Venture capital and diversity investing by Nicole DeTommaso
Nicole DeTommaso is a Senior Associate at Harlem Capital, where she became the first intern to source a deal that secured firm investment. Since joining full-time in 2019, she has sourced more than 15 early-stage transactions across fintech, consumer, and Web3. Recognition as part of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Class of 2025 confirmed her impact in diversifying venture flows. DeTommaso’s publications on founder and investor demographics, including the Diverse Founders in Web3 report, have been cited in more than 200 industry articles and used by accelerators across the US and Europe.
Prior work at RBC Capital Markets provided grounding in equity research and deal structuring. Annual income falls in the mid-six-figure USD range, supported by salary and carried interest. Public speaking appearances on venture equity and digital inclusion reached 400+ audiences in 2024 alone. With a growing social media community of more than 20,000 followers, DeTommaso has become a key voice at the intersection of capital, diversity, and emerging technology.
$1 billion raised by Kalshi at $40 billion valuation, Nicole DeTommaso notes
Kalshi has raised $1 billion at a $40 billion valuation. Nicole DeTommaso highlighted that this is the same company whose Series A pitch deck was recently shared by Sequoia, and noted that just ...
Nicole DeTommaso: Leading startup accelerators making fundraising easier for founders
Nicole DeTommaso listed several startup accelerators she considers high-signal for founders, including Y Combinator, South Park Commons, a16z speedrun, HF0, Neo, Pear VC (PearX), and Boost VC. She ...
Record investment pours into U.S. startups in 2026, Nicole DeTommaso notes
A record amount of money has been invested in U.S. startups in 2026, officially surpassing previous years. Nicole DeTommaso noted that despite this milestone, most founders still find raising ...
Nicole DeTommaso: Some top-performing VC funds may never return money to investors
Nicole DeTommaso stated that some of the best-performing venture capital (VC) funds have not actually provided monetary returns to their investors and may never do so. She explained that much of ...
Building a career without knowing the industry, Nicole DeTommaso notes
Nicole DeTommaso said she built her entire career doing things she initially did not know how to do. She recounted that, when she interviewed for her first investment banking job, she did not ...
Nicole DeTommaso: VC check size does not always indicate stronger belief in a startup
Nicole DeTommaso said that a venture capital (VC) firm writing a $2 million check does not necessarily signal more belief in a startup than a $250,000 check. She added that many founders ...
Access to early-stage a16z deal data expands, Nicole DeTommaso notes
Nicole DeTommaso said she has obtained access to all of the early-stage deals that a16z has completed from preseed to Series A in the past six months. She added that this information allows ...
Nicole DeTommaso: Startup fundraising alone does not always signal success
Nicole DeTommaso questioned the assumption within the venture ecosystem that a startup raising additional money is necessarily evidence of company performance. She pointed out that while raising ...
Stacking SAFE agreements can cost founders half their companies, Nicole DeTommaso warns
Nicole DeTommaso warned that founders may inadvertently give away half of their startups before realizing it due to the widespread practice of stacking SAFE agreements. She highlighted that, ...
Nicole DeTommaso: VCs can prioritize not missing generational companies over investment loss risks
Nicole DeTommaso described how in venture capital, the fear of missing an opportunity to back a generational company may outweigh the concern over losing an investment. She noted this approach ...
Tripling revenue can be seen as underwhelming in current venture capital climate, Nicole DeTommaso notes
Nicole DeTommaso said that in the current venture capital environment, a startup can achieve three times growth in revenue over a year and still be viewed as a disappointment. DeTommaso described ...
Nicole DeTommaso: Investors must learn to promote their portfolios
Nicole DeTommaso highlights the importance for investors to effectively communicate about their own positions. She observes that in the venture capital industry, many professionals excel at ...
Instinct closes $1 billion Series C with 9 employees, Nicole DeTommaso reveals
Nicole DeTommaso reports that Instinct has raised $1 billion in Series C funding, reaching a $10 billion valuation while employing fewer than 10 people. DeTommaso examined the backgrounds of the ...
Nicole DeTommaso: Venture investors focus on shiny objects over real value
Nicole DeTommaso observes that venture investment currently revolves around two strategies: chasing the latest trends or sticking to fundamental value opportunities. She notes that the market ...
Recognizing large upside can outweigh risks, Nicole DeTommaso notes
Nicole DeTommaso emphasizes that the most difficult aspect of venture investing is not identifying potential reasons for a startup’s failure. According to DeTommaso, finding faults or risks is ...
Nicole DeTommaso: Venture capital success often comes from rare high-impact investments
Nicole DeTommaso notes that success in venture capital does not require a high rate of correct decisions. Even if the majority of investments do not perform well, achieving outstanding results ...
Most people misunderstand venture capital fund flows, Nicole DeTommaso notes
Nicole DeTommaso addresses a common knowledge gap in venture capital interviews, stating that 99% of candidates struggle to explain how money truly flows through a venture fund. She lays out the ...
Nicole DeTommaso: Building relationships is key for future VC fund managers
Nicole DeTommaso addresses a common aspiration among her peers: the desire to raise their own VC fund in the future. She shares that one of the biggest misconceptions is that fundraising begins ...
Investment banking role includes financial modeling and valuation work, Nicole DeTommaso notes
Nicole DeTommaso questions why nearly every venture capital job lists investment banking as a preferred qualification. She shares her experience, noting that after spending 4 years in banking, ...
Nicole DeTommaso: VC firms need campus sourcing strategies for long term success
Nicole DeTommaso argues that long term success for venture capital firms requires implementing a campus sourcing strategy. She observes that while such an approach may not align with the current ...
Founder equity falls significantly after multiple funding rounds, Nicole DeTommaso notes
Nicole DeTommaso highlights the decline in founder ownership percentages as companies progress through funding rounds. According to DeTommaso, founders typically retain 56 percent ownership ...
