Celebrating 10 years of Camelback

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Our promise

Camelback Ventures, founded in 2015, has spent nearly a decade championing equity by investing in underinvested entrepreneurs. Through coaching, capital, and connections, we have built a legacy of empowering diverse founders to create transformative solutions in education, conscious tech, and other social impact spaces. Camelback’s commitment to amplifying diverse voices has led to innovative ventures and equitable outcomes in the funding landscape, solidifying our role as a catalyst for change and a beacon for inclusive entrepreneurship.

Message from Camelback’s CEO

A decade ago in New Orleans, Aaron Walker dared to challenge the status quo and give historically overlooked entrepreneurs equal access to resources, networks, and capital. His bold vision blossomed into a movement.

Since then, Camelback Ventures has empowered entrepreneurs of color and women, challenged funding paradigms, redirected capital, and launched the premier gathering for champions of generational wealth creation.

As we celebrate 10 years, we’re calling our Camelback Family in. Because this isn’t just a milestone—it’s a rallying cry. We’re doubling down on our mission to build livable communities powered by diverse social innovators. Join us. We’ll write the next decade of our story together.

With determination and gratitude,

Shawna Young
Camelback Ventures CEO

#MyFirstFunder

We proudly invest in innovative founders before anyone else does. As we celebrate 10 years at Camelback, we are excited to amplify these #MyFirstFunder entrepreneurial stories – reflecting a decade of our belief in bold ideas, resilience, and the power of community.

#MyFirstFunder

10 Year Impact
Report

Camelback Ventures has championed diverse founders across the United States, transforming the landscape of entrepreneurship with a steadfast commitment to equity and inclusion. Our work has empowered over 165 entrepreneurs, supported the launch and growth of [X] organizations, and directly impacted the lives of countless individuals in underinvested communities.

As we look to the next 10 years, we remain dedicated to fostering livable communities, breaking down systemic barriers, and ensuring a more equitable future for all. Join us in celebrating this milestone and in growing the vision for change.

10 year anniversary fundraising campaign

As Camelback celebrates 10 years of impact, we reflect on the lives transformed and opportunities created for diverse founders in our ecosystem. Your support fuels our mission to empower these visionaries with the resources they need to drive change and create a more just world.

We invite you to continue the journey with us. Together, we can foster fairness in funding, build livable communities, and ensure future generations inherit a legacy of wealth and possibility.

Donate today and be an integral part of the next 10 years at Camelback.

Donate today

Our 10-year timeline

2013

Camelback Ventures Fellowship Pilot

Our Founder, Aaron T. Walker, supported three entrepreneurs as a pilot preceding the Camelback Fellowship program.

The “Alpha Cohort” received 1:1 coaching and access to other support services to help accelerate their startup ventures.

2015

First cohort of Fellowship

We welcomed the inaugural class of 15 entrepreneurs that identified as BIPOC and/or women to our flagship program, the Camelback Fellowship.

We began refining our approach to entrepreneur support investing in underrepresented entrepreneurs nationwide, providing $40k in capital and coaching.

2017

Began ecosystem convenings

We convened over 100 impact investors, entrepreneurs and influence-makers to build a community focused on “racing to equity” within impact entrepreneurship.

We called this initial iteration Ecosystem Summit but it would evolve into Guardian Summit.

2018

New strategic opportunities

We developed a strategic plan to capitalize on the momentum we had been building and what we had been learning from our network.

We realized that in order for the entrepreneurs we support to thrive (1) they needed capital beyond the Fellowship investment, (2) funders/investors needed to make their practices more equitable, and (3) Camelback’s team needed to grow to provide the necessary support.

2019

First cohort of Capital Collaborative

We launched our second cohort program, Capital Collaborative, to work directly with funders from philanthropy to drive toward more equitable funding and grantmaking practices.