Camelback Ventures

Camelback Ventures is a venture accelerator and impact fund based in New Orleans, Louisiana, founded in 2015. The organization increases access to opportunity for entrepreneurs of color and women by investing in their ventures, developing their leadership, and advocating for systemic fairness in funding. Named after the camelback-style homes built by Free Black families in New Orleans after the Civil War, the firm invests $50,000 per company through its Camelback Fellowship — as SAFE notes for for-profits and grants for nonprofits — alongside coaching, connections, and curriculum. Since 2015, Camelback has directly invested $5 million and provided $5 million in additional coaching and resources to more than 220 entrepreneurs across 130-plus fellows. Fellows have collectively raised over $109 million in follow-on funding. Ninety-four percent of fellows identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color; 63% identify as women or non-binary. Focus areas are education and conscious technology addressing systemic inequity, with the portfolio spanning education, software, health, and fintech. Fellows have been recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30, Echoing Green, and Richard Draper Kaplan fellowships. CEO Shawna Young leads the organization. Camelback's thesis holds that talent is evenly distributed but opportunity is not — and that pre-seed capital, paired with intensive mentorship and community, can unlock a generation of founders whose ventures address gaps in education and social infrastructure while building financially sustainable businesses.