minority founder, according to studies of Glassdoor reviews and dependent variables "CEO approval," "Recommend a friend" and "Career opportunities."
About Twenty Five Ventures
Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Twenty Five Ventures is led by Maximillian Diez, a 44-year-old Filipino American entrepreneur-turned-venture-capitalist. Diez is an investment, real estate and proptech veteran who started his career managing the family fund for the late Arthur C. Zief, a prominent San Francisco attorney, when he was just 20. Since then, Max has held early leadership roles at Redfin and UpNest, and more recently, he served on the executive team that completed a buyout of the US-based Movoto—which was acquired within two years.
Diez is joined by managing partners Alexandra Tieu, a Vietnamese-born investor with an impressive background as a real estate, prop tech, and legal tech executive; where she held executive roles at Keller Williams, Movoto, Propy, Brevitas, and JLG Lawyers. EJ Pineda, a Salvadoran American who is a seasoned real estate technology leader who has held leadership roles at Redfin, UpNest, and Movoto. Learn more at http://www.25v.co
Media Contact
Maximillian Diez, Twenty Five Ventures, +1 (650) 438-1332, [email protected]
Molly McKinley, Redtail Creative, 919.423.4088, [email protected]
SOURCE Twenty Five Ventures
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