Brentwood-based VC firm helps launch Native American Capital and Investment Alliance
The goal is to help bridge the gap between Native American founders, their businesses, and providers of equity and debt capital.
Brentwood-based Relevance Ventures and Skoden Ventures of Santa Fe, NM announced over the weekend the launch of the Native American Capital and Investment Alliance (NACIA), an organization that will herald a new era for Native Americans by helping bridge the gap between Native American founders, their businesses, and providers of equity and debt capital.
Announced at the Creative Experience conference in New Mexico’s capital city on Saturday, NACIA is poised to significantly impact and shrink the divide between Indian Country and the sources of capital and investment that many other founders take for granted. The new alliance is dedicated to supporting Native founders in successfully accessing equity investment, including venture capital, and alternative debt funding. NACIA also focuses on increasing the representation of Native leaders on corporate boards and mentoring emerging Native capital managers and investment advisors. In turn, NACIA aims to facilitate collaborations between capital investors and alternative debt lenders to tailor financial products for Indian Country.
“We believe in the power, wisdom, and potential of Native people,” said Dean Newton, Co-Founder of NACIA, Chairman at Relevance Ventures, and a member of the Patawomeck tribe. “Our people have all of the ingredients in the recipe for success except access. NACIA will widen access to capital for Native founders by providing entrée to venture, debt, and alternative investment capital, bring Native faces to seemingly faceless boardrooms, and help drive substantial change for our communities. It’s especially fitting during Native American Heritage Month that we welcome all to join us on this transformative journey.”
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