The First 200 Unveils Index of Black Women Founders Who’ve Raised $1M+ in VC

The First 200, a new media platform and founder network, has released the first-ever comprehensive index chronicling the first 200 Black women founders in the U.S. to raise more than $1 million in a single venture capital round since 2022. 

Founded by Amira Rasool in 2026, The First 200 is on a mission to document the achievements, fundraising journeys, and business impact of pioneering Black women founders. 

The list features names like Rihanna, Pinky Cole, Issa Rae, and Winnie Harlow and spans across over 25 industries, including healthcare, fintech, media, and artificial intelligence. Collectively, the 200 founders have raised more than $4 billion.

Related post: Black Founders See Strongest VC Funding Quarter in Nearly Four Years

About The First 200

Rasool, Founder and CEO of venture-backed commerce technology company, The Folklore, is the driving force behind The First 200. “The First 200 is about more than documenting a milestone—it’s about identifying the patterns behind it. For too long, the stories of Black women founders have been treated as exceptions,” Rasool said in an exclusive interview with UrbanGeekz. 

Sneak peek of season one of The First 200 Podcast, host Amira Rasool interviews Cherae Robinson, founder of Tastemakers Africa (courtesy of The First 200 Podcast)

Statistically speaking, of the $289 billion invested in Startups globally in 2024, only 2.3% went to all-female founding teams. At the same time, the percentage invested in Black women is even smaller. 

“By bringing this data together in one place, we’re creating a resource that helps founders, investors, researchers, and policymakers better understand where opportunity exists and what it takes to build more inclusive pathways to capital,” she added. 

The project was built through extensive research and verification using public company announcements. Even more, Rasool dove into investor disclosures, media coverage, founder interviews, Crunchbase, PitchBook, LinkedIn, and other historical datasets. 

On The First 200 Index, you can browse through the list of founders who have achieved VC-backed status. Rasool compiled information with the name of the company, location, founding date, investors, and current status for each founder. Healthtech was the largest industry on the list, representing 12% of companies on the Index. 

Through long-form podcast interviews, index reports, and events, the platform examines the patterns, psychology, and strategic decisions behind founders who have built companies compelling enough to secure institutional capital and scale their vision.

Related post: AethexAI Raises $3M to Build Voice AI Infrastructure for Emerging Markets

The First 200 Podcast 

The First 200 Podcast season one features ten long-form conversations with founders from the Index about company building, fundraising, leadership, and scaling. The video and audio podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and on all major podcast platforms. 

The first two episodes are already out. Rasool speaks with Cheraé Robinson about balancing passion and profit as a founder. Next, she discusses why community is the key to business and personal success with Tiffany Dufu. 

“Venture capital funding data is often discussed in aggregate, but the stories behind those numbers are rarely documented in a meaningful way,” Rasool said. 

“The First 200 was created to preserve the stories of founders from distinct backgrounds, including women, immigrants, people of color, and others who have been historically underrepresented in the startup world. We want these founders to be recognized not only for the capital they raised, but for the companies they built, the industries they transformed, and the pathways they created.” 

Related post: HaloBraid Raises $7M to Modernize Hair Braiding With Robotics

Future Plans 

Later this year, The First 200 will release a comprehensive data report examining trends across the inaugural cohort. They aim to provide one of the first updated analyses of venture-backed Black women founders since ProjectDiane’s landmark 2022 report. 

In addition to its media and research efforts, The First 200 will host founder dinners, networking events, podcast recordings, and annual gatherings designed to strengthen connections across the founder, investor, and startup ecosystem.

Each year, The First 200 will release a new index, data report, and podcast season highlighting founders from distinct backgrounds who were among the first 200 in their respective communities to raise more than $1 million in venture capital funding.

The platform aims to become a central resource for founders, investors, corporate partners, journalists, researchers, and anyone interested in understanding the evolving landscape of entrepreneurship and venture capital.

Caption: The First 200, podcast episode with Amira Rasool (left) and Cheraé Robinson (right), Courtesy of The First 200