Forefront Capital is a venture capital firm that was founded on one simple belief: The world is better off when founders from diverse backgrounds are given the opportunity to build and scale innovative companies that solve big problems. We are an early ‘yes’ for these founders.
Forefront Capital invests in exceptional underrepresented founders leading pre-seed/seed stage companies outside of the traditional tech corridors of Silicon Valley, New York City, and Boston.
We invest in people over product earlier than others, and where we have an informational, educational, access & network competitive advantage. We help historically underrepresented founders gain access to the capital, counsel and connectivity they need to build and scale successful enterprises.
The data shows that while start-ups founded or co-founded by women return 72 cents in revenue per dollar invested (versus 32 cents by men-only startups), and companies with diverse founders outperform others by 30% when they go public or are acquired, there continues to be a gap in funding for these founders. 5% of venture capital AUM is controlled by Black and Hispanic men, while women control 11%. Furthermore, <1% of Black founders have received funding in recent years, while 2% of venture funding go to women-led firms. Where others have bias, we see opportunity.
Forefront Capital was established to be at the leading edge of shaping the future of investing – we are a first ‘yes’ for underrepresented founders and at the vanguard of the next generation of diverse investors.
The Forefront Capital Story
Forefront Capital was founded in 2021 as an angel fund to back exceptional underrepresented founders as they started their businesses across different asset classes. As our interests and talents increasingly led us deeper into the world of technology, we made the decision to evolve into a venture capital firm…with a difference. We believe that if we invest in brilliant founders and focus on the future we’d like our children to see while remaining disciplined and true to the core fundamentals of investing, the results will happen.
Our core mission – “Shaping tomorrow by investing in the underdog” – reflects this belief. It is the heart and soul of who we are.
The name Forefront Capital was chosen as a reflection of who we strive to be. “Forefront” is a constant reminder of our rich heritage and what is required of us going forward – being a first ‘yes’ for founders, being distinguished in support and service, being at the leading edge of innovation. Being at the forefront.
Investment Thesis
Forefront Capital invests in exceptional diverse founders who are building their ventures in the Southeastern United States. We are industry agnostic and invest in those aiming to improve the lives of everyday people and transform industries that have lacked innovation.
Improving the lives of everyday people: startups that are creating technology and products that makes lives better. Examples include (but not limited to):
mental health
femtech
death tech
age tech
climate tech
DEIB tech
Industries lacking innovation: startups that are building solutions for industries in need of disruption. Examples include (but not limited to):
fintech
proptech
construction tech
mobility tech
How We Work
We tend to focus on a few key areas where we believe we can add unique value:
Setting Key Milestones – This may be the single most important thing we do. It’s our job to help the founders we partner with define their key milestones, particularly when it comes to raising additional capital. Together, we use these key milestones and work backwards with founders to help them plan their product, team, and customer development roadmap.
Team – We believe that helping founders find and recruit the initial core team is one of the most critical aspects of our work.
Product and Technical Reviews – We don’t pretend to understand any given market or customer set nearly as well as the founders we work with, but we can help with product roadmap planning and prioritization, as well as code reviews and technical diligence.
Customer Development – In coordination with the broader Forefront Capital network, we want to be responsible for helping founders that we work with acquire early customers.
Capital Raising – If we’ve done our job and helped founders to properly plan for their key milestones, they’re typically in a good position to raise a meaningful seed or Series A round. Leading up to a fundraise, we work closely with Forefront Capital founders to (1) help them craft their story and vision for the future, as well as their pitch deck, (2) target (and make introductions to) the right investors, and (3) run an efficient fundraising process.
Beyond (“The Call Before the Board”) – After a Forefront Capital portfolio company has raised a subsequent institutional round of financing, we generally take a step back. This is how we scale what we do at Forefront Capital, allowing us to work closely with new founders and companies. Because we don’t take board seats, we’re closely aligned with the founders that we work with throughout the lifecycle of their company, which often allows us to be the “call before the board.” Although communication over time may become less frequent, we take this long-term role very seriously, and are grateful to the founders who will choose to work with us and trust us with this responsibility.
Portfolio
As angel investors, we invested in founders who care deeply about solving big problems and are creating solutions via their unique perspectives. We will continue to do the same as we deploy capital out of our Fund I.
Our angel investments:
The Team
We are a strong team of investors, operators, and entrepreneurs.
Jimmy Taylor
Managing Partner
Jimmy Taylor is Managing Partner of Forefront Capital where he focuses on fund strategy, portfolio management, marketing, LP relations, and organizational strategy.
Prior to Forefront Capital, Jimmy managed a $38B portfolio of public and private market investments for Ultra High Net Worth clients at Vanguard while leveraging his operations, strategy, and finance experience to both angel invest in and advise early-stage companies. Before that, Jimmy spent 8 years in Vanguard’s $1B+ Personal Advisor Services business, where he served as the initial Head of Client-Facing Operations and the first Head of Talent Attraction. Previously, he led Vanguard’s intermediary division’s internal salesforce and began his career there as the leading finance voice for the Information Technology division. Prior to joining Vanguard in 2008, he held leadership roles in business development, finance, and assurance at Graystone Management, Kmart, and EY.
Jimmy holds a BA in Accounting from Michigan State University where he played on the men’s soccer team and joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He received his MBA from Wayne State University. In addition to his work at Forefront Capital, Jimmy is a BLCK VC Black Venture Institute fellow and a member of the Cap Table Coalition. Jimmy has held board positions at a number of nonprofit organizations, including Southeast Michigan Omega Foundation, Inc. and Promising Pages. He is originally from the Detroit, MI area and lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and son.
E-mail: jimmy@forefront.capital
Social: LinkedIn
Odean Maye
Managing Partner
Odean Maye is Managing Partner of Forefront Capital where he focuses on founder relations, advisor network, mentoring, and partnerships.
Odean is an engineer, leader, investor and founder, and loves bringing new products and services to life. In addition to his work at Forefront Capital, Odean serves as a Senior Director of Product Management at Capital One. Prior to that, he led product engineering and software engineering teams at GSK and began his career as a software engineer at ForRent.com while also founding Jamedy, a bootstrapped brand analytics platform venture.
Odean holds a BS in Computer Science from Old Dominion University and is completing his masters degree in finance at Harvard University. Odean is a BLCK VC Black Venture Institute fellow, a member of VentureSouth, and volunteers with Startup Virginia. Originally from Jamaica, he lives in Richmond, VA with his wife, daughter, and son.
E-mail: odean@forefront.capital
Social: LinkedIn
Juantonio Rush
Venture Partner
Juantonio Rush is Venture Partner at Forefront Capital where he focuses on deal sourcing, due diligence, and community building.
Juantonio brings over 20 years in relationship management and administration experience while leading teams at Pitney Bowes and FLSmidth. He is a 12-year veteran of the United States Navy and has advised numerous small businesses and tech startups.
He received his BA degree in Public Affairs from Seattle University and earned an MBA degree from the University of Phoenix. In addition, Juantonio serves on the board of the Brace Family YMCA. He is originally from the Detroit, MI area and lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and two sons.
E-mail: juantonio@forefront.capital
Social: LinkedIn
Contact Us
Thank you for your interest in Forefront Capital! Let’s shape tomorrow…together.
Our Investment Criteria
We are seeking investment opportunities in companies which meet the following criteria:
Founders: At least one founder who identifies as a woman and/or person of color – demonstrated vision, high conviction, transparency and drive; high quality management team
Business Model: Truly differentiated products and services that disrupt, expand, and alter industries, enabled by technology; clear and realistic path to monetization
Market: Large market size potential with positive demand drivers
Valuation: Attractive valuation in Pre-Seed or Seed round
Value-Add: Opportunity for Forefront Capital to provide strong added value over time
If you believe your company meets our criteria, please submit an application so we can learn about you! Please allow us at least two weeks to provide our feedback. Please note, we only invest in U.S.-based companies and have a preference for Delaware C-corps.