Black Girl Ventures

Black Girl Ventures (BGV) is a Washington, D.C.-based organization founded in 2016 by serial entrepreneur and computer scientist Shelly Omilâdè Bell. BGV builds an ecosystem of Black and Brown women founders by creating access to social and financial capital together. The organization addresses a stark structural disparity: Black and Brown women receive less than 1% of venture capital funding despite being the fastest-growing demographic of entrepreneurs in the United States. BGV has supported over 450 under-resourced women founders across more than 15 cities through more than 50 BGV Pitch Programs. BGV's four signature programs — BGV Pitch, BGV NextGen, Emerging Leaders Fellowship, and Pull Up & Pitch — collectively serve founders at the earliest stages of company formation. BGV Pitch is the largest pitch competition globally for underrepresented women founders, providing access to investors, peer networks, advisors, and mentors while engaging corporate and government supporters. With over 10,000 founders served and 450 investments made, the organization operates at a scale that far exceeds most pre-seed investment platforms. BGV functions as both a capital access point and a community infrastructure for Black and Brown women founders. By combining pitch competitions, fellowship programming, and direct investment with corporate and civic partnerships, it creates multiple pathways to capital and networks that traditional venture channels do not serve. The organization's model reflects a conviction that access to capital alone is insufficient — the ecosystem of relationships, skills, and visibility around that capital is equally determinative of whether a founder can build a lasting company.