WHERE PROGRESS AND PROFIT ARE MADE IN THE MARGINS.
Sidelines is an investment platform that powers connections between today's new investor class and tomorrow's billion dollar enterprises.
I N V E S T
Today, new, alpha generating investors are backing innovative, underfunded companies and driving outsized returns —all outside of traditional capital.
We’ve seen the emergence of a new class of high-net-worth individuals (HNWI’s) and family offices. Many of these new, non-traditional investors are more diverse, are driving capital with their values, and are generating alpha. Yet, they continue to sit on the sidelines of mainstream venture capital – with limited access to deal flow, lack of a centralized investor community, finite data resources, and zero interoperability between networks.
Sidelines empowers you to diversify your investment set with best-in-class, values-driven, vetted opportunities, to amplify your reach by co-investing with other alpha generators and to make more informed decisions with market and performance data.
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• Combine all of your investing networks into one centralized interface
• Access deal flow of vetted companies, curated to your profile based on your interests, experience and values
• Filter your deal preferences based on your values so you can drive returns and drive change
• Network, share deals with, and access cap tables of other investors in your immediate network
• Gain diversified exposure to other relevant investors and fund managers sourced from circles beyond your network
• Have direct access to founders and teams you’re interested in meeting
• Get matched with companies for board and advisory opportunities
• Make more informed decisions by validating industry and sector data provided by other members
• Access industry reports and other market insights
• Meet other community members IRL, accessing private dinners, events and networking opportunities
R A I S E
C A P I T A L
Statistically, diverse teams outperform homogeneous teams when delivering profitable companies.
Companies founded and run by underrepresented and marginalized leaders are consistently overlooked by a system that was not built for them and is incrementally challenging for them to scale. Unsurprisingly, the majority of people leading investment decisions are homogenous and often do not understand the evolving demands of today’s population.
Sidelines connects enterprising companies, led by underrepresented founders, to high-net-worth individuals and executive advisors, to build relationships, access capital, and increase the odds of building world-changing solutions.
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• Connect with HNWI’s and family offices to grow relationships and access to direct investment
• Build a network of relevant, influential evangelists and advocates for your brand
• Gain access to executives who can open the doors to bigger commercial opportunities
• Seek advisory from key voices when navigating operational and commercial growth
• Source talent recommendations when growing your team
• Build a well-rounded Board of Directors and Advisors
A PLATFORM TO POWER US ALL.
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Sidelines programmatically matches companies run by underrepresented and marginalized leaders with accredited capital sources (angels, super angels, family offices, syndicates) based on data shared by both parties (personal info, experience, preferences). This data is never sold to third parties, it is exclusively used to curate a better investment experience.
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Through a series of focused questions, we assess and categorize both investors and founders based on their expertise, interests, and investment needs. Using this data, we create highly curated, effective matches with the goal of triggering investments and increasing the amount of money allocated to underrepresented founders.
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We facilitate investments via SPVs and automate the process for investors.
Homogeneity in investing is leaving significant value on the table.
“The exclusivity of the Silicon Valley VC model is not limited to who gets the money or provides it, but also who is allowed to put money in.”
THE OBSERVER
“Today, only 4.9% of VC partners are female; of them, women of color make up less than 1%. Yet Female fund managers outperform male-led firms. From 2009-2018, 69.2% of the top-quartile-scoring U.S. venture capital funds included female decision-makers.”
FASTCOMPANY
“So much venture funding is ill-spent in repeatedly backing a homogenous subset of entrepreneurs to build underwhelming solutions. We need more diverse people involved who are positioned to drive capital where it’s most impactful.”
FASTCOMPANY
“Companies in the top quartile for ethnically diverse executive teams have a 36% higher likelihood for above-average profitability.”
MCKINSEY & COMPANY
“We’ll be rooting for you from the sidelines!”
…is a popular refrain from traditional capital when an investment opportunity is rejected. The bottom line is, the sidelines is where the majority of the most innovative deals are now taking place because two powerful classes of changemakers have emerged: new, diverse, alpha-generating investors and bold, disruptive entrepreneurs who understand changing consumer demands and societal shifts.
The process for generating alpha is outdated – we are seeing the emergence of a new class of founders and investors who understand the evolving demands of today’s population.
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US demographics are changing and as a result, consumer needs are evolving. The next generation of technology entrepreneurs have stepped up to solve these problems for themselves, their communities, and the world, and have created an investable whitespace of product innovation. However, these companies, often founded by marginalized and underrepresented founders, are undercapitalized and unseen by the traditional VC process.
Simultaneously, over the last decade, we’ve seen the emergence of a new class of high net worth individuals and family offices. Many of these new, non-traditional investors have invested well, delivering outsized returns for themselves and their contemporaries, but continue to be sidelined by traditional venture capital. They cannot easily access VC dealflow, are held back from positions of power within funds, and are limited to gated angel groups or friends and family circles, all of which are disconnected from each other.
Sidelines connects these two powerful classes of changemakers. Our platform centralizes investment networks, curates investment opportunities, recommends community collaborations, and generates financial insights to ensure better returns.