Testimonials
‍
"When I first started building my company, I had limited connections in the startup world and struggled to find supportive funding. My mentors and fellow Founders would repeatedly recommend that I raise initial capital from my friends and family, not knowing that I was typically the one who my friends and family ran to for financial support. Fifth Star Funds was one of the first institutions to truly believe in me, offering not just capital but guidance and genuine support when friends and family could not. Their $25K investment allowed me to validate our model, survive the early challenges, and eventually raise nearly $3M to grow our business. Since then, we’ve helped secure hundreds of small businesses from cyber risks and also expanded our vision to empower 1 million professionals to connect and engage in critical dialogue surrounding cybersecurity, AI, and other emerging topics. Fifth Star’s early support was a foundational pillar in making this growth possible."
‍‍
- Dr. Christine Izuakor, Cyber Pop-Up
"Fifth Star Funds’ investment in Eventnoire helped accelerate the development of our front end which helped us increase conversions and optimize our UX. It also provided a community to help me navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. Having their support changed my mindset and gave me a sense of pride knowing that I was not alone on this journey. This also gave us more credibility in the eyes of investors positioning us to raise over $1MM  in institutional capital after this. Ultimately, being a part of Fifth Star’s portfolio has increased visibility among investors and the broader tech ecosystem, opening doors that may have otherwise remained harder to access."

- Jeff Osuji, Eventnoire


Our Portfolio Companies
‍

‍

Aegis

AEGIS is a personal safety mobile application that modernizes and simplifies 911 communication, much like Uber transformed transportation. A single button press connects users to emergency authorities, provides all the information 911 needs without verbal communication, and enhances response speed, addressing the critical issue of personal safety during emergencies, potentially saving lives.

Arke

Arke believes that mobility is a fundamental human right. Their flagship product, the eVenture, is not just a plug-and-play conversion kit that retrofits any standard bike into an eBike; it represents a lifeline for those seeking freedom and access to opportunities. The eVenture increases the average cyclist's range by seven times, operating via throttle power to eliminate the need for pedaling. This innovation transforms a simple bicycle into a gateway for economic and social mobility.

Banyon Power Co.

Banyon Power provides enabling technologies that accelerate the global transition to EVs for all by making ownership more attainable, while assisting utilities and energy providers with grid management.

Barter-E

Barter-E enables early stage founders to cut back on startup expenses by bartering their unused skills and services so they can focus on taking their companies to the next level. Through an internal currency, founders are able to exchange strengths to save money and time. Barter-E was founded by Ayrika Craig.

The Better Spot

The Better Spot is sustainable wellcare. Putting practitioners first with a secure online community for wellness professionals and their clients along with offline on-demand space, The Better Spot makes integrative care accessible to everyone. The Better Spot was founded by Madilynn Beck.

Buoy

Buoy automatically prices and reports on vacation rentals for property managers. Buoy tracks every listing and hotel in the world, and can see every event impacting demand, earning managers an average of 20% more revenue each month. Buoy was co-founded by Candice Speicher, Tim Speicher, and Szabolcs Pasztor.

Centinel

Founded by Soton Rosanwo, Centinel provides claims-free coverage for hard-to-insure risks. From infectious diseases and climate change to interrupted utilities and event cancellations, Centinel delivers peace of mind with automated, easily customizable, and transparent coverage.

City Health Tech
‍

City Health Tech’s vision is a world without disease outbreaks. Through its innovative hand washing product Opal, City Health Tech is committed to promoting disease prevention in cities worldwide. City Health Tech was co-founded by Irewole Akande and Ibraheem Alinur.

CRTSIDE

CRTSIDE is a direct-to-consumer basketball marketplace designed to promote athletes, monetize content, and generate fan affinity. The founding team of former Division 1 athletes are building a platform to elevate basketball athletes and their fans worldwide. CRTSIDE was co-founded by Brandon Smith, Dameon Mason, and Aaron Green.

CulturePilot

CulturePilot is an AI-powered app that uses your phone’s built-in camera to recognize objects of interest and immediately provide curated audio and text content. CulturePilot empowers museums, artists, cities, and other organizations to seamlessly create this content for their visitors. CulturePilot was co-founded by Barbara Kuofie and Mariyam Khalid.

E3 Radio

E3 Radio is a media platform and online radio station showcasing queer music & reporting on queer news with an intersectional lens. Their new mobile app, The Qube, is a curated app of music and podcasts by Black, Brown, & QTPOC (Queer & Trans People Of Color) creatives. E3 Radio seeks to uplift the voices that currently don’t get airtime. E3 Radio was founded by Anna DeShawn.

Eventnoire

Eventnoire offers software solutions for event registration, event management, mobile apps for events, and email marketing. Their unique platform serves as a resource for event hosts who influence Black culture to monetize their influence and receive commissions from ticket fees. Eventnoire was co-founded by Jeff Osuji and Femi Masha.

HCISS

HCISS provides cyber security analytics solutions to find patterns of highly advanced threats and vulnerabilities in smart contract code on the blockchain which result in losses of over $2B in annual security breaches. HCISS was founded by Daniel Addison.

Let's Link

Let’s Link views the sharing economy as the new frontier of luxury commerce. Let's Link combines the physical properties of luxury shopping with digital solutions creating an entirely new shopping experience. With its mobile app, Let’s Link focuses on face-to-face peer transactions of rare streetwear and high fashion goods in the safest manner possible.  Let’s Link was founded by Justice Moore.

Minority Business Circle

Minority Business Circle, is an web based application built for mobile & desktop that provides entrepreneurs a convenient one-stop dashboard and digital platform for all your business needs in launching.
Minority Business Circle was founded by Amera McCoy.

Roomii

Roomii is a consumer-focused marketplace that enables users to lease out furniture while helping others furnish spaces short-term with quality pre-owned furniture. Roomii’s founder, Dapo Kolawole, spent the last 20 years in the commercial furniture industry as a product development engineer and is working to build the pre-owned furniture sharing economy.

Skilbi

A community-driven platform to help students develop new skills and build better networks.

Supperclub

Supperclub is an app that allows you to get paid or pay to chat with who you want and on your terms. In a society of cold calls and unlimited access through social platforms, Supperclub helps you decide which conversations are most valuable and worth your time. Supperclub was founded by Mia Marshall.

Apply

Stay in touch

Success! You're signed up
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Contact Us

Fifth Star Funds is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We invest in early-stage companies whose founders have faced material barriers to accessing capital due to racial discrimination. While our research primarily addresses challenges faced by the Black community and the potential impact investment programs like ours could have on such challenges, our investment program is open to applicants of all races who can demonstrate they have experienced racial discrimination in securing startup funding.

© 2025 Fifth Star Funds, Inc.
go  top