Seattle-based networking organization Female Founders Alliance (FFA) is rebranding as Graham & Walker.
Along with its new name, Graham & Walker unveiled a new $10 million fund on Thursday. Graham & Walker said the new venture fund will target technology companies led by women.
“This fund is at the vanguard of a necessary evolution of the capital markets, and I am proud to be part of that journey,” DocuSign founder Court Lorenzini, an investor in the fund, said in an announcement. “Graham & Walker is leading by doing, and we need more investors to follow their example.”
In addition to Lorenzini, investors include Bank of America, Carta Inc. and American Airlines. According to Graham & Walker, two-thirds of the 105 investors are women, and one-third are people of color. Graham & Walker said 40% are first-time fund investors.
Graham & Walker began investing the fund earlier this year. It has already invested in the adoption startup PairTree, the data privacy startup Datacy, the eco-friendly shopping platform Brightly, and Health in Her Hue, a telehealth platform centering on Black women.
Graham & Walker's new name is inspired by Madam C.J. Walker, the first woman to become a self-made millionaire, and Katharine Graham, the first woman to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company when she took the helm at The Washington Post Co.
The Female Founders Alliance, founded in 2017, provides a network for women and nonbinary founders to connect with other founders, investors and partners. The organization also runs a virtual accelerator called Ready Set Raise.
“You won’t find a more efficacious advocate for the women and non-binary founder community than (Graham & Walker founder and CEO) Leslie Feinzaig, and the very same holds true for her talents as an investor. It is a joy to get to be a part of her story and the story of the community emboldened by her vision and leadership,” said Julie Sandler, co-founder of PSL Ventures and an investor in Graham & Walker's new fund, in the announcement.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct Julie Sandler's title and relationship to the Graham & Walker fund.
