Shalanda Armstrong is a managing partner who wants to push for firms to be more intentional about investing early on in companies led by diverse founders rather than waiting for them to embark on an IPO. During her time as an undergrad in computer science, the Hampton University alumna leaned into her longtime curiosity about learning who funds startups. Then, she went on to shift her inquisitiveness into action. “Coming out of business school, my goal was to get into venture capital — not really realizing at the time that it was such a small industry and it was very hard to get in, so to speak,” Armstrong told AFROTECH.