Path Ahead Ventures – REI Dan Kihanya

Dan Kihanya is the Director of REI’s Path Ahead Ventures, a $30 million fund aimed at supporting founders of color in the outdoor industry. Launched in 2021, this program focuses on providing resources, mentorship, and funding to help diverse entrepreneurs start and scale their businesses. They have multiple programs like Embark (for early-stage founders), Navigate (for enterprise-ready founders that could sell into REI) as well as the more traditional fund – all built to meet Founders where they are in the journey. In this episode we discuss how diversity drives innovation and how Path Ahead is closing the gap between the 1% of founders who identify as a person of color vs. the 30%+ of outdoor participants identifying as such.