Atlanta venture capital firm Valor Ventures, the first woman-led venture capital firm in Georgia, is pleased to announce the first close on its Fund 2. Valor has raised just over ⅓ of the planned target capital amount of $25 million.

Valor’s second fund invests in software platforms outside of Silicon Valley that unlock new markets or extend solutions into large underserved markets. The fund’s thematic focus is financial inclusion. Fintech luminaries invested in the partnership include Kelly Loeffler, CEO of Bakkt; Kathryn Petralia, co-founder and President of Kabbage and Drum; and Lynne Laube, co-founder and COO at Cardlytics. Additional notable backers include foundations and family offices; seasoned investors including Tim Crow, former CRHO Home Depot; David Cummings, serial entrepreneur and founder at Atlanta Tech Village; and Michael Mansfield of Mansfield Oil. Valor’s team includes general partner and founder Lisa Calhoun and co-founders Robin Bienfait, former Chief Innovation Officer of Samsung and former CIO of Blackberry, and Sarah O'Brien, former GE M&A and CFO, Carestream Dental.

Valor Ventures plans to lead 25-30 seed-stage investments over its four-year investment period. The first investment is Capway, an Atlanta-based digital banking and financial literacy platform for the 1 in 5 Americans who are under-banked and overcharged by traditional banking systems. Notable Capway co-investors include Initialized and Maveron. Valor Fund 2’s second investment is Physican360, an on-demand prescription platform started in Dallas and led by Emory emergency room doctor Angela Fusaro, MD, MBA. Available in 37 states, Physican360 helps patients access treatment for common issues such as strep, flu and anemia. “We’re thrilled to have a committed lead investor with Valor’s expertise,” says Fusaro.

Valor’s Fund 2 platform leverages several types of support to help founders scale, including:

Startup Runway, the largest pitch event for under-represented founders in the country and part of Valor’s sourcing system;

Atlanta Tech Park, Valor’s headquarters, founded by Robin Bienfait. At 45,000 square feet, it is the largest women-owned innovation center in the United States, to the best of the firm’s knowledge;

Valor’s Innovation Council, a group of over 50 corporate leaders.

Valor’s 7^th Startup Runway Showcase, presenting first public pitches from competitively selected startups hailing from Los Angeles to New Hampshire and led by underrepresented founders, is October 8. Tickets are available.