Joel Palathinkal, Kylie Summers, and Tiffany Williams discuss the Houston ecosystem and the inception of Diversity Fund Houston, emphasizing the unique strengths and collaborative synergy of founders. They explore support areas for entrepreneurs and the impact of the Houston Area Urban League. The conversation extends to the emerging manager ecosystem, the future of fintech, and discussions on digital currency and blockchain. They examine tech hubs, productivity trends, and the balance between work motivation and life harmony. Personal experiences in starting a fund, trust building in diverse communities, leadership diversity, and the challenges and opportunities within the LP community are highlighted.

Diversity Fund Houston is a micro venture fund created to invest in minority tech founders during the “friends and family round,” as well as provide opportunities for them to learn, scale, prepare for their first institutional round of financing, and solve problems impacting their communities.

Tiffany L. Williams is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Diversity Fund Houston as well as CEO and Creative Director of Twice Media Productions, a video tech company. She frequently mentors and presents to entrepreneurs in various business programs, such as the Houston Area Urban League’s Small Business University and HCC’s Business Plan Competition.

Kiley Summers is a St. Louis native, a man of faith, husband, and father. He is also Co-Founder and Managing Director of Diversity Fund Houston and the founder and CEO of SpenDebt, a financial technology company. As a professional, he has nearly a decade of experience working as an Operations Manager, Maintenance Engineer, and Business Unit Leader for a fortune 100 company leading people, processes, and technology.

Music credits: Clouds by MBB | https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial, Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en\_US

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This web series and podcast is intended for informational purposes only. The views expressed are not, and should not be construed as investment advice or recommendations. Recipients of this should do their own due diligence, taking into account their specific financial circumstances, investment objectives, and risk tolerance (which are not considered in this web series and podcast) before investing. None of this information communication is an offer, nor the solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell any of the assets mentioned herein.

(0:00) Introduction of Tiffany Williams and Kylie Summers & Podcast Overview (1:55) Houston Ecosystem and Diversity Fund Houston Origin (4:25) Founders' Superpowers and Synergy (8:52) Support Areas for Founders and Houston Area Urban League Impact (14:22) Emerging Manager Ecosystem and Fintech Future (19:28) Digital Currency and Blockchain Discussion (22:38) Tech Hubs and Work Productivity Trends (26:29) Work Motivation and Life Harmony (30:03) Starting a Fund: Challenges and Personal Experiences (33:14) Trust Building in Diverse Communities and Leadership Diversity (37:13) Fundraising Challenges and LP Community Opportunities