Sign In

Aaron Samuels

Founder and Managing Partner at Collide Capital

Aaron Samuels

Aaron Samuels is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Blavity Inc., a digital media company that creates content for Black millennials. He co-founded Blavity in 2014 and served as COO until 2021.156

Key Facts about Aaron Samuels

  • Founder and Managing Partner of Collide Capital, a venture capital firm focused on backing diverse founding teams14
  • Born and raised in Providence, RI to a Black and Jewish household4
  • Graduated magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis with a BSBA in Economics & Strategy and Philosophy134
  • Received his MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business as an Arbuckle Leadership Fellow14
  • Forbes 30 Under 30 list member and nationally-acclaimed spoken word artist14
  • Author of the poetry collection "Yarmulkes and Fitted Caps"24

Samuels' experience spans entrepreneurship, media, strategy consulting, and venture capital. He co-founded Blavity to create a digital community and media platform for Black millennials.156 Blavity reaches over 60 million people per month.6

Prior to Blavity, Samuels worked as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company and a product manager at TeleSign.1 He is now focused on backing diverse founders through his venture capital firm Collide Capital.14

Highlights

Aug 1 · linkedin

A bit of a later post but just want to shout out Lightspeed for the opportunity for Brian Hollins and me to share more of Collide Capital's work at their AGM this summer.

Barry Eggers and Michael Romano have been incredible advocates in creating this event alongside Claudia Levan and Nicole (Freitas) North. Special shoutout to Mercedes Bent and Sydney Sykes for their work continuing to create opportunities for diverse and emerging fund managers.

It was an honor to share the stage with: Nate Abbott and Lauren Farleigh from Mischief ; Ivan Alo and LaDante McMillon from New Age Capital ; alana goyal from base case capital; Saydeah Howard, SPHR, SHRM-SCP from Cherryrock Capital ; Ayokunle Omojola from Refract ; Lolita Taub from Ganas Ventures ; Leshika Samarasinghe from Twine Ventures ; Anu Duggal from Female Founders Fund ; and Andrew Van Nest from Exceptional Capital.

#Collideonpurpose

Mar 7 · linkedin

The Collide Capital Summer MBA Fellowship is accepting applications through March 15th!

Our team is small in numbers but mighty in passion. We are looking to bring on a few like-minded individuals interested in learning the ins and outs of launching and operating a #venturecapital firm.

Apply today! https://lnkd.in/euRPkrmm      #venturecapital #fellowship #entrepreneurship #vc #mba

Related Questions

What inspired Aaron Samuels to co-found Blavity?
How did Aaron Samuels' experience at Washington University influence his career?
What are some notable projects Aaron Samuels has worked on at Collide Capital?
How does Aaron Samuels balance his roles as a venture capitalist and a writer?
What is the significance of "Black gravity" in Aaron Samuels' journey?
Aaron Samuels
Aaron Samuels, photo 1
Aaron Samuels, photo 2
Add to my network

Experience

Founder and Managing Partner at Collide Capital since January 2022
Co-Founder, COO at Blavity (July 2014 - December 2021)

Education

MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business (2016-2018); BSBA, Economics & Strategy; Philosophy, Magna Cum Laude from Washington University in St. Louis - Olin Business School (2007 - 201

Location

Greater Los Angeles Area