William Crowder
Founder at Aperture Venture Capital
Profile
Prior to founding Aperture, William Crowder spent the previous 10 years building a track record of investing in diverse founders across the US.
He began that work in 2011 as a partner at Dreamit Ventures, a pre-seed accelerator headquartered in Philadelphia.
At Dreamit, William spearheaded a joint effort between Dreamit and Comcast to invest in and support founders of color.
Over the next 5 years, Dreamit invested in nearly 40 companies with diverse founders, more than any other mainstream accelerator during that time period.
Concurrent to that work, William built the nation’s first corporate-backed venture fund with a diversity emphasis at Comcast Ventures.
At the pinnacle of the Catalyst Fund’s investing activities, William led investments in a number of companies that have now become widely recognized as pioneering startup efforts by Black and Latino founders.
Some of these investments include Partpic (acquired by Amazon), Squire, Cuyana, and AptDeco.
In 2017, William joined an effort at Morgan Stanley to create a new accelerator experience for multicultural founders.
He was the Multicultural Innovation Lab’s first Entrepreneur in Residence from 2017 until the summer of 2021.
In his life before venture capital, William was a management consultant, software developer, and entrepreneur.
He currently lives in the Philadelphia area and leads Aperture VC’s east coast office.
Education:
BS and MS degrees in Computer Science from NC State University
MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business
William Crowder active positions
Companies | Position | Start |
---|---|---|
Connectivity Capital Partners LLC
Connectivity Capital Partners LLC Investment ManagersFinance Connectivity Capital Partners LLC (Connectivity Capital) venture capital is firm founded in 2012 by Joyce Fensterstock and Jaahred Thomas. The firm is headquartered in New York. | Private Equity Investor | 2016-12-31 |
Aperture Venture Capital
Aperture Venture Capital Investment ManagersFinance Aperture Venture Capital (Aperture Venture) is a venture capital firm founded in 2020 by William Crowder and Garnet Heraman. The firm is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with additional offices in New York, Los Angels and Orange County. | Founder | 2020-02-29 |
Former positions of William Crowder
Companies | Position | End |
---|---|---|
Growth Strategy Advisors | Founder | 2017-12-30 |
Dreamit Ventures LLC
Dreamit Ventures LLC Investment ManagersFinance Dreamit Ventures LLC (Dreamit Ventures) is a venture capital and accelerator firm founded in 2008 by David Bookspan, Michael Levinson and Steve D. Welch. The firm is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA with an office in New York, NY. | Private Equity Investor | 2016-01-30 |
Mercer Management Consulting, Inc.
Mercer Management Consulting, Inc. Miscellaneous Commercial ServicesCommercial Services Mercer Management Consulting, Inc. provides management consulting services. The company offers business design innovation, brand strategy, operational excellence, transformation, and portfolio strategy services. The firm was founded in 1990 and is located in New York, NY. | Consultant / Advisor | - |
Historic AOL LLC
Historic AOL LLC Internet Software/ServicesTechnology Services AOL LLC provides on-line services. It operates a network of web brands and Internet access subscription services in the United States. The company also offers digital services in the areas of education, safety and security, communications, and music. Its web brands include AOL.com, MapQuest, and Netscape. AOL is headquartered in New York, NY. | Corporate Officer/Principal | - |
THOMSON REUTERS CORPORATION | Corporate Officer/Principal | - |
Training of William Crowder
Duke University | Masters Business Admin |
North Carolina State University | Graduate Degree |
Experiences
Positions held
Connections
1st degree connections
1st degree companies
Male
Female
Members of the board
Executives
Linked companies
Listed companies | 2 |
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URBAN ONE, INC. | Consumer Services |
THOMSON REUTERS CORPORATION | Technology Services |
Private companies | 6 |
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Historic AOL LLC
Historic AOL LLC Internet Software/ServicesTechnology Services AOL LLC provides on-line services. It operates a network of web brands and Internet access subscription services in the United States. The company also offers digital services in the areas of education, safety and security, communications, and music. Its web brands include AOL.com, MapQuest, and Netscape. AOL is headquartered in New York, NY. | Technology Services |
Mercer Management Consulting, Inc.
Mercer Management Consulting, Inc. Miscellaneous Commercial ServicesCommercial Services Mercer Management Consulting, Inc. provides management consulting services. The company offers business design innovation, brand strategy, operational excellence, transformation, and portfolio strategy services. The firm was founded in 1990 and is located in New York, NY. | Commercial Services |
Dreamit Ventures LLC
Dreamit Ventures LLC Investment ManagersFinance Dreamit Ventures LLC (Dreamit Ventures) is a venture capital and accelerator firm founded in 2008 by David Bookspan, Michael Levinson and Steve D. Welch. The firm is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA with an office in New York, NY. | Finance |
Connectivity Capital Partners LLC
Connectivity Capital Partners LLC Investment ManagersFinance Connectivity Capital Partners LLC (Connectivity Capital) venture capital is firm founded in 2012 by Joyce Fensterstock and Jaahred Thomas. The firm is headquartered in New York. | Finance |
Aperture Venture Capital
Aperture Venture Capital Investment ManagersFinance Aperture Venture Capital (Aperture Venture) is a venture capital firm founded in 2020 by William Crowder and Garnet Heraman. The firm is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with additional offices in New York, Los Angels and Orange County. | Finance |
Growth Strategy Advisors |
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