Uplink
Built Different.Building Everything.
A collective of Black founders closing gaps the industry pretends don't exist — from bias-auditing algorithms to capital-access platforms.
Real people. Real rounds.
Every card is a founder who built something that didn't exist — for communities that needed it most.
Deja Washington
Founder & CEO · AuditAI
" Left a principal engineering role at Meta after watching three consecutive hiring cycles produce zero Black senior engineers.
Built AuditAI in a WeWork on Peachtree — an algorithm that audits hiring pipelines for structural bias, not just optics.
$2.3M seed closed in 14 days. 40 enterprise clients in the first quarter. "
Marcus Okafor
Co-Founder · CapBridge
" His grandmother ran a cash-only flower shop for 30 years because every bank application came back denied.
CapBridge is a capital-access platform that scores creditworthiness on cash-flow patterns, not credit bureaus.
Serving 8,000 small businesses in seven cities. Series A: $14M. "
Aaliyah Chen-Morris
Founder · Groundwork
" Watched three Black-owned restaurants in her block close because they couldn't navigate SBA paperwork.
Groundwork automates small business compliance — licenses, taxes, permits — for founders with no back office.
Acquired by Shopify. Still running it from Atlanta. "
Kofi Mensah
Founder & CTO · Vantage
" Serial entrepreneur. Previously built and sold two developer tools. Came back because the gap was still there.
Vantage is a real-time equity tracking platform built for employees at startups where the cap table is a mystery.
Pre-seed closed at $800K. 1,200 employees using it to understand what they actually own. "
Simone Adeyemi
Founder · Melanin.vc
" Angel investor who wrote 23 checks into rooms where she was the only Black woman. Decided to change the room.
Melanin.vc is a syndicate platform for Black angel investors — deal flow, due diligence tools, co-investment rails.
$6M deployed in year one. 180 active angels. 31 portfolio companies. "
Rounds that changed rooms.
$89M+
Total Raised
Across 47 portfolio companies
247
Active Founders
In the collective right now
31
Cities
From ATL to Oakland to Brooklyn
3.2×
Avg. Return
For collective angel investors
Collective insight
Founders in Uplink close rounds 2.8× faster than the national average for early-stage startups.
Software built for gaps the industry pretends don't exist.
Hover any card to see it alive. These aren't prototypes — they're in production, serving real users.
AuditAI
Deja Washington · AuditAI Inc.
"Bias doesn't hide. It just goes unaudited."
Real-time pipeline analysis that surfaces structural bias in hiring, promotion, and compensation — before it becomes a lawsuit.
2.4M+
Bias patterns detected
40
Enterprise clients
34%
Avg. pipeline correction
CapBridge
Marcus Okafor · CapBridge Technologies
"Credit scores were built to exclude. We built something else."
Cash-flow-based lending for small businesses that traditional fintech forgot. Apply in 4 minutes. Funds in 24 hours.
8,000
Businesses served
$47K
Avg. loan size
73%
Approval rate
Vantage
Kofi Mensah · Vantage Labs
"Know what you own. Know what it's worth."
Real-time equity tracking for startup employees. See your vesting schedule, dilution history, and projected exit value — no spreadsheets.
1,200
Employees tracking
91%
Avg. equity clarity gain
Melanin.vc
Simone Adeyemi · Melanin Ventures
"Change who's in the room. Change who gets funded."
Syndicate platform for Black angel investors — curated deal flow, shared due diligence, and co-investment infrastructure.
180
Active angels
31
Portfolio companies
$6M
Capital deployed
Your round is waiting.
Your people are here.
Join 247 Black founders who are building software that looks like their neighborhoods, funded by investors who finally see themselves in the room.
No application fee. No equity ask. Just proof that you're building.