identity.vc's story of building a VC fund to back LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs

This episode of TheOnePoint features Til Klein from identity.vc 

Til and I connected over a shared vision of supporting diversity in our venture ecosystem.

And, Til is doing so much more beyond just supporting. 

identity.vc is the first fund in Europe to back LGBTQ+ founders in the early stages. 

He comes with a stellar background to achieve this mission. Having been a founder himself Til has the knowledge, strategic insights, and network to unlock this investment thesis in Europe. 

With the first close of his VC fund in 2024 and a few investments already committed - Til is looking forward to 2025.

LPs invest in their fund because they believe in the thesis that diversity drives performance. Social impact is the cherry on top!

Where to find Tim Klein:

• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/tilklein/⁠

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://identity.vc/

Where to find Rohit Yadav:

• Web: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/rohityadav⁠⁠

• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohityadav23/⁠ 

• Newsletter: ⁠All Things VC⁠  (⁠https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7081921640367808512/⁠)

In this episode of TheOnePoint, we talk about:

(00:00) Podcast episode intro

(01:21) Intro: Til Klein 

(02:02) Intro: identity.vc

(04:54) Launch of identity.vc and experience running the Fund

(05:57) Support from LPs for identity.vc

(07:42) Current state of diversity in the venture ecosystem

(12:34) Should LPs have a separate bucket for Emerging Managers

(14:48) Support and guidance for Emerging Managers

(17:25) Comparison of U.S. and EU ecosystems

(19:15) Challenges faced by diverse founders

(23:09) Startup awareness of diverse founders

(25:42) Bridging knowledge gaps for diverse founders

(27:26) The importance of community for founders

(29:25) Role of mentorship

(31:44) Building community for Founders

(35:07) How should founders navigate rejections and feedback

(39:32) How should founders rationalize the choice of VC

(42:42) Future of diversity-focused VC funds 

(45:48) An inspirational idea

Thanks for listening!