Organization · Venture Capital
Elevate Capital Fund
Elevate Capital Fund is a venture capital firm based in Hillsboro, Oregon, focused on investing in underserved entrepreneurs, particularly women and ethnic minorities. The firm provides both capital and mentorship to help these founders build successful companies.
Overview
What Elevate Capital Fund does
What Elevate Capital Fund is
Elevate Capital Fund is a venture capital firm based in Hillsboro, Oregon, focused on investing in underserved entrepreneurs, particularly women and ethnic minorities. The firm provides both capital and mentorship to help these founders build successful companies.
How it participates in the startup ecosystem
The current public profile supports funder and community and event host and publisher capabilities. Each capability below is shown separately so organization identity and role-specific information do not get conflated.
Operational profile
Organization status and context
Organization status describes the entity itself. Funding and program availability appear within the relevant capability profile.
- Operational status
- Active
- Organization type
- Venture Capital
- Founded
- Founded in 2016
- Approximate age
- About 10 years
- Structured capabilities
- Funder · Community · Event host · Publisher
- Last reviewed
- March 27, 2026
Official channels
Find Elevate Capital Fund elsewhere
Open the official website or a supported primary organization account.
Capability profile
Elevate Capital Fund as a funder
Investment thesis
Elevate Capital is the first institutional venture capital fund targeting investments in underserved entrepreneurs, including women, ethnic minorities, and veterans. The firm aims to provide both capital and mentorship to help these founders succeed.
Focus narrative
Elevate Capital invests in early-stage startups primarily founded by underrepresented minority founders, including women, people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+, and veterans. The firm operates several specialized investment vehicles, including the Inclusive Fund, which focuses on local startups, and Investment Fund II, which invests nationally in scalable startups, primarily in technology and healthcare.
Value beyond capital
Elevate Capital provides not only financial investment but also mentorship and support to help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of building successful companies. The firm leverages strong partnerships with state government and local organizations to enhance its impact.
Terms and economics
- Typical check
- $25,000–$2,000,000
- Sweet spot
- $1,000,000
Focus and fit
- Stages
- Pre-seed · Seed
- Sectors
- Healthcare
- Regions
- North AmericaUnited States
Availability
- Currently deploying
- Yes
Portfolio and track record
Portfolio context
Elevate Capital has invested in various companies, including BlendScore, a diversity analytics and hiring software company that provides AI-driven recommendations and solutions for attracting and retaining diverse talent.
Capability profile
Elevate Capital Fund as a community
Community overview
Elevate Capital is an institutional venture capital fund founded in 2016 and based in Hillsboro, Oregon. The organization focuses on investing in underserved entrepreneurs, particularly women, ethnic minorities, and those with limited access to capital and opportunities. Elevate Capital aims to provide both venture capital and mentorship to help these entrepreneurs build successful companies.
Community focus
Elevate Capital invests primarily in early-stage startups through several funds, including the Inclusive Fund, which targets women, minority, and veteran-founded startups in the Portland Metro region; Capital Fund II, which invests nationally in scalable startups founded by underrepresented minority founders; and the Innovation Gap Fund, which focuses on key industries such as bioscience, cleantech, and advanced materials.
Member value
Members benefit from access to venture capital, mentorship, and a supportive network aimed at fostering the growth of underserved entrepreneurs. Elevate Capital also provides insights and resources through their blog and newsletter.
Membership
- Pricing models
- free
Format and cadence
- Modality
- in-person
- Schedule
- rolling-admissions
- Commitment
- light
Availability
- Membership state
- Accepting
Audience and fit
- Audience
- Founders · Investors
- Benefits
- mentorship and network-access
- Program types
- community
- Selection criteria
- application
- Stages
- Pre-seed · Seed
- Sectors
- Healthcare
- Regions
- United States
Community activity
Events and activity
Elevate Capital hosts events such as the Annual Investor Reception, a gathering for founders, LPs, and ecosystem leaders to celebrate milestones and share stories, and Elevate Oregon, an event aimed at re-energizing Oregon's startup community.
Notable members
Key team members include Nitin Rai (Founder & Managing Partner), Kumar Sripadam (General Partner), and Ben Nahir, PhD (Partner). Notable portfolio companies include BlendScore, TrueLark, Birch Biosciences, Canopii, and BuildingLens.
Capability profile
Elevate Capital Fund as an event host
Event focus
Elevate Capital invests in early-stage startups primarily founded by underrepresented minority founders, including women, people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+, and veterans. The firm operates several specialized investment vehicles, including the Inclusive Fund, Investment Fund II, Innovation Gap Fund, and SSBCI Venture Direct, targeting diverse sectors such as technology, healthcare, bioscience, and cleantech.
Format narrative
Elevate Capital runs several programs and hosts events to support its mission, including the Innovation Gap Fund and the SSBCI Venture Direct program.
Participant value
Elevate Capital aims to provide both venture capital and mentorship to help underserved entrepreneurs develop their startups into successful companies.
Format and cadence
- Event types
- meetup
- Recurrence
- annual
- Modality
- in-person
- Startups can present
- Yes
Availability
- Registration state
- Accepting
Audience and fit
- Selection criteria
- open
- Stages
- Pre-seed · Seed
- Audience
- Founders · Investors
- Sectors
- Healthcare
- Regions
- North AmericaUnited States
Capability profile
Elevate Capital Fund as a publisher
Editorial focus
Elevate Capital focuses on investing in early-stage startups founded by underrepresented minority founders, including women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and veterans. The firm operates several specialized investment vehicles to support these entrepreneurs, providing both capital and mentorship to help them succeed.
Audience value
Elevate Capital aims to bridge the funding gap for underserved entrepreneurs by providing not only financial support but also mentorship and resources to help them grow their startups into successful companies.
Format and cadence
- Content formats
- blog and newsletter
Availability
- Guest pitch state
- Not currently accepting
Audience and focus
- Audience
- Founders · Investors
- Sectors
- Healthcare
- Regions
- North AmericaUnited States
Flagship work and coverage
Flagship properties
Elevate Capital manages multiple funds, including the Inclusive Fund, Investment Fund II, Innovation Gap Fund, and SSBCI Venture Direct, each targeting different aspects of the startup ecosystem.
Notable coverage
Elevate Capital has been recognized as the nation's first institutional venture capital fund specifically targeting investments in underserved entrepreneurs, receiving coverage from various media outlets for its innovative approach and impact.
Common questions
What to know about Elevate Capital Fund
Upseed classifies Elevate Capital Fund under the Venture Capital organization type. Its current public profile includes funder, community, event host, and publisher capabilities.
Source and update disclosure
Know what this page is based on
Source basis
Public organization and program material, official websites, and structured Upseed records.
Last reviewed
March 27, 2026
Known limits
Capability profiles appear only when a structured public profile also contains decision-useful role evidence. Terms and availability can change.
Upseed is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organization described on this page.