The Venture Codex Logo

The Venture Codex

Genius Guild

235 Ponce de Leon Place, Suite M-162, Decatur, Georgia, 30030, United States

Overview

Genius Guild is a business creation platform that supports market-driven innovations to end racism. Using a venture studio model, it invests in Black entrepreneurs building scalable businesses that serve black communities and beyond. The company applies an investment lens that actively addresses the ways in which capitalism and capitalist markets have been manipulated to limit, exclude, and defraud black communities, creating 360 value for communities, investors, and entrepreneurs. Genius Guild was founded by Kathryn Finney, one of Inc. Magazine's "Most Influential Women in Tech'' and the visionary founder of The Doonie Fund, The Budget Fashionista, and digitalundivided and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Total investments
2
Lead investments
0
Investments · 12mo
0
Active investors
4

Sector focus

  • Finance
  • Financial Services
  • Impact Investing
  • Venture Capital
Visit website

Investment portfolio

  • Backpack Healthcare

    Participated · Series A · May 2024

    Backpack Healthcare (formerly Youme Healthcare) operates an online pediatric mental-health platform that combines an AI-powered emotion-monitoring app with live teletherapy delivered by licensed clinicians. The company’s algorithms assess mood signals and automatically match young users to therapists who specialize in their needs, creating individualized treatment plans. Beyond one-on-one pediatric sessions, Backpack offers family therapy, medication management, and live parent-training webinars covering topics such as cyberbullying and substance abuse. Interactive digital tools and gamified activities are used to keep children engaged and encourage consistent participation in care. With its newly secured capital, management plans to enhance the technology stack, broaden geographic reach, and deepen its teletherapy service portfolio. Equity and inclusion remain a stated priority, underscored by the addition of Robert Johnson, ESQ, to the advisory board to guide inclusive growth initiatives.

  • Health In Her HUE

    Participated · Seed · Aug 2021

    Health in Her HUE is a digital health app focused on reducing health disparities for women of color by connecting members with healthcare providers and culturally tailored content. The platform offers educational health content, community forums, and a network of about 1,300 providers across 60 specialties, and it reports nearly 13,000 members. It runs a Care Squad program that delivers culturally tailored health education classes and plans to expand that program and add new topics including fertility, endometriosis, and postpartum recovery. The company also plans to launch a product to answer health questions via video from clinical experts. Founder and CEO Ashlee Wisdom said the startup balanced fundraising and revenue focus during a challenging raise. To date the company has raised $4.2 million and will use the new funds to expand products and programs and enhance membership experience. Health In Her HUE provides a digital health solution designed to meet the healthcare needs of women of color, with an initial focus on Black women. The platform helps users find and connect with culturally aligned and sensitive healthcare providers and offers culturally attuned health content and community. It already features nearly 1,000 culturally sensitive providers, including doctors, doulas, midwives, lactation consultants, therapists, and nutritionists. The company plans to develop a new platform and a membership experience that will offer customized care support via tailored content, consults, care recommendations, and other benefits and perks. HHH is led by CEO Ashlee Wisdom and COO Eddwina Bright. The company raised $1M in pre-seed funding to support these product and membership efforts.

Team

  • Kathryn Finney

    Founder & CEO

    LinkedIn
  • Darlene Gillard Jones

    Executive Producer at a business creation company that invests in brilliant Black Founders.

    LinkedIn
  • Jennifer Van Dam

    Director of Platform

    LinkedIn
  • Brian Laung Aoaeh, CFA

    Venture Capitalist in Residence

    LinkedIn