This Company Is Betting On Black And Latino Entrepreneurs – Here’s Why

WHO WE ARE

Our names are... LaDante McMillon and Ivan Alo.

Our company is… New Age Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in tech and tech-enabled startups founded by Blacks and Latinos to solve “real-world problems” – largely around healthcare, financial services, the future of work, and the future of experiences – in unique ways.

It launched in… 2016.

My career in a past life was…
Ivan: as a real estate investor.
LaDante: as a filmmaker.

My first career aspiration was…
Ivan: to get as wealthy as possible as quickly as possible. I believed and still do, correctly or incorrectly, that the people with the most financial wealth have the highest level of concentrated power to actually make a meaningful dent in fixing a lot of the world’s problems.
LaDante: to be a cartoon artist.

I made my very first dollar…
Ivan: being a camp counselor at Saint Joseph School in East Orange, NJ, where I also attended middle school.
LaDante: working at Foot Locker.

My ideal day is…
Ivan: spent meeting with entrepreneurs whose companies are at various stages and strategizing with them about how to tackle new obstacles and set new milestones. I also like trying a new restaurant for lunch or dinner.

My typical day is…
LaDante: off and running at 5 a.m. I wake up, go to the gym, prepare lunch, listen to NPR or a podcast, check to see what meetings I have scheduled, bike to work, check and respond to emails, prepare for the day’s calls and/or or meetings, bike home, relax, Netflix, and repeat.

Right when I wake up…
Ivan: I pray. I pray that I will be blessed with another day of life to go out and add value to the world on my own terms, health and wealth for my family and friends, and humility because Lord knows confidence is far from being a weakness of mine.

Right before I go to bed…
Ivan: I scroll through Instagram to decompress. Some of my favorite accounts are Sean “Diddy” Combs (@diddy), @top_nyc_restaurants, Louis Vuitton (@louisvuitton), Mr. Eazi (Nigerian artist, @mreazi), and @daquan.
LaDante: I leave my phone downstairs. It gives me the chance to decompress and not be accessible, which is a good feeling at times.

OUR PLAYBOOK

It brings out my best…
Ivan: when I get to interact with people in social settings, preferably one-on-one, and learn about what makes them tick.

I’m motivated by…
Ivan: achieving greatness. For me, greatness is when the desire to add tremendous value to the world, lasting far beyond one’s own existence, intersects with the ability to execute on one’s goals at the highest level for a long period of time.
LaDante: by the possibility of getting extremely wealthy by helping other Blacks and Latinos become wealthy. Everybody eats.

My career heroes are...
Ivan: LaDante McMillon and Ivan Alo.
LaDante: anybody who has gone left when everyone else has gone right, made a lot of money, and helped a lot of people.
Ivan: To be completely honest, I actually hate the concept of heroes and how we glorify them. At the end of the day, we're all flawed human beings.

I’m worst at...
Ivan: remembering things.
LaDante: maintaining contact with family members outside of my immediate family. I need to call my grandma right now, actually.

I’m currently excited about...
Ivan: launching New Age Capital and investing in the next generation’s world class companies.

OUR PATH

My biggest leap of faith was…
LaDante: when I jumped off a bridge in Ecuador. I learned that there is nothing really in my control.

My rock bottom moment was...
Ivan: when my dad passed away in August 2008.

My biggest triumph is...
LaDante: finishing a marathon.

The biggest question I haven’t yet answered is...
Ivan: will we actually be successful at this?

I define success as…
LaDante: the success of those around me.
Ivan: everybody eats.

OUR WISDOM

If you’re thinking about starting your own company, I dare you to remember…
Ivan: that at the end of the day, you don’t want to live with regrets.

I dare you to forget…
LaDante: all the bullshit people tell you about why you shouldn’t start your company.

My best advice is…
LaDante: to be acutely aware of yourself, and like Drake says, know yourself.
Ivan: to always be aware that you will never know as much as you think you do.

Images courtesy of New Age Capital