Bay Area

Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor: Closing the Equity Gap for Communities of Color

Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor are two pillars of the San Francisco Bay Area. More than this, they are visionaries who are helping construct the pathway for our nation’s economic future. The Kapors have spent the last decade developing a vision and practice to make the tech industry more diverse and inclusive.

Published

3 years ago

April 15, 2023

Oakland Post

At San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, Mitch Kapor, Freada Kapor, left, discussed their new book and Linda Parker Pennington and Kenneth Johnson were among the attendees. Photo by Conway Jones

By Conway Jones

Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor are two pillars of the San Francisco Bay Area.

More than this, they are visionaries who are helping construct the pathway for our nation’s economic future.

The Kapors have spent the last decade developing a vision and practice to make the tech industry more diverse and inclusive.

Their new book, “Closing the Equity Gap: Creating Wealth and Fostering Justice in Startup Investing,” explains how their two institutions, Kapor Center and Kapor Capital, invest in seed-stage tech startups focused on closing gaps of access, opportunity and outcome for low-income communities and communities of color.

Their core belief is that all companies must make a positive impact.

“Loyalty to values is more important than loyalty to investors.” said Freada Kapor in her address to the Commonwealth Club of California last Monday.

The Kapors’ belief is that entrepreneurs who overcome obstacles in life are a far better predictor of long-term success than the schools they attend or the investment dollars they raise from friends and family.

“Mitch and Freada were both authentic and engaging in their presentation.” said Linda Parker Pennington, founder and CEO of Parker Pennington Enterprises, LLC. “They told us ‘how they’ve done well by doing good’ and how we can, too.” Parker Pennington continued.

“The investment work we do is what matters.” said Mitch Kapor.

“The Kapors’ investment formula is proven to help close these access, opportunity, and outcome gaps for low-income communities,” said Kenneth Johnson, videographer, community leader and Board Director of the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce. “We need to adopt their vision here in San Francisco.”