How ArianSimone gets it done
Illustration: Lauren Tamaki While the value of venture-capital investments in the United States adds up to almost $548 billion dollars, Black women start-up founders receive less than a single percentage point of that funding. Arian Simone is looking to change that as the president and chief executive officer of the Fearless Fund, which is the first venture-capital fund built by women of color for women of color-led businesses that are looking for pre-seed, seed-level, or series A financing.
An entrepreneur herself, as well as a philanthropist and author, Simone was pursuing an MBA at Florida A&M University when she decided to launch her first business. After graduation and a move to Los Angeles, she landed at Nelly’s Apple Bottoms fashion brand, her first foray into the world of retail. But after the company was sold — which dried up Simone’s funds since she lost her main source of income — she had to live in her car while working to find her next job.
Having just teamed up with Tory Burch Foundation and The Cru to launch a new program that will award grants ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 to 150 women-led small businesses, 2022 is already off to a major start for Simone. She hails from Detroit, but now calls Atlanta home. Here’s how Simone gets it done.I usually wake up between 6 and 7 a.m. I am a woman of faith, so I spend my mornings with God by praying, reading scriptures in the Bible, and meditating. I am also working out most mornings.