New Index Celebrates the First 200 U.S.-Based Black Women Founders to Reach $1M in VC Funding

Amira Rasool, founder and CEO of The Folklore, has just launched a new index that highlights the first 200 Black women founders to raise $1 million in venture capital funding. Alongside the index is The First 200 Podcast, featuring interviews with founders about their experiences as entrepreneurs.

“As the Founder & Host, I will sit down with founders from the Index to explore what it really takes to raise capital, build venture-backed companies, navigate setbacks, and create lasting impact,” Rasool said in a LinkedIn post.

Rasool raised $6.2 Million for her startup, The Folklore, a software company that helps small brands sell their products globally.

Who are some of the Black women on the list?

​Some of the women on the list include Ciara Imani May, who raised $1 million for her Rebundle, the first US-based, plant-based braiding hair company. Rebundle is an environmentally-friendly, community-centred brand. The braidbetter hair is compostable. 

Diarrha Ndiaye, founder of the recently closed beauty brand Ami Cole, is also part of the index. The beauty brand joined a list of Black businesses that received an outpouring of investments after the death of George Floyd, raising more than $3 million in venture capital.

Sisters and co-founders of Aster, Fifi Kara & Lailah Newton, were also mentioned in the index. During Dr Kara-Newton’s first pregnancy, she experienced undiagnosed preeclampsia, which resulted in an emergency C-section and NICU admission for her son. The sisters hoped to develop technology to prevent similar outcomes for women. Subsequently, the AI-native platform for women’s health providers was born.

Black founders struggling to gain funding

Funding for Black female founders has long been low, with only about 1% of venture funding going to Black women. Now, Black founders across the board are struggling to gain funding. $942 million — or just 0.32% of total US venture funding went to companies with a Black founder or co-founder in 2025, according to Crunchbase data.

The total venture funding for Black founders in 2025 speaks to a decrease from the funding since 2021, after the death of George Floyd sparked a wave of racial justice. In 2021, Black startup founders received $5.2 billion of venture funding. Whilst this information is bleak, this new index can serve as a guide to young Black entrepreneurs.

Image: Ciara Imani May, Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Fifi Kara

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