37-year-old Arla Hamilton had a dream that he rejected to produce to paid work. He was at the bottom: the account was overdrawn and the only sleeping place in the airport lobby. Slush held in Helsinki fair centre 4.-5.12.The scene is expected to more than 20 000 guests.One of them is Arla Hamilton. His story is a good sample of it, that dreams can come true.The two-day Slush event in Helsinki exhibition and convention centre starts today, Tuesday. Image from 2017. Petri Anttila, the Slush Media
in Three years, the homeless of the Slush event most interesting as a speaker. Such is the 37-year-old american Arla Hamilton story.
from the Year 2008 in Finland is every year arranged by the international technology and growth company event Slush. It is a big and valuable event, which, inter alia, investors, success and startup entrepreneurs meet. In 2018 Slush starts today, Tuesday and lasts two days.
the average joe event can feel like a stranger. What the hell is this the most expensive event to get off, if your technological know-how remains to Whatsapp use?
Because the event is easier to approach people and their story of their season. This year’s Slush-speakers incredible story is Arla Hamilton, who still had three years ago, a homeless, penniless and spent his money night in the airport.
Now he is Backstage Capital name of venture capital firm’s founder and ceo. The company does not have any equity investment the company – it is the one that placed especially women, color and sexual minorities the persons belonging to companies.
Last spring, Backstage Capital announced $ 36 million in funding, which will invest in only those companies, which are based on dark-skinned women.
How is it possible that a homeless woman will be just a few years, one of the most significant factors in the capital investment market?
in the Photo Arla Hamilton, one of slush’s most anticipated speakers. The story continues a picture.
Self-taught investor
Hamilton told the CNBC’s interview, how she created a high school after a career in the music industry. He proceeded to production assistant always Jason Derulon , Ceelo and Toni Braxton tour manager for.
the Work was hard and took time, but Hamilton experience had achieved because of their work often to their dreams.
In 2012, he noticed how, for example, actor Ashton Kutcher and host Ellen DeGeneres invested his money in silicon Casino Siteleri valley namely Silicon valley located in startup companies.
I Got on spark, Hamilton said on CNBC.
He made a big decision and stopped completely working in the music industry. He packed his stuff and moved in with her mother to Texas. Hamilton wanted to learn everything possible capital investment. Unlike many others, Hamilton didn’t go to university to study business. No, he was learning everything by yourself aided by the web to find blogs, books and Youtube.
Soon, Hamilton noticed, that practically all the field of people – both investors and those who are placed in – they look different than Hamilton himself. Black women were conspicuous by their absence.
I don’t have to become an investor, since it does not seem to be a realistic alternative. It is also not interested in before you realize that all people do not have similar opportunities to get the doors open, Hamilton said.
the vast Majority of hamilton’s knowledge of startup entrepreneurs, however, were not white straight men. Hamilton believed that some of these companies can change the world, but they are not necessarily found, when entrepreneurs do not represent the stereotypical entrepreneur images.
Findings got Hamilton to study more effectively.
12 $ in the account
Hamilton began to feel that he could not learn independently any more. He wanted to study the field also school experts led by. Hamilton’s target was at Stanford university organized a two-week course, which was directed at the placement of his career at the upstream end to the people.
the Obstacle was money: Hamilton remembers, when he glanced at the bank account, which seemed to put it mildly clammy. The account was $ 12 – though this was hamilton’s a good day because the bank account was a plus.
in the End Hamilton got through social media scholarship to the school and raised investor Chris sacca’s attention. Sacca pay hamilton’s journey from Texas to Stanford university in California.
school in Hamilton classmates and teachers were millionaires. Hamilton himself left a number of food to buy, so he could afford to pay the Airbnb apartment costs.
course of the months following hamilton’s last money ran out. He lived in San Francisco, specifically the San Francisco airport. From there he travelled daily to Silicon Valley to meet investors, entrepreneurs and other experts.
Distance supported. Eventually, Hamilton scored.
”the World needs this”
One of Silicon valley’s visit to Hamilton to check out my startup companies successfully invest in Y combinator’s director Sam Altman . Hamilton received a LinkedIn network through the connection of altman’s brother. Brother relayed hamilton’s greetings and the business idea forward – and bang! Soon Hamilton had Sam Altamilta text message.
– the World needs this, what you’re doing. We need to get it to work.
Altman didn’t want money Hamilton became the company’s potential profits. Altmanille was enough that Hamilton pay the loan back, ”sometimes, when it is possible”.
Soon Hamilton find the first business angel that invested in hamilton’s still unlisted country company $ 25,000.
I Saw the move in the business, who finance startups-entrepreneurs ‘ activities, which over the years have been hamilton’s more challenging to obtain financing.
Hamilton, only 0.2% of all venture capital investment goes to the dark skinned women-based enterprises. In the early stage of capital investment, the share is even smaller – although it should be noted that dark-skinned women-based startups-companies are increasingly in the minority.
Hamilton wants to contribute to seize both ills – and has already done so. Backstage Capital has so far invested nearly five million dollars to about one hundred a startup company, which as the founder and director of the minority person.
Such activities due to Backstage Capital is the private equity investment company. Slush in Hamilton in the show is named after the name of the Most Talked About VC of 2018, i.e. in 2018 talking about a capital investment company.
And yet, three years ago, Hamilton was afraid that the airport workers throw him out of the field. In this case, he didn’t have a place to go for the night.
