Black Girl Ventures: Omi Bell on Democratizing Capital for Under-Resourced Founders

20 Feb 2026 · 32 min
Episode

20 Feb 2026 · 32 min

0:00

In this episode of Brand Amplified, host Anika Jackson interviews Omi Bell, CEO and founder of Black Girl Ventures (BGV), a nonprofit that democratizes access to capital for under‑resourced Black, Brown, and women founders. The conversation begins with Bell’s personal backstory—multiple layoffs, a broken engagement, single motherhood, and a series of creative side‑hustles (furniture making, a T‑shirt line, a teepee Airbnb) that led her to launch BGV in 2016. Bell explains the organization’s core model: a crowdfunded pitch competition, training programs, an Emerging Leaders Fellowship, and an investment arm that only funds founders who have gone through the ecosystem. She shares striking statistics (less than 2 % of women and under 1 % of Black/Brown founders receive venture capital) and describes BGV’s impact—over 550 companies funded, 20 000 entrepreneurs reached, and 14 000 families positively affected. Bell discusses policy advocacy, notably her testimony before Congress on lowering the accredited‑investor threshold to broaden investment participation. She frames her approach as “diplomatically radical,” balancing activist goals with corporate partnerships (Nike, Visa, Pimco, etc.) to scale impact while maintaining dialogue across ideological divides. The interview also delves into founder wellness: Bell is a certified breath‑work and yoga‑nidra facilitator, uses nervous‑system regulation tools, and created the “Boardrooms and Breath” program for childcare workers and other audiences. She offers practical self‑care advice (alternate nostril breathing, short yoga‑nidra sessions) for listeners feeling burnt out. The episode includes sponsor reads for USAA, Chase Sapphire, Grainger, and Capital Group, and ends with a teaser for part two, where deeper topics such as BGV’s book, network, and future initiatives will be explored.

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