BVG Founders Featured In Business Insider: 37 Black Investors Changing The VC Industry With Firms Dedicated To Funding Diverse Startup Founders

The Brown Venture Group cofounders and managing partners Paul Campbell, left, and Chris Brooks.

Paul Campbell and Chris Brooks started their Minneapolis-based firm in 2018, specifically to invest in Black, Latinx, and Indigenous entrepreneurs. The duo started raising capital for their first fund in 2020, and in December 2021 announced they were close to their $50 million funding goal.

Before founding Brown Venture Group, Campbell was a telecommunications sales executive and an entrepreneur, launching startups in the Internet of Things and media production. Brooks held leadership roles at several nonprofit organizations and worked in education before making the jump to entrepreneurship. He's also a founding partner of Firehouse Commons, a coworking space and innovation hub for entrepreneurs in Minneapolis, according to a Brown Venture Group spokesperson.